Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
  • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
  • H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
  • H01Q1/2208—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems
  • H01Q1/2216—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems used in interrogator/reader equipment
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q7/00—Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21F—SAFETY DEVICES, TRANSPORT, FILLING-UP, RESCUE, VENTILATION, OR DRAINING IN OR OF MINES OR TUNNELS
  • E21F13/00—Transport specially adapted to underground conditions
  • E21F13/02—Transport of mined mineral in galleries

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to mining and mineral processing tracers including density tracers, marker tracers, ore tracking tracers, and spiking tracers.
• a mining separator 100 receives supplied raw mining material 102 and separates useful material (e.g. coal) 104 from other waste material 106 using a known separation process.
• useful material e.g. coal
• Colored visual density tracers which are in essence blocks of known densities, may be added to the raw material 102.
• Visual auditing of the density tracers in the separated material 104 was conducted to generate density information including a density tracer partition curve 200 shown in Figure 2.
• the density information is used by an operator as a guide to adjustment of the separation process of the separator 100.
• Other streams from the separator, such as 106 may be similarly monitored and typically there may be up to four streams monitored.
• the density tracers have been fitted with electronic transponders. Further, an antenna 108 is erected adjacent the path of the separated material 104 to assist in compiling the density information.
• the material 104 is typically transported on a conveyor 110, vibrating screens or in chutes.
• the antenna 108 is cumbersome and time consuming to install. Further, the antenna 108 may need to be located in close proximity to the material 104 so as to improve the likelihood of reading the density tracers buried deep in the separated material 104.
• the Applicant has noticed that the antenna 108 can restrict flow of the material and can be swept away in the event of a surge of material 104.
• the preferred embodiment provides improved electronic density tracer sensing techniques.
• a mining or mineral processing system antenna for detecting electronic tracers, the antenna including:
• a support for being deflected upon impact by mining or mineral material bearing the tracers, the support supporting a conductor for conducting received signals from the tracers.
• the support may be located close to the material to facilitate tracer detection and deflected by a surge of material without damage or the need for re- calibration. Preferably, after deflection, the support returns to its original configuration.
• the conductor may be in the form of a coil.
• the coil may include multiple turns of an integrally formed single conductor wire.
• the coil may include a multi-conductor cable with serial connection of conductors.
• the coil has one or more cross-overs to form multiple loops to reduce signal interference from radio- frequency noise.
• the support may include a curtain.
• the curtain may be rectangular and include hanging means to facilitate hanging along an upper edge.
• the fastening means may include eyelets.
• an mining or mineral antenna for detecting electronic tracers including:
• a curtain support for supporting a conductor, in turn, for conducting received signals from the tracers.
• a method for installing a mining or mineral processing system antenna for detecting electronic tracers including: hanging a support for being deflected upon impact by mining or mineral material bearing the tracers, the support bearing a conductor for conducting received signals from the tracers.
• the support of the preferred embodiment may be readily hung in place during installation, and removed after use.
• a tracer for mining or mineral material including:
• a transmitter aligned along a maximum line within the body.
• placing the transmitter along the maximum line allows smaller body to be used for a given transmitter size.
• the body may be a polyhedron.
• the polyhedron may be a cube.
• the maximum line may be a diagonal.
• the diagonal may be a space diagonal.
• the tracer may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder including the transmitter.
• RFID radio frequency identification
• the transponder may be elongate and include an exposed wound antenna at one end.
• the tracer may be a density tracer.
• the exposed antenna reduces the displacement of body material which would otherwise occur if a cover was provided, thereby resulting in a density tracer which more accurately represents density.
• a mining or mineral processing system monitoring system for monitoring electronic tracers, the system including:
• the system may include any one or more of a pipe, a chute, a conveyor and a vibrating screen defining the path along which the material passes.
• the system may further include a reader for reading the received signals and/or a recording device for recording data from the tracers [00019]
• the system may further include a separator for separating the material bearing the tracers.
• Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a known separator
• Figure 2 is a density information audit sheet including a density tracer partition curve
• FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a monitoring system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 4 is a rear view of an antenna of the monitoring system of Figure 3.
• Figure 5 is a schematic drawing of a density tracer used in the monitoring system of Figure 3.
• An expansive antenna 302 is hung at the end of the conveyor or screen 110 for detecting electronic density tracers in the mining or mineral material 104 as it moves along or falls from the transporter 110.
• the antenna 302 includes a deflectable support in the form of a curtain 304 which deflects upon impact by material 104 bearing the tracers. After deflection, the curtain 304 returns to its original configuration.
• the curtain 304 supports a conductor in the form of a multi-core cable, with respective conductors serially interconnected to form a coil 400 for conducting received electrical radio signals from the tracers.
• the curtain 304 can be located near or in contact with the material 104 to facilitate tracer detection.
• the curtain 304 is simply deflected by any surge of material 104 without damage or the need for re-calibration.
• the curtain 304 may be readily hung in place during installation, and removed after use.
• the antenna coil 400 is threaded through sleeves 405 mounted to the curtain 304.
• the coil 400 is configured, in this embodiment, to define three loops 402a, 402b, 402c with two cross-overs 404a, 404b.
• the system 300 further includes a reader 406 for reading the received signals in the coil 400 and a recording device for recording data from the electronic density tracers.
• the reader 406 automatically collects the density information required for the density tracer partition curve 200 of Figure 2.
• the curtain 304 is rectangular and includes hanging means in the form of eyelets 408 to facilitate hanging along an upper edge
• the density tracer 500 includes a cube body 502 of known density.
• RFID radio frequency identification
• placing the transponder 504 along the diagonal allows smaller blocks to be used for a given transponder size.
• the transponder 504 includes an exposed wound coil antenna 506 at one end.
• the exposed antenna 506 reduces the displacement of body material which would otherwise occur if a cover encapsulated the antenna 506, thereby resulting in a density tracer 500 which more accurately represents the desired density.
• the preferred embodiment included a support in the form of a compliant curtain 304 for being deflected upon impact with material.
• the support may be a rigid panel which can be deflected about a pivot.
• the coil includes multiple turns of an integrally formed single conductor wire.
• the material transporter 110 includes a pipe or chute defining a path along which the material 104 passes.
• the curtain 304 is stiff.

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• Geophysics And Detection Of Objects (AREA)

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Publications (1)

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Cited By (2)

Citations (3)

• 2013
  • 2013-09-27 AU AU2013330201A patent/AU2013330201B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2013-09-27 WO PCT/AU2013/001112 patent/WO2014056019A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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