Autonomous mining

Precision control

Making smart mining trucks a reality

Autonomous mining – especially autonomous mining trucks – has great potential to make both open pit and underground mining safer and more efficient. To make autonomous mining trucks as effective as possible, you need a localisation solution that: 

  • Provides centimetre-level position accuracy.
  • Works just as well underground as it does in an open pit mine.
  • Can transition between GNSS navigation and GNSS-denied navigation seamlessly.
  • Is easy to integrate into your wider robotic control stack.
  • Is commercially viable.
OXTS solution

The OXTS solution for autonomous mining

OXTS GNSS/INS devices give you cutting edge IMU technology, survey-grade GNSS receivers, and advanced algorithms that deliver centimetre-level position accuracy. AA combination of sensor fusion capabilities and ruggedised casings deliver accurateand reliable localisation even in underground mining conditions. Combined with powerful software features specifically designed for autonomous navigation, with OXTS you can push the boundaries of autonomous mining to deliver a high-performing, commercially attractive end product. 

  • Smooth, high-quality PNT data from ITAR-free hardware
    Our GNSS/INS devices use careful calibration, sophisticated sensor fusion and an advanced navigation engine to deliver highly reliable data in a variety of environments.
  • Autonomy-specific features
    Optimise your GNSS/INS for autonomous navigation by activating features such as Hot Start initialisation and PTP synchronisation.
  • Software to make your project easier
    As well as our free NAVsuite applications for configuring and monitoring your GNSS/INS during build and test, we have autonomy-specific tools including ROS2 drivers designed to remove complexity from your project.
Precision control

GNSS/INS features for autonomous mining trucks

To create an attractive and commercially viable autonomous mining truck you need robust navigation and user-friendly features. The following optional features are all included in the autonomy feature bundle: 

  • gx/ix tight-coupling – Speeds up RTK reacquisition after transient but complete GNSS outage meaning more accurate navigation data for longer (see example below).
  • Hot Start initialisation – enables your INS to initialise while stationary, even without a GNSS signal, so your AMR can initialise indoors – or underground.
  • PTP and gPTP time synchronisation – master and client functionality makes it easier to integrate your GNSS/INS into an existing system.
  • UCOM data messaging – gives you more control over your data outputs to simplify your architecture, increase safety, and more.

GNSS vs OXTS gx/ix tight-coupling technology…

An OXTS GNSS/INS integrates single-satellite aiding data into its navigation solution, reducing the time taken to reacquire RTK lock in real time. Using NAVSolve, you can reprocess your raw data and still benefit from gx/ix tight-coupling processing. 

Tools for your project

01

OXTS ROS drivers

RT3000 v4 in use in car with software in background

Decode the data from your GNSS/INS into ROS messages for use by your control stack. 

02

NAVsuite

NAVsuite
  1. Configure your OXTS GNSS/INS. 
  1. Monitor the navigation data from your GNSS/INS in real time. 
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Not sure what you need?

There are lots of options for building your inertial navigation system. If you’d like to talk through your project with a member of our team, we’re here to help you build your inertial navigation solution.