Proximity Awareness Lessons Learned

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Proximity Awareness
 History
• Kick-off meeting held at customer site in July, 2012
• Performed network analysis
• Provided overview of system
• Reached agreement in principle
• Project Charter accepted (3Q 2012)
• Upgrade to Fleet 3.1 (4Q 2012)
• Install mid precision GNSS receivers (1Q 2013)
• Upgrade to Fleet 3.1.1 1 (1Q 2013)
• Enable Proximity Awareness (2Q 2013)
• Ongoing Field Follow

Caterpillar: Confidential Green :: 4

 Lessons Learned
Perform Effective Change Management at All Levels
• Must be performed at management through operator level
• What we did…
• Secured management buy in
• Provided training
• What we did not do…
• Engage in true Change Management
• Identify targets and agents
• Identify/address potential resistance
• Communicate
• Why-Where-Who-What-When

Caterpillar: Confidential Green :: 5

 Lessons Learned
Training is a Part of Change Management
• Trained both office and onboard software
• Trained the trainer
• Created Quick Reference Sheets
• Ride along with operators to validate system and train
• Formal training may have been beneficial
• Ensure consistent message
• Competency testing
• Newly formed training organization
• Must incorporate with Change Management process
• Understand purpose
• Understand benefits
• Address concerns

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 Lessons Learned
Radio Network Coverage is Vital
• Eliminate all gaps in coverage as much as possible
• Site has a good radio network
• What may be adequate for Fleet likely requires
improvement for Proximity Awareness
• Example
• Machine (T1) has lost communications, receives a
warning and the system marks the last known
machine position
• Machine (T2) is following T1. The T2 operator sees a
machine icon (on display) for T1 at the location
where communications were lost. T2 also receives a
proximity alarm for T1 as it drives by/over the
phantom machine

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Lessons Learned

20% packet loss in February before 3% packet loss

changes and signal augmentation, in April following
measured by Cat Survey changes

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 Lessons Learned
Operational Procedure vs. Actual Practice
• Actual practice varied from corporate standards
• Park up
• Truck dump
• Following distance
• Set initial parameters to match standards and adjusted based on
actual practices
• Proximity incidents do not necessarily indicate poor operator
behavior, it may indicate the need for design layout
improvements.
• Site has a good safety record
• Complacency can develop if no incidents occur

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Lessons Learned

Machine Class Measure Up

Attributes
• Origin Points & Offsets
• Body Area
• Avoidance Area
• Path Region
• Scalar Value
• Projected path of travel

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 Lessons Learned
Mix of Mid Precision and Low Precision is not Acceptable
• Minimum of mid precision GNSS receivers required for all
machines
• Began Field Follow with mid precision on 7 haul trucks
• Resulted in excess alarming due to limited accuracy of haul
trucks with low precision.
• Paused Field Follow to install additional mid precision
• 22 haul trucks
• 5 auxiliary machines
• MG, 2 WT, LV, WD

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 Lessons Learned
Show Value
• Gathered reporting requirements
• Developed preliminary incident charts
• Incorporate management dashboards

The product can do lots of cool things but

we must prove cost savings/avoidance.
Savings from:
• Repairs
• Lost production
• Fines
• Lost time

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Lessons Learned

Caterpillar: Confidential Green :: 13

Lessons Learned

Caterpillar: Confidential Green :: 14

 Lessons Learned
Listen to Customer
• Daily calls with Site Champion first 2 weeks
• Made configuration changes
• Reestablishment of connection time after “out of
comms”
• Redefine body, avoidance, path extension and
scalar values
• Making software changes
• Silence audible alarming while in neutral
• Silence alarming while changes being made
• Return to site, communicate changes and implement

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©2013 Caterpillar
All Rights Reserved.
CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate
and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.
Cat® MineStar™ System
Quick Reference Card- Proximity Awareness

Speed Indicator/Limit

GPS Status Indicator

Proximity Notification
Event

Proximity Alert Status

Indicator (Caution)
Machine with
bad position
Shovel Waypoint Speed Zone
Indicator (gray) from Limit
MineStar Fleet
Speed Zone
Area

Proximity Alert Status

Indicator (Stop)

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Cat® MineStar™ System
Quick Reference Card- Proximity Awareness

Q & A about Proximity Awareness:

•Each machine has 2 “buffer” areas that surround the machine.

•Stop Zone: Immediate area around the machine

•Avoidance Area/Projected Path: area based on the machine’s size, direction, and speed. Projected Paths act as an avoidance area.
When 2 or more projected paths cross, an alarm will sound.

•Caution Zone Alarm - Occurs when the projected paths of 2 or more machines intersect. One short audible tone will sound. Reduce speed
to avoid the possible collision

•Stop Zone Alarm - Occurs when the avoidance zone of a machine intersects another machine. A solid audible tone will sound. Stop
immediately to avoid the collision.

•Avoidance/Speed Zone Alarm - Mine infrastructure and hazards may be marked as avoidance zones.
The system will alarm and the avoidance zone icon will appear when a machine enters an avoidance
area. Stop the machine and leave the area as safely as possible or reduce speed.

•Topography lines and other mine infrastructure may appear on the mine map. These are used
as reference points. Please use basic safety precautions while using the Proximity Awareness
System as these lines may or may not reflect actual current topography.

•To acknowledge alarms (and temporarily silence them) press the “Alarm button” on
the right-hand side of the CMPD (showed as #5 in graphic).
•Alarms may be muted by pressing and holding the “alarm button” for 3 secs, press accept, and verify that yellow mute
icon displays. Alarm will stay muted until unit power is key-cycled. The following alarms are not muted, Proximity Stop
and Proximity Caution.

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