Patent ID: 6898503

Claim:
A method for determining position of a mining machine during skidding of at least one of the machine's wheels with respect to the underlying surface, the method comprising: determining the position of the mining machine during its normal movement by measuring the distance the machine has moved in proportion to the rotation of the wheels and the direction in which the machine moves, further determining the position of the machine at suitable intervals over the route along which the machine is moving by determining profiles of wall surfaces surrounding the machine and by comparing the obtained wall surface profiles with wall profiles of corresponding points stored in a memory of control equipment of the mining machine, and correcting, if required, the position data obtained from the rotary motion of the wheels and the directions of travel of the machine by using the position data obtained from the determination of the wall profiles, detecting, during movement of the mining machine, skidding of at least one wheel of the machine with respect to the underlying surface by at least one detector, detecting the operation of the transmission of the mining machine, interrupting the determination of the position of the machine by means of the rotation of the wheels and the direction of travel of the machine from the moment the skidding is detected for the entire duration of the skidding, and determining the position of the machine solely by determining the profile of at least one wall surface surrounding the machine and by comparing the obtained wall surface profile to the stored profiles of the known wall surfaces surrounding the machine.