TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to methods and control units for assisting in evaluating network performance, and for evaluating network performance, in a mining environment. Furthermore, computer programs and carriers are also provided herein.

BACKGROUND

In a typical mining environment, many different vehicles operate, such as underground loaders, mining rigs, trucks or other mining equipment. To improve the safety of operating these vehicles, it is common to remotely control these vehicles, also referred to as a tele-remote operation. In this way, the operator of a vehicle can be safely located outside of the mining environment while the vehicle may operate in dangerous areas of the mining environment. Furthermore, an efficiency of operating vehicles in the mining environment is also improved as the operator can easily switch between which vehicles to remotely operate in the mining environment depending on what task needs to be performed at the moment.

To efficiently remote control vehicles in a mining environment, it is necessary that the vehicles in the mining environment have network connections of a sufficient quality. Similarly, for autonomous vehicles to operate the mining environment autonomously, a similar sufficient quality of the network connections is required. The network quality needed to efficiently remote control the vehicles or for autonomous vehicles to efficiently operate in the mining environment may differ between various use cases and may pertain to different network parameters, e.g. latency, bandwidth, connectivity of on-board sensors and/or actuators, etc. When a network connection of a remote controlled vehicle or autonomous vehicle drops below a sufficient network quality level, the control of the vehicle may become slow and/or inaccurate, which may lead to performance degradation. In worst case scenario, for remote controlled vehicles, the ability to remote control the vehicle may be lost. For autonomous vehicles, the ability to navigate the mining environment may be lost. In these scenarios, it is necessary to shut down operations of vehicles in the mining environment such that an operator can safely reach the vehicle with the lost network connection and drive it back manually. Shutting down operations in mining environments is expensive, difficult to coordinate, and it puts the operator at risk when travelling to the location of the vehicle with the lost connection.

To minimize a risk of vehicles losing connections or operating with poor network connections in the mining environment, it is thus needed to ensure that the vehicles in the mining environment have and maintain high quality network connections. Typically, this is ensured by arranging radio access points throughout the mining environment at strategic points such that the radio access points are very likely to provide a high quality network connections for the vehicles operating in the mining environment. The radio access points may for example be arranged based on theoretical models indicating where it is best to place the radio access points for best network connections quality. To further ensure that the radio access points maintain network connections of a sufficient quality over time, it is necessary to periodically measure network connections provided by the arranged radio access points by the use of specialized network measuring equipment at multiple locations in the mining environment, e.g. an Ekahau Site Survey Tool. In this way, it is possible to get a detailed overview of the network connection quality provided in the mining environment. Furthermore, in this way it is possible to determine whether more radio access points need to be added to the mining environment, if some of the radio access points need to be differently configured, and/or if any of the radio access points are malfunctioning.

While the detailed overview provided by the specialized network measuring equipment provides a good understanding of the networking quality in general, there are problems arising when measuring the quality of the network connections using these specialized network measuring equipment. One problem is that the specialized network measuring equipment need to be used by a skilled operator. The skilled operator thus need to travel with the specialized network measuring equipment to the locations in the mining environment which are to be measured. This puts the operator at risk since mining environments always pose some dangers to operators. This also reduces efficiency of mining operations as production in the mining environment need to be halted while the operator measures the quality of the network connections, such as when the skilled operator travels through safety controlled areas of the mining environment. Another problem relates to that, while the measuring equipment provides a detailed view of the network connection quality and e.g. how well radio communication from the radio access points is propagated in the mining environment, the specialized network measuring equipment does not provide a detailed view of how a specific vehicle will experience the radio communication, which may differ from how the measuring equipment experiences the radio communication. This is since the specific vehicle and the specialized network measuring equipment operate using different wireless equipment, which may experience radio communication in provided network connections differently. Hence, measured network connection quality from the specialized network measuring equipment may not indicate a correct network connection quality for the specific vehicle. Therefore, while the specialized network measuring equipment finds that the network connection quality of the mining environment is a sufficiently good network connection, the specific vehicle may still operate using a poor network connection quality. This leads to performance degradation of operations in the mining environment.

Hence, to increase the security and efficiency of mining operations, there is a need to more efficiently determine the quality of network connections provided in mining environments.

SUMMARY

An object of embodiments herein is to increase the security and/or efficiency of mining operations.

According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a method for assisting in evaluating network performance in a mining environment. The mining environment is arranged with a set of radio access points for providing a network connection to a wireless device in a mining vehicle. The mining vehicle is operating in the mining environment. The method comprises obtaining one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device when the mining vehicle is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment. The method further comprises initiating an evaluation of a performance of the network connection based on the obtained one or more network metrics.

According to a second aspect, the object is achieved by a method for evaluating network performance in a mining environment. The mining environment is arranged with a set of radio access points for providing a network connection to a wireless device comprised in a mining vehicle. The mining vehicle is operating in the mining environment. The method comprises obtaining one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device when the mining vehicle is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment. The method further comprises obtaining one or more predetermined network quality conditions. The method further comprises, evaluating a network performance of the network connection in the mining environment, based on whether or not the obtained one or more network metrics fulfil the one or more predetermined network quality conditions.

According to a third aspect, the object is achieved by a first control unit configured to assist in evaluating network performance in a mining environment. The mining environment is arranged with a set of radio access points for providing a network connection to a wireless device in a mining vehicle. The mining vehicle is arranged to operate in the mining environment. The first control unit is further configured to obtain one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device when the mining vehicle is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment. The first control unit is further configured to initiate an evaluation of a performance of the network connection based on the obtained one or more network metrics.

According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a second control unit configured to evaluate network performance in a mining environment. The mining environment is arranged with a set of radio access points for providing a network connection to a wireless device comprised in a mining vehicle. The mining vehicle is operating in the mining environment. The second control unit is further configured to obtain one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device when the mining vehicle is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment. The second control unit is further configured to obtain one or more predetermined network quality conditions. The second control unit is further configured to evaluate a network performance of the network connection in the mining environment based on whether or not the obtained one or more network metrics fulfil the one or more predetermined network quality conditions.

It is furthermore provided herein a computer programs comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one respective processor, cause the at least one respective processor to carry out the methods according to any of the embodiments herein. It is additionally provided herein carriers comprising the respective computer program. Each respective carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

Since each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device when the mining vehicle is performing the one or more mining operations in the mining environment, it is thus possible to evaluate the network performance in the mining environment in a more efficient and/or secure manner. In particular, when evaluating the network performance using network metrics which indicates a status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device, the network performance is more efficiently evaluated for the particular wireless device in the mining vehicle. Additionally, since the network performance is evaluated by the use of the wireless device in the mining vehicle when the mining vehicle is performing mining operations, the evaluation of network performance does not require a stop of production in the mining environment to let a technician measure the network performance. Hence, the need for stopping production is removed, and the efficiency of production is increased. Furthermore, safety is improved as the need for technicians being present in the mining environment is reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a scenario according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments herein.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments herein.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart depicting a method according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart depicting a method according to embodiments herein.

Figs. 6a-d are schematic block diagrams and line chart diagrams illustrating embodiments herein.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments herein.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments herein.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments herein.

Figs. 10a-b are schematic block diagrams illustrating embodiments of a control unit.

Figs. 11a-b are schematic block diagrams illustrating embodiments of a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Fig. 1 is a schematic overview depicting a mining environment 100 of embodiments herein. The mining environment 100 may typically be underground, and hence, special conditions for wireless network connections are present. This is since radio waves may not easily travel through cave walls 70 in the mining environment 100, as these are typically very dense and unsuitable for radio propagation. Radio signals in the mining environment 100 may instead bounce in the mining environment 100 in a manner much different from normal environments for wireless communications, and hence, normal approaches for deploying and/or evaluating network communication over radio may not apply. The mining environment 100 comprises a set of radio access points 40 forming at least part of a communications network, e.g. connected to the Internet and/or any other suitable network. These radio access points provide 40 network connections to the communications network for mining devices operating within the mining environment 100. The set of radio access points 40 may be interconnected in any suitable manner, e.g. by switches and cables, and may also be connected to servers, base stations, and/or other networks. As an example, the set of radio access points 40 may provide network connections over radio using any suitable Radio Access Technology (RAT), such as e.g. any of Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR), Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).

In the mining environment 100, mining vehicles operate, such as a mining vehicle 20. The mining vehicle 20 may be any type of suitable mining vehicle such as a Load, Haul, Dump (LHD) machine, or a drilling rig. The mining vehicle may be manually driven, autonomous, and/or remotely driven. The mining vehicle 20, depending on its type, may perform a set of mining operations in the mining environment 100, such as transporting the mining vehicle 20 between destinations in the mining environment 100, transporting materials, surveying the mining environment 100, drilling, loading, etc. The mining vehicle 20 comprises a wireless device 30 which provides the mining vehicle 20 with a network connection to the communications network provided by the set of radio access points 40. At any particular time, the wireless device 30 may, over the network connection, communicate using any suitable RAT, with any one or more out of the set of radio access points. The network connection may typically be used by the mining vehicle 20 for navigation, e.g. position and/or remote control commands, obtaining information of the mining environment 100, and/or updating other entities such as servers and/or other mining vehicles with information of the mining environment, e.g. detected obstacles, operations performed, driving trajectories, and/or rig status comprising alarms and warnings.

Embodiments herein relate to obtaining one or more network metrics indicating a respective status of the network connection provided by the set of radio access points 40 as perceived by the wireless device 30 when the mining vehicle 20 is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment 100. The one or more network metrics may relate to different positions of the mining vehicle 20 when driving in the mining environment, and may relate to the network connection of the wireless device 30 to the communications network provided by the set of radio access points 40. The one or more network metrics may be obtained from a remote operator station 80 and/or locally on the mining vehicle 20. The remote operator station 80 may comprise any suitable networking entities for communicating with the wireless device 30 using the network connection provided by the set of radio access points 40. When the one or more network metrics are obtained, a performance of the network connection is evaluated, e.g. at the remote operator station 80 and/or at the mining vehicle 20. The evaluation of the network performance and/or the one or more one or more network metrics may then be presented to an operator 82 on a display 81 , e.g. being present in the mining vehicle 20 and/or in the remote operator station 80. The operator 82 may further remote control the mining vehicle 20 from the remote operator station 80, e.g. wherein camera and/or sensor data from the mining vehicle is presented on the display 81.

Methods herein may be performed by any suitable control unit such as a first control unit 50 and/or a second control unit 60. The first and second control units 50, 60 may be located in any suitable location. For example, any one or more out of the first control unit 50 and the second control unit 60 may be mounted in the mining vehicle 20 and/or arranged in the remote operating station 80. When any one or more out of the first and second control units 50, 60 are mounted in the mining vehicle 20, they may in some embodiments further control and/or be part of the wireless device 30. When any one or more out of the first and second control units 50, 60 are arranged in the remote operator station 80, they may in some embodiments further be part of a remote control process of the mining vehicle 20.

Fig. 2. illustrates an example embodiment of the mining vehicle 20 comprising the wireless device 30. As illustrated by Fig. 2., the mining vehicle 20 may further comprise any one or more out of the first and second control units 50, 60. The wireless device 30 may comprise an external network unit 31 arranged for communicating with any one or more out of the set of radio access points 40 using the provided network connection. The wireless device 30 may comprise an internal network switch 32 arranged for providing network connection for equipment 21, 22, 23 attached to the mining vehicle 20. The equipment 21 , 22, 23 may be any suitable equipment for a mining vehicle, e.g., equipment for performing the one or more mining operations such as cameras, drills, and/or other controllable components. For example, the equipment 21 , 22, 23 may, via the internal network switch 32, be controlled e.g. by a control unit in the mining vehicle 20. Additionally or alternatively, the operator 82 may remote control the mining vehicle 20 by communicating with the wireless device 30 using the network connection provided by the set of radio access points. The operator 82 may use any network equipment, e.g. the remote operator station 80, to send commands for controlling the equipment 21, 22, 23 to the external network unit 31, which will forward the commands to the internal network switch 32, which further forwards the commands to the equipment 21, 22, 23. Similarly, outgoing signals from the mining vehicle 20, may e.g. be from the equipment 21, 22, 23, routed via the internal network switch 32 to the external network unit 31, and sent to any suitable network entity using the network connection, e.g. the remote operator station 80.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example embodiment herein. The first and/or second control unit 50, 60 may be located in any suitable location, typically located in, or at least in communication with the wireless device 30 and/or the remote operator station 80. The wireless device 30 may, by use of its internal network switch 32 measure or otherwise obtain part of the one or more network metrics and/or associated status of its equipment 21, 22, 23. The wireless device 30 may also measure or otherwise obtain another part of the one or more network metrics, e.g. of surrounding radio quality, a current latency, bandwidth or signal quality associated with one or more radio access points out of the set radio access points 40, etc. The wireless device 30 may then, provide the one or more network metrics to any one or both of the first and second control units 50, 60. Any one or both of the first and second control units 50, 60 may further be configured to evaluate the network performance for the network connection using the one or more network metrics and e.g. further present the evaluation in the remote operator station 80, e.g. for the operator 82 on the display 81 which may then take proper action if poor network performance is detected. For example, the operator 82 may, if radio coverage is proven poor, the operator 82 may install more radio access points and/or re-configure any radio access point in the set of radio access points to better provide radio coverage to the wireless device 30. The first and/or second control unit 50, 60 may also be configured to communicate with a database 90, also referred to as a historian, to log the one or more network metrics for future use. Using the embodiments herein, it is possible to utilize communication metrics, obtained by on-board network hardware such as the wireless device 30 to better understand the network connections and/or connectivity in the mining environment 100. Embodiments herein may retrieve valuable information from the communication components, e.g. such as the internal network switch 32 and the external network unit 31 in the wireless device 30, on board of the mining vehicle 20 and present it properly, e.g. through an Application Programming Interface (API) and/or a User Interface (Ul) as well as through local logs on the mining vehicle 20 and/or remote logs in the database 90. In addition, several other tools may be integrated in embodiments herein, enabling technical service personnel such as the operator 82, to assess and troubleshoot the network connection provided by the set of radio access points 40. Moreover, the database 90 may be used in forensic analysis as well as predictive maintenance e.g. for predicting when network components may need re-configuration or replacement.

A number of embodiments will now be described, some of which may be seen as alternatives, while some may be used in combination.

Fig. 4 shows example embodiments of a method for assisting in evaluating network performance in the mining environment 100. The mining environment 100 is arranged with the set of radio access points 40 for providing the network connection to the wireless device 30 in the mining vehicle 20. The mining vehicle 20 is operating in the mining environment 100. The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Optional actions are referred to as dashed boxes in Fig. 4.

Action 401. The method comprises obtaining one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device 30 when the mining vehicle 20 is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment 100. The one or more network metrics may be measured by the wireless device 30 when the mining vehicle 20 is performing the one or more mining operations, e.g. driving in the mining environment 100. The one or more network metrics may be used for evaluating a network performance related to the mining operations performed by the mining vehicle 20. The one or more network metrics may additionally or alternatively be used for evaluating the network performance in general, or for network performance related to performing other mining operations. Obtaining the one or more network metrics may comprise any one or more out of measuring, logging and receiving the one or more network metrics. For example, the one or more network metrics may first be obtained and/or measured by the wireless device 30. The wireless device 30 may, e.g. by means of the first control unit 50, log the one or more network metrics locally and/or in the database 90. As another example, the one or more network metrics maybe received, e.g. transmitted by the wireless device 30, e.g. to be obtained by the second control unit 60 at a remote location such as the remote operator station 80. As yet another example, the one or more network metrics may be obtained from a portable storage medium such as a memory stick. E.g. The wireless device 30 may first log the one or more network metrics to be stored onto the portable storage medium and later transported to be obtained, e.g. by the second control unit 60 at a remote location. As yet another example, obtaining the one or more network metrics may comprise obtaining the one or more network metrics from the database 90.

The one or more network metrics indicate any one or more out of:

- one or more measurements of latency, e.g. response time,

- one or more measurements of bandwidth and/or data rate, e.g. link speed, capacity and/or throughput,

- one or more measurements of signal power and/or signal quality,

- one or more network identifiers for the equipment 21 , 22, 23 of the mining vehicle 20 connected to the wireless device 30,

- one or more network status indicators for each respective equipment 21, 22, 23 of the mining vehicle 20, and

- one or more indicators of signal strength and/or signal quality.

The one or more network metrics may represent network metrics for the network connection, e.g. for communication between the wireless device 30 and other devices in the communications network. For example, the latency or bandwidth measurements may be between the wireless device 30 and any one of the radio access points 40 and/or the remote operator station 80.

The one or more network identifiers may any suitable e.g. be Basic Service Set Identifiers (BSSID) or Service Set Identifiers (SSID), and/or local identifiers of the equipment 21, 22, 23 of the mining vehicle 20, e.g. components used for performing mining operations which may be remote controlled and/or report data over the network connection using the wireless device 30. The one or more signal power and/or signal quality, may for example be any of Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP).

The one or more network metrics may also comprise any suitable alarm and/or warning for indicating antennas covered in dust and/or for deteriorating cable connections. For example, the one or more network metrics may indicate an alarm and/or warming when an intermittent signal loss is getting more frequent.

The one or more network metrics may also comprise information of trace routes or packet captures, e.g. performed by the wireless device 30, e.g. when performing the one or more mining operations. As one example, when it is needed to evaluate a certain network functionality associated with the network connection, the wireless device 30 may perform trace routes, e.g. to obtain a list of network locations visited by packets communicated by the wireless device 30. As another example, when obtaining the one or more network metrics it may be the case that some packets of a certain packet type is of interest to network performance, and hence these packets are captured by the wireless device 30 as part of the obtained one or more network metrics.

Each respective network metric of the one or more network metrics may further indicate a respective time stamp and/or a respective location in the mining environment 100. In other words, when the network metric is measured and/or obtained, a time stamp may be determined and associated with the network metric. Additionally or alternatively the location of the mining vehicle 20 may be determined and associated with the network metric. Determining the location of the mining vehicle 20 may be performed by any suitable positioning method for the mining environment 100. Typically normal positioning methods does not work underground, and hence more sophisticated positioning methods may be needed. For example, the mining vehicle 20 may obtain or have a map of the mining environment. The mining vehicle 20 may further determine its position in the mining environment 100 based on detailed sensor and/or camera data from the mining vehicle and/or by means of odometry dead reckoning, e.g. determining position and/or rotation using speed estimates from sensors, and/or in combination with the use of Light detection and ranging (Lidar) sensor data.

In some embodiments, each network metric out of the one or more network metrics may indicate a respective status related to any one or both of the external network unit 31 and the internal network switch 32. For example, the network metrics may indicate an internal status of the network equipment 21 , 22, 22, e.g. if a cable is not connected properly or losing connections during some times, as well as wireless connectivity from the external network unit 31.

Obtaining the one or more network metrics may be performed actively, e.g. for purpose of analyzing the network performance of the network connection, or may be performed passively, e.g. by the logging network metrics available and/or used when the mining vehicle 20 is performing the one or more mining operations.

Action 402. The method comprises initiating an evaluation of a performance of the network connection based on the obtained one or more network metrics. In this way, it is possible to evaluate the network performance in a more efficient manner than using specialized equipment and without requiring a stop of production in the mining environment 100.

Initiating the evaluation may comprise performing the evaluation, e.g. as in actions 501-505 which will be explained below with reference to Fig. 3. In some embodiments, initiating the evaluation may also comprise triggering any one or more of the first and second control units 50, 60 to perform the evaluation. In some of these embodiments, the evaluation may be triggered to be performed locally on the mining vehicle 20 and/or at the remote operator station 80, e.g. depending on where the first and/or second control units 50, 60 are located.

Action 403. In some embodiments, initiating the evaluation of the performance of the network connection comprises compiling a report indicating at least one of the one or more network metrics. Compiling the report may comprise filtering out one or more network metrics not of interest when evaluating the network performance. Compiling the report may comprise reducing the size of data comprising the one or more network metrics, e.g. by use of any suitable data compression process. Compiling the report may comprise organizing any one or more out of the one or more network metrics into a list, e.g. coupled with location and time for when each network metric was measured.

Compiling the report may comprise deriving and including statistics of the one or more network metrics. In other words, some of the network metrics may be filtered out of the report and instead be represented as some statistics, e.g. when driving in a certain area of the mining environment during an associated time period, the latency to the network was on average 100ms. The report may be compiled to comprise a list of all of the one or more obtained network metrics and/or any predetermined network metrics of interest.

Action 404. The method may comprise transmitting the compiled report to any of an operator station, e.g. the remote operator station 80, a control unit, or a server. For example, the report may be transmitted to a network entity which is to perform the evaluation of the network performance, e.g. the second control unit 60. Transmitting the compiled report may trigger the receiving network entity, e.g. the second control unit 60, to perform the evaluation of the network performance.

Action 405. The method may comprise presenting at least one of the one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30 on the display 81 , e.g. locally in the mining vehicle 20 and/or remotely at the remote operator station 80.

The presentation of the one or more network metrics may be formatted in any suitable way for a technician e.g. the operator 82, to be able to understand the network performance. For example, this may comprise presenting the network metrics as a heatmap overlaid on a map of the mining environment 100, e.g. indicating the signal strength and/or signal quality from radio provided by the set of radio access points 40.

Presenting the one or more network metrics may also comprise providing the one or more network metrics by the use of a suitable API.

Fig. 5 shows example embodiments of a method for evaluating network performance in the mining environment 100. The mining environment 100 is arranged with the set of radio access points 40 for providing the network connection to the wireless device 30 comprised in a mining vehicle 20, which mining vehicle 20 is operating in the mining environment 100. The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Optional actions are referred to as dashed boxes in Fig. 5.

Action 501. The method comprises obtaining one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates a respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device 30 when the mining vehicle 20 is performing one or more mining operations in the mining environment 100.

The one or more network metrics may e.g. indicate any one or more out of:

- one or more measurements of latency,

- one or more measurements of bandwidth and/or data rate,

- one or more measurements of signal power and/or signal quality,

- one or more network identifiers for equipment 21 , 22, 23 of the mining vehicle 20 connected to the wireless device 30,

- one or more network status indicators for each respective equipment 21, 22, 23 of the mining vehicle 20, and - one or more indicators of signal strength and/or signal quality.

Each respective network metric of the one or more network metrics may further indicate a respective time stamp and/or a respective location in the mining environment 100.

Obtaining the one or more network metrics may comprise obtaining a report indicating the one or more network metrics, e.g. as compiled in action 403 above.

Obtaining the one or more network metrics may in some embodiments also comprise obtaining network metrics from wireless devices relating to other mining vehicles than the mining vehicle 20. In this way, a more complete view of the network performance in the mining environment 100 may be evaluated.

Action 501 may further comprise obtaining the one or more network metrics using any suitable manner as by action 401 above. The one or more network metrics may be similar or the same as the network metrics obtained in action 401.

Action 502. The method comprises obtaining one or more predetermined network quality conditions. The one or more predetermined network quality conditions may comprise thresholds and/or conditions for any of the one or more network metrics which need to be fulfilled for the network performance to be considered of sufficient quality, e.g. for the mining vehicle 20 to perform the one or more mining operations. For example, the latency between the set of radio access points and/or any remote network entity such as the remote operator station 80 and the wireless device 30 may need to be less than 100 milliseconds (ms) for the network quality to be considered of sufficient quality. As another example, packet drops, i.e. lost network packets may need to be below a certain rate, e.g. no more than 1 lost packet per second. As yet another example, the bandwidth provided to the wireless device need to be above a certain threshold, e.g. 1Mbps uplink and/or downlink, for the network performance to be considered of sufficient quality.

Action 503. The method comprises evaluating a network performance of the network connection in the mining environment 100 based on whether or not the obtained one or more network metrics fulfil the one or more predetermined network quality conditions. In this way, it is possible to evaluate the network performance without stopping production and measuring with expensive measuring equipment which only show performance relative to its own components.

Evaluating the network performance may further comprise determining a location and time of when the network performance has been poor. In this way it may be possible to pinpoint which mining operation and/or location in the mining environment 100 may have caused the poor performance. Using this information, it may be possible to determine what network configuration may need to be changed and/or how to prevent poor network performance in the future.

Action 504. The method may comprise presenting at least one of the one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30 on a display 81. The presentation of the one or more network metrics may be formatted in any suitable way for a technician e.g. the operator 82, to be able to understand the network performance. For example, this may comprise presenting the network metrics as a heatmap overlaid on a map of the mining environment 100, e.g. indicating the signal strength and/or signal quality from radio provided by the set of radio access points 40.

Presenting the one or more network metrics may also comprise providing the one or more network metrics by the use of a suitable API.

Action 505. The method may further comprise, based on the evaluated network performance, e.g. as in action 503, determining an adjustment to the set of radio access nodes and/or the wireless device 30 for improving the network performance in the mining environment 100. For example, determining the adjustment may comprise determining that a radio access point out of the set of radio access point 40 need to be replaced and/or reconfigured to provide the necessary network metrics, e.g. according to the one or more predetermined network quality conditions of action 502.

Determining the adjustment, may when applicable, trigger the set of radio access nodes 40 and/or the wireless device 30 to reconfigure according to the adjustment.

As an example the evaluated network performance may indicate that a radio access point out of the set of radio access points 40 has a too low signal strength and needs to be replaced and/or increase its signal strength.

As another example the evaluated network performance may indicate that radio from the radio access points 40 and/or the wireless device 30 have disturbance from other radio devices, e.g. in a certain location of the mining environment, and need to be reconfigured to communicate using a different frequency.

The above embodiments will now be further explained and exemplified below. The embodiments below may be combined with any suitable embodiment above.

Fig. 6a-d illustrates example scenario of mining vehicle 20 profiling and playback integration.

When driving in the mining environment 100, the mining vehicles such as the mining vehicle 20 may be used to record routes such as the route 600 that may be used by a control system to guide vehicles, e.g. the mining vehicle 20 along pre-recorded paths, e.g. as illustrated by Fig. 6a. The route 600 may have a start location 601 and a current location 602, e.g. end location. The route may be determined by the obtained one or more network metrics e.g. as in action 401 and 501 , e.g. when the one or more network metrics comprises a location and/or time stamp. By integrating the one or more network metrics collected from the wireless device 30, a detailed survey may be performed and logged along with the generated paths. In addition, accurate position information, signal- to-noise ratio and current BSSID may be combined and displayed in any suitable manner.

Fig. 6b illustrates an example wireless SNR that may be logged when the mining vehicle 20 travels along the route 600. Since all network metrics may be logged along the route 600, it may be possible to playback the mining vehicles operations along the route 600 to better evaluate the network performance along said route 600.

Figs. 6c and 6d illustrate wireless SNR from different antennas in the wireless device 30 when travelling along the route 600. Typically the antennas are used in collaboration to enhance radio communications of the wireless device 30. Similar to Fig. 6b, it is possible to evaluate performance for individual antennas along route 600. Using network metrics for each individual antenna, it is possible to determine or evaluate any one or more out of antenna efficiency, antenna placement and antenna health over time.

For example, it may be possible to determine that one antenna is not receiving any sufficiently strong radio signal, and should be re-places in a better location. It may also be possible to determine that radio received by one of the antennas have deteriorated over time and need to be replaced.

Embodiments herein provide a streamlined and flexible solution framework, wherein the embodiments may be realized in a Rig Control System Operating System (RCSOS) application and/or in a Real Time Operating System (RTOS) application e.g. deployed in, and/or executed by the first and/or second control unit 50, 60. Embodiments herein may meet any one or more of the following requirements: a) Allow for hardware and software changes relating to any one or more out of the mining vehicle 20, the remote operator station 80, the first control unit 50, and the second control unit 60, without requiring changes in the RCSOS and/or RTOS application. This may be achieved by using two or more independent binaries for executing software applications. b) Embodiments herein may be implemented using standard tools, e.g. Linux tools, some which are applicable to RCSOS systems only. c) A middleware data model may need to be adhered to, for publishing and subscribing to necessary data, e.g. network metrics, e.g. needed for evaluating the network performance. d) An API for allowing other devices, e.g. the equipment 21 , 22, 23, on the machine to obtain and visualize the network connection status data, e.g. the one or more network metrics. e) The one or more network metrics may be published to a site message bus to allow fleet views of all the connected machines.

Note: For RTOS systems, i.e. legacy systems, to allow the same kind of diagnostics as for RCSOS systems, the toolset must be implemented statically in the machine application of the mining vehicle 20.

Fig 7. illustrates a basic on-board architecture for RCSOS machines, e.g. the mining vehicle 20. Fig. 7 illustrates network devices 700b, e.g. comprising the wireless device 30, and a control system 700a, e.g. which may be comprised in any one of the first and/or second control unit 50, 60 wherein the control system, is used for obtaining and/or evaluating network performance of the wireless devices 700b.

To evaluate the network performance, a field support application 701 may obtain one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401-405 and/or actions 501-505 above, from an API 703. A middleware 704 may be used for connecting to the network devices 700b with the control system 700a, e.g. by using NATS or Data Distribution Service (DDS). The middleware 704 may, e.g., by request from the API 703, obtain the one or more network metrics from a network surveyor app 711 and deliver the one or more network metrics to an RCSOS 709 or the Field support application 701. The RCSOS 709 may present, e.g. as in actions 405 or 504, the one or more network metrics on an associated Graphical User Interface (GUI) 710.

The network surveyor app 703 may obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from various sources, such as from a telemetry device 705 using, e.g. using Remote Call Procedures (RPC) such as Google RPC (gRPC). The telemetry device 705 may be any suitable device, e.g. an external measuring equipment, for measuring network metrics in the mining environment 100.

The network surveyor app 703 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from an on-board wireless device 706, e.g. using wi-fi and/or fourth generation telecommunications radio (4G). The onboard wireless device 706 may be the wireless device 30. The network surveyor app 703 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from a wireless bridge 707, e.g. using wi-fi. The wireless bridge 707 may be the internal network switch 32 and/or the external network unit 31.

The network surveyor app 703 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from an on-board Level 3 (L3) switch 708. The on-board Level 3 switch 708 may be the internal network switch 32.

The network surveyor app 703 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from a historian database 702. The historian database 702 may be the database 90.

Fig 8. illustrates a basic on-board architecture for RTOS machines, e.g. for machines operating using legacy Operating Systems (OS), e.g. the mining vehicle 20. Fig. 8 illustrates network devices 800b, e.g. comprising the wireless device 30, and a control system 800a, e.g. which may be comprised in any one of the first and/or second control unit 50, 60 wherein the control system, is used for obtaining and/or evaluating network performance of the network devices 800b. All extra tools which may be associated may need to run under the RTOS application software. A network survey and troubleshooting application 801, e.g. for use by a computer and/or mobile device, e.g. located in the remote operator station 80, may be used for evaluating the network performance in the mining environment 100. The network survey and troubleshooting application 801 may obtain one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401-405 and/or actions 501-505 above, from an API 803. An RTOS 804 may be used e.g. partially for controlling methods herein, and to connect to the network devices 800b with the control system 800a. The RTOS 804 may, e.g. by request from the API 803, obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501, from various sources, such as from a telemetry device 805 using, e.g. using Remote Call Procedures (RPC) such as Google RPC (gRPC). The telemetry device 805 may be any suitable device, e.g. an external measuring equipment, for measuring network metrics in the mining environment 100.

The RTOS 804 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501, from an on-board wireless device 806, e.g. using wi-fi and/or fourth generation telecommunications radio (4G). The on-board wireless device 806 may be the wireless device 30. The RTOS 804 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from a wireless bridge 807, e.g. using wi-fi. The wireless bridge 807 may be the internal network switch 32 and/or the external network unit 31.

The RTOS 804 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from an on-board Level 3 (L3) bridge 808. The onboard Level 3 switch 808 may be the internal network switch 32.

The RTOS 804 may additionally or alternatively obtain the one or more network metrics, e.g. as in actions 401 or 501 , from a historian database 802. The historian database 802 may be the database 90.

Fig. 9 illustrates a remote operator station 902 obtaining network information 904a, 904b, 904c, from multiple sources, e.g. using a message bus 903.

The network information may be the one or more network metrics, e.g., obtained as in actions 401 or 501. The network information 904a, 904b, 904c, may be obtained from multiple different sources such as the database 90 and/or a plurality of different mining machines which have, or is driving on different routes and/or during different times in the mining environment 100. Using the network information 904a, 904b, 904c, it may be possible to more exactly evaluate the network performance in the mining environment 100. An operator 901 at the remote operator station 902 may be presented with the network information 904a, 904b, 904c, and/or an evaluated network performance.

Using the embodiments herein, an operator, e.g. the operator 82, may be able to see the connection status, e.g. the one or more network metrics of the wireless device 30 of mining vehicle 20. This may be presented in the form of a symbol or gauge on a suitable GUI. A name of the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), e.g. SSID, the wireless device 30 is connected to may also be presented.

Using the embodiments herein, a service technician, e.g. the operator 82, may be able to perform any one or more out of: a) Survey the wireless network, e.g. provided by the set of radio access points 40, in a safe manner, without the need of walking about carrying instruments in the harsh and hazardous mining environment. b) Connect the wireless device 30 to a desired network, by configuring relevant settings from a suitable GUI, e.g. SSID, security key, Local Area Network (LAN), Internet Protocol (IP) address, etc. c) Observe, on a suitable GUI, details of the machine’s current network settings, e.g. the obtained one or more network metrics. It may further be possible to monitor the quality of the network connection by having access to the following parameters, e.g. as part of the one or more network metrics:

• Link speed,

• SNR in decibel (dB),

• Signal strength in decibel-milliwatts (dBm),

• RSRP in dBm,

• Wireless LAN’s SSID,

• Access Point Name (APN), and

• Associated infrastructure access point (BSSID). d) Connect a laptop to the mining vehicle 20 and plot the received signal strength, and other interesting parameters, of the wireless device 30 over time. It may further be possible to survey the production area’s wireless network by operating the machine manually or remotely, whilst plotting and logging all relevant wireless parameters directly on the machine’s GUI and/or via a PC/Mobile App. The same capability may be available from the remote operator station 80. e) Probe the network infrastructure, both from the wireless device 30 or remotely from the remote operator station 80. This may be performed without the need of external devices, software, and cables. It may further be possible to, according to embodiments herein, measure the most important parameters of the network such as:

• Throughput in bits per second

• Packet loss in percent

• Service response time in milliseconds

• Round Trip Time in milliseconds

• Route hops in milliseconds f) Generate heatmaps representing graphically wireless data points on a reference map, e.g. without the need of external devices, software, and cables. g) Capture packets directly at the wireless device 30 or at the remote operator station 80, e.g. without the need of external devices, software, and cables. h) Monitor the SNR and health of different antennas. i) Generate reports on network stats and measurements.

Using the embodiments herein, a network administrator, e.g. the operator 82, may further be able to perform any one or more out of a) Visualize a fleet of machines, e.g. one or more mining vehicles, and see the connection status, e.g. network metrics, for all of them. b) Observer connectivity details as perceived by every machine, e.g. such as signal strength, link speed, etc. c) Configured each machine to issue alarms and log locally all relevant network metrics that may be used for investigation of network issues as well as to assist in predictive maintenance efforts, for example, signal degradation of a given access point over time could indicate poor antenna connections or damaged device I antennas.

To enable on-board logging of wireless parameters, e.g. the one or more network metrics, a standard protocol may be used to retrieve the information, e.g. using SNMP as defined in RFC 3411-3418. SNMP enables a high level monitoring of various network metrics. Once data is retrieved by SNMP it may be consolidated and displayed in various creative ways, e.g. as presented in above actions 401-405 and 501-505.

With the network metrics obtained as in embodiments herein, a powerful surveying and probing application is achieved, which transforms the mining vehicle 20 into a network surveyor that may be operated manually, e.g. with an operator on board, or remotely. Logged information may further be analyzed and compared against technical specifications.

Since the embodiments herein may be based on standard protocols it may further be deployed in different machine types and/or even as a stand-alone application that may be integrated to any vehicle such as the mining vehicle 20. Support may also be extended to any network device that supports SNMP.

To perform embodiments herein, e.g. the methods according to actions 401-405 may be performed by the first control unit 50, and actions 501-505 may be performed by the control unit 60. Any of the first and second control unit 50, 60 may be arranged in the remote operator station 80, in the mining vehicle 20, or in any other suitable location.

The first control unit 50 may be configured to assist in evaluating network performance in the mining environment 100. The mining environment 100 is arranged with the set of radio access points 40 for providing a network connection to the wireless device 30 in the mining vehicle 20. The mining vehicle 20 is operating in the mining environment 100. The first control unit 50 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figs. 10a and 10b. The first control unit 50 may comprise an input and output interface 1000 e g. for communicating with the second control unit 60, the wireless device 30, and/or the remote operator station 80. The input and output interface 1000 may comprise a wireless receiver (not shown) and a wireless transmitter (not shown). In some embodiments, this is part of the wireless device 30.

The first control unit 50 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of an obtaining unit 1001 in the the first control unit 50, obtain the one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates the respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device 30 when the mining vehicle 20 is performing the one or more mining operations in the mining environment 100.

The first control unit 50 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of an initiating unit 1002 in the the first control unit 50, initiate the evaluation of the performance of the network connection based on the obtained one or more network metrics.

The first control unit 50 may further be configured to initiate the evaluation of the performance of the network connection by compiling, e.g. by means of a compiling unit 1004 in the first control unit 50, the report indicating the at least one of the one or more network metrics.

The first control unit 50 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of a presenting unit 1003 in the the first control unit 50, present the at least one of the one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30 on the display 81.

The first control unit 50 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of a transmitting unit 1005 in the the first control unit 50, transmit the compiled report to any of an operator station, e.g. the remote operator station 80, a control unit, or a server.

The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as the processor 1060 of a processing circuitry in the first control unit 50 depicted in Fig. 10a, together with respective computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the first control unit 50. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the first control unit 50.

The first control unit 50 may further comprise a memory 1070 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 1070 comprises instructions executable by the processor in the first control unit 50. The memory 1070 is arranged to be used to store e.g. information, indications, data, configurations, sensor data, routes, network metrics, positioning information, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the first control unit 50.

In some embodiments, a computer program 1080 comprises instructions, which when executed by the respective at least one processor 1060, cause the at least one processor of the first control unit 50 to perform the actions above.

In some embodiments, a respective carrier 1090 comprises the respective computer program 1080, wherein the carrier 1090 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units in the first control unit 50 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware, e.g. stored in the first control unit 50, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the processors described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a- chip (SoC).

The second control unit 60 may be configured to evaluate network performance in the mining environment 100. The mining environment 100 is arranged with the set of radio access points 40 for providing a network connection to the wireless device 30 comprised in the mining vehicle 20. The mining vehicle 20 is operating in the mining environment 100.

The second control unit 60 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figs. 11a and 11b. The second control unit 60 may comprise an input and output interface 1100 e.g. for communicating with the first control unit 50, the wireless device 30, and/or the remote operator station 80. The input and output interface 1100 may comprise a wireless receiver (not shown) and a wireless transmitter (not shown). In some embodiments, this is part of the wireless device 30.

The second control unit 60 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of an obtaining unit 1101 in the the second control unit 60, obtain the one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30. Each network metric out of the one or more network metrics indicates the respective status of the network connection as perceived by the wireless device 30 when the mining vehicle 20 is performing the one or more mining operations in the mining environment 100.

The second control unit 60 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of the obtaining unit 1101 in the the second control unit 60, obtain the one or more predetermined network quality conditions.

The second control unit 60 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of the obtaining unit 1101 in the the second control unit 60, obtain the one or more network metrics by obtaining the report indicating the one or more network metrics.

The second control unit 60 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of an evaluating unit 1102 in the the second control unit 60, evaluate the network performance of the network connection in the mining environment 100 based on whether or not the obtained one or more network metrics fulfil the one or more predetermined network quality conditions.

The second control unit 60 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of a presenting unit 1103 in the the second control unit 60, present at least one of the one or more network metrics associated with the network connection of the wireless device 30 on a display 81.

The second control unit 60 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of a determining unit 1104 in the the second control unit 60, based on the evaluated network performance, determine 505 the adjustment to the set of radio access nodes and/or the wireless device 30 for improving the network performance in the mining environment 100.

The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as the processor 1160 of a processing circuitry in the second control unit 60 depicted in Fig. 11a, together with respective computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the second control unit 60. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the second control unit 60.

The second control unit 60 may further comprise a memory 1170 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 1170 comprises instructions executable by the processor in the second control unit 60. The memory 1170 is arranged to be used to store e.g. information, indications, data, configurations, sensor data, routes, network metrics, positioning information, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the second control unit 60.

In some embodiments, a computer program 1180 comprises instructions, which when executed by the respective at least one processor 1160, cause the at least one processor of the second control unit 60 to perform the actions above.

In some embodiments, a respective carrier 1190 comprises the respective computer program 1180, wherein the carrier 1190 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units in the second control unit 60 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware, e.g. stored in the second control unit 60, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the processors described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a- chip (SoC).

When using the word "comprise" or “comprising” it shall be interpreted as nonlimiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of".

It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. As such, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.