CAN in underground loaders and haul trucks

CAN Newsletter  June 2010

Sandvik Mining and Construction (SMC) is the world’s leading supplier of drilling, excavation, crushing and screening, machinery, equipment, and tools for mining and construction industries. SMC uses Epec control systems in various machines. Sandvik’s underground loaders and haul trucks are highly maneuverable machines operating in very harsh environments (heat, vibration, dust etc.).

The control system continuously diagnoses its self-activity and blocks the user’s incorrect activities that could either be dangerous or could break the engine. The Epec 2024 control unit inside the cabin reads the buttons, switches, joysticks and pedal signals, controls the engine using the J1939 protocol and controls the hydraulics pumps in a fuel economical way: If the hydraulics pumps are not needed, the system cuts them off automatically.
The unit on the front (Epec 2024) controls the boom and bucket movements, the front lights, the centralized lubrication and the speed sensors. The unit on the rear (Epec 2024) controls the back lights and enables automated machine control (AutoMine). Several functions of the machine are able to automate. For example, the machine drives itself (no driver is needed) to the loading place, fills the bucket as tele-remote controlled and drives back to the place of discharge. This enables driving to the places that are not safe enough for humans and is more effective as one man can control three machines at the same time. The control unit in the middle (Epec 2024) controls the gearbox, the torque converter, the brakes and the steering. The Epec 2040 color display is responsible for automatic loading and management of the application parameters and programs. The self-diagnostics system monitors functions automatically and immediately alarms the user, if an error occurs. Also the sensor status (e.g. status of oil level) is monitored. Important usage information (e.g. event and alarm log) may be saved in the display.