Oryx, a Kvaser customer, specializes in building simulators for applications as wide ranging as excavation, drilling and mining, forestry harvesting and container handling.

Oryx’s simulators are unique in their uncanny ability to replicate a machine’s real environment to the smallest detail. This means not only reproducing the operator’s cabin in its entirety, but also being able to imitate the weight and pressure experienced by the machine in a particular situation.

Each cabin sits on either an electric or hydraulic motion platform that responds to the operator’s commands in real-time. In addition, up to five flat screens are mounted like windows in a real cabin to provide further realism. However, it is Oryx’s advanced algorithms, generating billions of calculations in a fraction of a second, which are the key to making the system move and behave just like the real machine.

With so many inputs and output signals to manage, the most complex part of the simulator development is the communication between software and hardware. Oryx chose the CAN protocol to manage this, not only because of its popularity in the machine industry, but also because of its cost-effectiveness and stability.

Each machine has one or more Kvaser’s PCI Canx cards within the simulation computer, handling CAN communication between the simulation software and the machine’s interfaces. Johan Granström, Sales & Marketing Manager for Oryx Simulations AB notes: “We selected Kvaser as our supplier partly because of our geographic proximity, but also because of their flexibility and the help they offered during the development process. Kvaser’s products offer great Linux compatibility, which is crucial because all our simulators are based on Linux. We are also using Kvaser drivers and SDK kit.”

Oryx’s capacity to transform advanced simulation into intuitive and easy-to-use training tools is reaping benefits for customers and end users alike. For trainee operators, simulation results in a steeper learning curve, allowing them to concentrate on improving their skill without worrying about the consequences of a mistake. Another value is safety. Notes Granström: “Damages and injuries are common during basic training, so simulation removes the risk to personnel and equipment.” For training organizations, simulation allows the instructor to closely scrutinize students’ progress, whilst also enabling them to be exposed to dangerous and/or infrequent situations, such as a landslide. Meanwhile, fleet owners benefit from decreased wear and tear on vehicles, reduced fuels costs, plus the ability to monitor operator skill and productivity more rigorously than otherwise.

Clouds of dust, high temperatures and wet surroundings make for less than ideal conditions for electrical equipment. However, sometimes these conditions are exactly where electronic control systems are needed most. The drilling and mining industry is one of the toughest environments for people and machinery on Earth, and one emerging industry trend is to introduce automated machinery to maximise efficiency and minimise the safety risk to personnel. In recent years, Atlas Copco has been ahead of its competitors in these developments, having begun adapting its loading machines with control systems that are automation compatible.

Software specialist Fredrik Grahn is part of a team of engineers that develops control systems for drill rigs, loaders and trucks at Atlas Copco’s R&D facility in Örebro, Sweden. Grahn and his colleagues began using Memorator in 2001 when they were troubleshooting a prototype 10-tonne underground loader that had been converted from a purely hydraulic operating system to an electronic one. With electronic joysticks, engine controller and transmission controller, as well as electronic control valves all linked via a Controller Area Network (CAN) architecture, comprehensive system testing under real-world conditions was considered imperative. At that time, Atlas Copco’s loaders and trucks were produced in Portland, Oregon and, as Grahn explained: “Our electrical engineer was in Oregon; I was performing integration testing on the machine in a mine in Canada; and the applications staff were in Örebro!”

In a timely stroke of luck, the team were introduced to the capabilities of Kvaser’s CAN to USB Memorator datalogger for recording CAN bus information in the field. They quickly realised that it would be an ideal tool for gathering and sharing system-level data if a malfunction on the prototype occurred. The Memorator sits in a protective casing under the cabin seat, connected to the machine’s CAN bus using two sealed cables. All CAN messages are logged, with the operator simply noting the time at which he believes something merits further investigation. At the end of the datalogging session, the Memorator is removed and the HEX files downloaded to a laptop, to be sent via email for analysis back at the lab.

However, prior to the ‘black box’ capability afforded by the FIFO feature, Atlas Copco’s engineers would sometimes go to the Memorator and find its memory card full. Whilst the 2G memory capacity provided a generous two full days worth of data, there wasn’t a way of knowing when the Memorator had stopped recording and therefore, whether crucial data had been logged. It also required removing from its protective enclosure and existing data deleted before a new data logging session was begun. In contrast, the FIFO (first in, first out) feature means that the Memorator continually rewrites over the oldest information. Atlas Copco’s engineers now know that they will always have the last two days results at their fingertips. Notably, whilst Kvaser can provide larger memory for Memorator, more data would take longer for Atlas Copco’s engineers to analyse.

It was not long before other R&D departments at Atlas Copco recognised the benefit of using a CAN datalogger. Nowadays, the hydraulic engineering department also makes use of Memorator, using it to log hydraulic oil transmission temperatures or monitor brake system pressures, for example. Meanwhile, Memorator is proving useful for ongoing maintenance and service purposes. Grahn notes that with multiple sensor readings potentially available on the CAN bus, the data can be used to build a picture of the general health of a machine. Ultimately, more accurate ‘lifing’ of mechanical components leads to lower maintenance costs, added reliability and potentially higher profit margins over a machine’s life cycle for the end customer. For the mining industry – a physically and economically challenged environment – these are vital attributes indeed.

 

(With thanks to Atlas Copco for the Scooptram_ST14 image)