“As the saying goes, ‘To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools.’” Recently, the high-level intelligent rapid-excavation system—led by the integrated drilling and anchoring machine—developed by the Taiyuan Research Institute of China Coal Science and Technology Group has helped the Ningtiaota Coal Mine of Shaanxi Coal Group achieve precise breakthrough between the S1208 conveyor roadway and the S1208 drainage drift. This seamless integration of advanced coal science equipment with efficient production organization marks a solid step forward in building high-standard, high-quality tunnel projects.
　　This 6,015-meter-long construction roadway is a key project in the Ningtiaota Coal Mine’s excavation plan for this year. The roadway is designed with a large-section rectangular cross-section, measuring 6 meters wide and 4.1 meters high. Based on the geological conditions of the coal seam where the roadway is located and the actual site conditions, the Taiyuan Research Institute has developed a highly efficient equipment system led by a large-height mining and anchoring integrated machine, with an intelligent control system serving as its central hub. Supporting this system are an anchor rod transfer machine, a flexible conveyor belt, and a step-by-step self-moving tail-end unit. This system ensures highly efficient operation across all stages—excavation, support, transportation, ventilation, and control. The intelligent functions of individual machines have been effectively expanded and integrated with the system’s overall intelligence, while an intelligent, high-precision navigation system leverages a high-speed wireless communication network to achieve centimeter-level positioning and orientation for rapid excavation. Under optimized and efficient production management, the mine has demonstrated outstanding performance, advancing up to one kilometer per month and achieving precise breakthroughs in kilometer-long roadways, thereby intelligently empowering, improving quality, and accelerating the advancement of mine roadway excavation in China.
　　In recent years, as the construction of intelligent mines has gained momentum, provinces including Shanxi, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, and Henan have successively introduced implementation plans for the intelligent development of coal mines. Automatic orientation and navigation, as well as automated cutting and shaping technology for tunnel cross-sections, have been identified as essential requirements for intelligent mining equipment. However, due to the harsh working environment in coal mine excavation faces, the complexity of excavation processes, and the low-frequency, high-amplitude vibrations and jolts experienced by excavation equipment during operation, achieving precise positioning and navigation has long been a global challenge hindering the full-scale intelligence of such equipment. The Taiyuan Research Institute has long been committed to identifying and addressing the key bottlenecks that constrain the development of intelligent underground mining equipment. Focusing on building comprehensive solutions for navigation and positioning of mining equipment, the institute has overcome several critical technical challenges, including integrated navigation and positioning for underground confined-space mining equipment, as well as automatic cutting path planning and control. Leveraging high-precision inertial navigation technology, the Taiyuan Research Institute integrates multiple sensing technologies such as optical measurement and machine vision, and has developed adaptive correction algorithms and compensation strategies. By enhancing the performance of the navigation and positioning system across multiple levels—from control components to evaluation algorithms—the institute has achieved centimeter-level positioning accuracy and autonomous correction capabilities for inertial navigation systems. This system boasts advantages such as high precision in maintaining heading and attitude angles even without auxiliary navigation sources, as well as highly accurate self-alignment. The application of this navigation system can boost overall excavation efficiency at the working face by more than 20%, reducing the workforce required per production shift by 1–2 personnel. At the same time, the institute is actively pursuing technological iterations; the second-generation mining equipment navigation system reduces calibration time by over 60% compared to the previous generation and improves navigation accuracy by more than tenfold, significantly elevating the level of intelligence and operational efficiency in coal mine excavation while ensuring operational safety.
　　The independently developed intelligent tunneling autonomous navigation system has been widely adopted on rapid-excavation equipment in coal mines operated by companies such as Guoneng Group, Shaanxi Coal Group, and Shanxi Coking Coal Group. In multiple coal mines, the system has enabled continuous advancing distances exceeding 3,000 meters, and has successfully achieved integrated cutting and anchoring operations with the mining machine. The precision of cross-section shaping now matches the planned trajectory to within centimeters, truly resolving the longstanding challenge of precise positioning during cutting operations for coal mining equipment and helping coal mines achieve intelligent tunneling. Whenever this navigation system is mentioned, the experienced operators of the integrated cutting-and-anchoring machines happily say: “Since we started using the tunneling navigation system, we’ve never had to worry about the machine drifting off course again. The quality of tunnel shaping is even better than before—it’s like we’ve fitted the integrated cutting-and-anchoring machine with a ‘sight’!”
　　The intelligent centralized control system for tunneling is equipped with a video surveillance system that provides full coverage from the working face to the surface, as well as a voice interaction system covering the entire tunneling operation. This endows the rapid tunneling equipment with "a pair of keen eyes" and "a pair of sharp ears." A multi-information fusion network among cluster devices gives the equipment a "transmission nerve," while high-precision sensors and a three-dimensional human-machine interaction interface enable the equipment to develop sensory perception. Of course, all these capabilities rely on the core intelligence provided by advanced software algorithms. Operators only need to remotely control the equipment via the human-machine interaction interface at the underground integrated control center and the ground-based dispatch panel, allowing them to start or stop the entire set of equipment—including the coal flow—with a single button in no more than one minute. Moreover, the system enables automatic planning and cutting of tunneling operations, as well as precise coordinated control of the positioning and movement of different pieces of equipment. Additionally, various functions such as autonomous navigation and attitude control, auxiliary anchoring and support, and online interlocking are seamlessly integrated into the equipment’s automated operation process. After adopting this system, the complete set of equipment on the tunneling face can achieve fully automated operations throughout the entire tunneling process, significantly enhancing both the safety and reliability of tunneling operations.
　　The research and application of intelligent centralized control systems for tunneling integrate advanced technologies and concepts such as big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. In recent years, the intelligent development of coal mines has become the guiding direction for the coal industry and an inevitable trend in future coal mining operations. As an integral part of this transformation, the intelligent centralized control system for tunneling lays a solid foundation for achieving unmanned and minimally-manned operations in coal mining, while also empowering traditional coal machinery and equipment. Looking ahead, with the vigorous advancement of technologies like digital twins and artificial intelligence, coupled with collaborative efforts across various industries, we believe that the functionality of intelligent centralized control systems for tunneling will continue to expand and enrich. The dream of liberating workers through technology will surely come true, and the coal mining industry will undoubtedly reach new heights of development.
　　As a pioneer in the R&D of high-end coal machinery equipment in China, the Taiyuan Research Institute of China Coal Science and Technology takes it upon itself to lead technological progress in the national coal machinery industry and is committed to thoroughly addressing the challenge of efficient and rapid coal roadway excavation under various surrounding rock conditions. The complete set of rapid excavation equipment developed by the Taiyuan Research Institute has been widely adopted and applied by more than 30 large-scale coal enterprises across China, including those in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. This equipment has achieved successful application in diverse geological conditions, setting remarkable records: advancing over 3,000 meters per month under stable surrounding rock conditions, over 2,000 meters per month under moderately stable conditions, and over 800 meters per month under complex surrounding rock conditions. Moreover, it has established a world record for monthly coal roadway advancement at 3,088 meters. For many years, the institute has maintained the top market share in China. Compared with previous excavation methods, this new technology has increased excavation speed by about three times and reduced the number of workers required by two-thirds, effectively alleviating the imbalance between mining and excavation. As a result, China’s coal roadway excavation technology and equipment have shifted from being primarily “follower” to becoming “leader,” moving from the lower to the higher end of the value chain and setting the direction for the development of domestic coal mine excavation technologies and equipment.
　　In March 2020, the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Intelligent Development of Coal Mines," jointly issued by eight national ministries and commissions, clearly emphasized the need to achieve breakthroughs in intelligent rapid excavation. In response to the nation’s call, the Taiyuan Research Institute actively embraced and thoroughly implemented the China National Coal Science and Technology Corporation’s “1245” overall development strategy. Holding high the banner of intelligent leadership, the Institute seized the opportunities presented by the intelligent transformation of coal mines. Relying on the national key R&D program “Comprehensive Excavation Robot for Large-Scale Mines,” the Institute leveraged its own equipment and technological strengths to complete the top-level planning and design work for intelligent excavation equipment technology. It has developed corresponding intelligent excavation systems centered around three major categories of integrated equipment—heading machines, continuous mining machines, and integrated heading-and-anchor machines. After multiple rounds of technical practice and iterative upgrades, the intelligent rapid excavation system developed by the Taiyuan Research Institute has gradually reached maturity, with continuously enriched automation and intelligence features. Standardization and normative work have also been carried out. Intelligent rapid excavation systems of various configurations have now been put into operation in smart mines across multiple provinces, including Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, and Shanxi, earning widespread acclaim from numerous users.
　　The intelligent and unmanned transformation of coal mining excavation equipment is a long-term undertaking. Although we have achieved phased results so far, there are still several “bottleneck” technologies that stand in the way of truly realizing unmanned excavation working faces. The Taiyuan Research Institute of China Coal Science and Technology will continue to closely follow the pace of coal mine intelligence development, make concerted efforts to overcome core technological challenges, enhance the quality of intelligent rapid-excavation systems, empower and boost efficiency in the coal machinery equipment industry, and contribute further to the intelligent development of coal mines.
　　A scholar cannot but be broad-minded and resolute; the mission is heavy, and the road ahead is long. The nation’s “dual-carbon” strategic goals pose new requirements for the transformation of China’s coal industry and the development of enterprises. The Taiyuan Research Institute, in keeping with the trend and boldly exploring new avenues, is confident in forging a new path of green development characterized by technological innovation, intelligent leadership, and win-win cooperation, thereby achieving a significant leap forward in the intelligent manufacturing of high-end coal machinery equipment.