Train Loadout Solution

An iLDR sensor on the ingo gate maps the profile of each rail stock. The classification can be used to determine a preset for loading a certain type of car and locomotive detection. The car type is identified by its shape, which means it is not required to have working RFID tags on the cars. RFID tags tend to struggle with the harsh mining environment and get damaged and become unreadable. The height information from the iLDR sensor for rail stock classification is also used to prevent collisions of rail stock with loading chutes or gates.

indurad OCR cameras record all alphanumerical ID information on rail cars to identify the car. All data is stored in a solution database for post-process analysis.

Typically, one pair of iLDR sensors is located at the ingo and outgo side of the TLO. They measure the incoming and outgoing height of rail cars. This allows for adjusting the chute to the optimal loading height and calculating spring distortion when fully loaded.

The iLoadout solution identifies the car type and determines the material distribution in the car. It is able to use this information to calculate the front and rear freeboard and the angle of repose of the material. The TLO’s automation system can utilize the provided information to adjust chute timing to maximize loading efficiency.

indurad’s iLoadout solution is able to provide 3D renderings of the loaded ore cars to any PC or surveillance camera system. All calculated values are available via all standard data communication protocols for SCADA integration. A detailed loading performance analysis can be done with the combined data of the indurad solution and SCADA tools.

All indurad solutions can be combined to create the optimal solution for the given use case. Adding an indurad iBelt solution for volume flow calculation on the feeder belt and using an existing belt scale allows calculating the live density of the feed. Knowing the live density allows to adjust the chute timing and reduce loading deviation.

Traditional car positioning is based on PE-cells, which struggle with the mining environment and require regular maintenance. Sunlight and dust have negative influence on the precision of the cells. During maintenance work cells get moved or removed, further reducing the usefulness of the system. indurad solves this issue by using fixed iLDR sensors for rail car positioning and gap detection. They are mounted outside the line of fire, are not influenced by the environment and are thus maintenance free.