Remote system fitted to quarry conveyor improves safety and operational control
Rotec Hydraulics have designed and installed a remote system, improving safety and operational control for our client at a significant limestone extraction quarry located within the South West of England.
Our customer utilises two tracked crawler vehicles to lift and manoeuvre a length of conveyer into position at the quarry. Previously, the vehicles had to be driven locally by personnel on the machine. To increase safety there was a request to design a system which would allow the machines to be operated remotely, keeping persons away from potential falling objects on the conveyer.
The remote system has additional benefits – including improving efficiency and the communication between machine operators because they can now stand next to each other and tandem lift with greater synchronisation. Previously they would be at opposite ends of the conveyer and this would require multiple banksman and hand signals.
Rotec’s technical team and engineering team designed and fitted a new control system based around a Parker IQAN mobile specific safety controller which uses CAN Open protocol to safely communicate with a radio remote system.
Existing manually operated valves were exchanged for electronic proportional control, allowing the operator to drive all the hydraulic functions remotely that were previously only available using hydraulic levers locally on the vehicle.
Backup electronic joysticks have been installed locally on the vehicle if the remote control was ever to become damaged during use, eliminating the risk of the vehicle becoming stranded in this rare scenario.
Our customer requested we fitted their own specific blue warning lamps and white noise sounders, all of which are driven directly from the new safety controller.
The existing emergency stop system was removed and replaced with an updated dual channel failsafe circuit featuring safety relays, bringing the equipment up to modern safety standards. Emergency stops include one located on the remote control allowing the operator to stop functions quickly and safely from a distance.
The newly installed Rotec control system integrates with the existing engine controller to allow warning messages to be displayed on the screen located on the remote, providing the operator with ultimate feedback if any engine faults develop during use.
Rotec also installed a Bluetooth modem allowing the customer to make certain parameter changes to the control system using a free app that is available to download.
The app enables any user to view logs, check the health of the system and monitor various sensors all wirelessly from a smartphone or tablet. Additional features include the ability to connect the machine to the internet so Rotec staff can remotely assist, diagnose and install software updates if required. Password protection has been employed to prevent abuse of the system by anyone except personnel issued with the login credentials.
To integrate with the client’s corporate branding, we customised the remote control with the cleint’s logo. Customisations such as switch positions and labelling were also discussed and agreed with the customer before build to ensure we delivered the best customer service and client satisfaction.
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