indurad’s collision avoidance

Avoiding machine collisions at stockyards and ports is essential to protect employees, prevent unnecessary repairs, and reduce machine downtime and, therefore, productivity losses. indurad addresses these challenges by implementing radar-based solutions to automate balanced machines, with every advanced radar-based automation project involving the application of a reliable collision avoidance system (CAS). indurad sensors scan machine environments for possible collision threats and assist operators by removing blind spots. Radar sensors establish an ‘electronic fence’, protecting uniquely defined virtual collision zones around the machine. lf objects are detected within the collision zones, the indurad solution will send a message to the machine’s PLC to slow down or stop the machine. Predictive detection and machine regulation without abrupt operational interruption offer great advantages over conventional lanyard and trip switches, the latter of which do not allow for direct machine control and are usually insufficient in ensuring a manual machine stops before a collision occurs. Additionally, the machine is equipped with an indurad GNSS system for more advanced object detection and positioning. This system enables a more accurate and reliable position calculation compared with conventional machine encoders, according to indurad. GNSS positioning is considered a basic requirement and essential for all indurad’s machine-based calculations and is especially important when implementing machine to machine collision avoidance applications in ports or stockyards, where multiple machines operate in close proximity.

Shiploader CAS scenarios

Typical shiploader collision scenarios include:

• Spout to hatch collisions.
• Boom collisions with the ship and other shiploaders during luffing and slewing; and
• Chassis collisions with objects or mobile equipment on the rails. To address these collision scenarios, 1D and 2D radar sensors are mounted on the sides of the boom, under the boom, around the spout, and on the machine’s chassis.

Stockyard CAS scenarios

indurad prevents collisions between stockyard machines, like bucket wheel reclaimers or stackers, with material piles or stationary objects. Two dimensional sensors scan the environment to the left and right of the bucket wheel and boom and the area below the boom. This setup covers both luffing and slewing movements. Each machine has a unique set of applications and needs to operate in different environments. The indurad approach caters to these varying needs by customising each CAS with advanced 3D simulations as part of any site implementation.

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