An Optimal Management System for a Fleet of Vehicles in Underground Mines
Renaud Grimard, Paul Cohen, Louis-Philippe Bigras,
The system that we have developed manages and assigns in real-time vehicles in under-ground mines. Each dispatching decision takes into account the traffic on the road segments (bi-directional or unidirectional) of the mine network, and ensures that each LHD arrives in the right position at loading and dumping points. Such system can be used for two main purposes: 1) as a strategic planning tool and 2) as a real-time managing and optimizing system for operations. First, using a simulator developed in parallel to the system, it is possible to perform realistic evaluations of the impact on productivity of modifications on the haulage network (such as the addition of waiting areas (bays, sidings) or bi-directional segments), or an increase or decrease of the number of haulage vehicles in operation. Secondly, by using the system for the dispatching, routing and scheduling of haulage vehicles in real time, the mine manager is able to optimize production with respect to various criteria such as minimizing equipment waiting times or minimizing the discrepancy between actual production and planned targets. The system deals simultaneously with the three aspects of equipment dispatching, routing, and scheduling, while taking into account all the available information about actual operation.
Mots Clés:
Optimisation, Routing, Dispatching, Underground mine, Scheduling, fleet management
