Patent ID: 8820509

Claim:
A conveyor system for a mining machine having a movable mining implement, comprising: a plurality of conveyor segments operatively connected end-to-end, a first of the plurality of conveyor segments also being configured to connect to the mining machine; a plurality of mobile base supports each being configured to support one of the plurality of conveyor segments; at least one controller for communication with the mining machine and the plurality of mobile base supports, the at least one controller being configured to: determine a desired location of the mining machine different from a current location of the mining machine; determine a required trajectory of the plurality of conveyor segments based on the desired location of the mining machine; and communicate the required trajectory to each of the plurality of mobile base supports to move the mobile base supports into alignment with the required trajectory; and when each of the plurality of mobile base supports is configured to: determine a movement required to reposition itself along the required trajectory; and implement the movement as the mining machine moves from the current location to the desired location within constraints imposed by adjacent segments of the plurality of conveyor segments.