Using virtual computer analysis to evaluate the potential use of a camera intervention on industrial machines with line-of-sight impairments

A medium-sized Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) mining vehicle was evaluated using visibility tools in a computer simulation environment. The line-of-sight (LOS) available to the operator of a medium-sized LHD was calculated and displayed in a boxplot. Severe LOS restrictions were observed to several areas around the vehicle. A modified LHD design, aimed at improving LOS resulted in a marginal improvement in driver LOS (20–36%). Secondary viewing systems have not been widely accepted in the mining industry but several potential locations can be easily evaluated using computer simulation. This paper tested three camera locations for their ability to increase LOS to areas around the LHD vehicle that were very difficult to see from the operator's position. All camera locations were able to significantly improve LOS to 60% or greater while combinations of forward-facing and rear-facing cameras could improve LOS by as much as 80%.Relevance to industrySeveral industries have successfully added closed-circuit camera systems as a driving aid for vehicles with poor LOS from the operator's compartment. The mining industry has yet to adopt a widespread camera intervention on all vehicles. This paper demonstrates the potential utility of using computer simulation to evaluate camera locations on a vehicle and discusses some outstanding issues behind the ergonomics of implementing and using camera views on industrial vehicles.