This paper describes new research and development currently being undertaken by the CSIRO Mining Technology Group to advance the automation capability of continuous mining equipment in underground coal mining operations. The effort aims at increasing the overall rate of roadway development as well as providing a safer working environment for underground mine personnel. The activity is funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) and forms part of a larger underground development initiative, known as the CM2010 project. The CM2010 is managed via a consortium of leading mining industry representatives through the Roadway Development Task Group (RDTG). The Task Group has identified three research areas requiring new development in order to realise the CM2010 project objectives: self-guiding (autonomous) continuous miner capability, an enhanced drilling and bolting process and improved mesh deployment. CSIRO's primary role in the CM2010 project is in the development of the autonomous continuous miner guidance capability. This paper reports on outcomes achieved at the half-way mark of a three year research and development project. It details the technical developments undertaken towards demonstration of a self-steering' capability to enable a continuous miner to automatically maintain a given mining heading and mining horizon under production conditions._x000D_
A primary technical requirement of this automated functionality is the means to accurately determine both the location and orientation of the continuous miner in real-time. Testing and validation of the guidance system solution has been implemented using a combination of an instrumentation-grade inertial navigation unit and radar technology. Comprehensive performance evaluations have been conducted using a scale skid-steer mobility platform known as the Phoenix._x000D_
Results achieved to the present stage of the project are highly promising and suggest that an automated self-steering functionality is achievable under production conditions. This new outcome represents an important move towards implementing a step change improvement for future underground roadway development._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Ralston, J C, Dunn, M T, Hargrave, C and Reid, D C, 2010. Advances in continuous miner automation, in Proceedings Mine Planning and Equipment Selection (MPES) 2010, pp 275-292 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).