1 Scope
This document provides a comprehensive overview of the information model structure of armoured face conveyor machines defined in this OPC UA Companion Specification Mining. As mentioned in OPC 40560, this machine and system-level document contains type definitions for a specific type of machine, equipment, system or service – the armoured face conveyor machine in this case.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments and errata) applies.
OPC 10000-1, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 1: Overview and Concepts
OPC 10000-1
OPC 10000-2, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 2: Security Model
OPC 10000-2
OPC 10000-3, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 3: Address Space Model
OPC 10000-3
OPC 10000-4, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 4: Services
OPC 10000-4
OPC 10000-5, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 5: Information Model
OPC 10000-5
OPC 10000-6, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 6: Mappings
OPC 10000-6
OPC 10000-7, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 7: Profiles
OPC 10000-7
OPC 10000-100, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 100: Devices
OPC 10000-100
OPC 40001-1, OPC UA for Machinery - Part 1: Basic Building Blocks
http://www.opcfoundation.org/UA/Machinery/
OPC 40560, OPC Unified Architecture for Mining - General
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/General/
OPC 40563-1, OPC Unified Architecture for Mining – Transport and Dumping Equipment: General
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/TransportDumpingEquipment/General/
3 Terms, definitions and conventions
3.1 Overview
It is assumed that basic concepts of OPC UA information modelling OPC 10000-1, OPC 10000-100 and OPC 40001‑1 are understood in this document. This document will use these concepts to describe the OPC 40563-2 Information Model. For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in the documents referenced in the OPC Core documents, OPC 10000-1, OPC 10000-100, OPC 40001-1, OPC 40560 and OPC 40563-1 apply.
Note that OPC UA terms and terms defined in this specification are italicized in the specification.
3.2 Abbreviated terms
| AFC | Armoured Face Conveyor |
3.3 Conventions used in this document
The conventions and definitions described in the OPC Core documents, OPC 10000-1, OPC 10000-100, OPC 40001-1, OPC 40560, OPC 40569-1 and OPC 40563-1 apply.
4 General information to OPC 40563-2: Armoured Face Conveyor
4.1 Introduction to the OPC UA Companion Specification Mining
For general information on the OPC UA Companion Specification Mining and OPC UA in general, please refer to OPC 40560.
As explained in OPC 40560, the machine and system category-level documents serve as an abstraction layer for the types of machinery with similar functionalities. Consequently, this machine and system-level document may also rely on models defined in OPC 40563-1.
4.2 Introduction to the Armoured Face Conveyor Machine
The armoured face conveyor is a transport device used in underground mining operations, especially in longwall mining. This device consists of one or multiple chains which are powered by engine at the head and tail ends of the longwall. Scrapers are attached to the chains and transport the extracted coal to the conveyor belt which is located at the head-end of the longwall. Beside the coal transport the AFC is used to generate cutting pressure of the shearer in combination with the roof support shields. The combination of a shearer, armoured face conveyor and roof support shields is commonly used in modern longwall mining operations. [1, P. 1159]
This document contains OPC UA type definitions for the armoured face conveyor machine.
5 Use Cases and Scope of Information Exchange
As outlined in OPC 40560, OPC UA type definitions and data items contained in this OPC UA Companion Specification are based on the Use Cases developed for the Application Case Longwall Operation by a Specialist Working Group. The Use Cases of the Armoured Face Conveyor, within the context of underground longwall operation, are explained in detail in OPC 40569-1. Please refer to this document to gain an overview of longwall mining Use Cases for this machine as well as to study detailed descriptions of the Use Cases.
As a core feature, OPC UA offers the possibility to extend and complement type definitions. Therefore, the type definitions developed for the AFC only contain the minimum amount of data elements, such as variables and methods, necessary for the Use Cases described in OPC 40569-1. Manufacturers and mine operators are advised to extend the type definitions defined in this document, e.g. using inheritance, to adapt the type definitions to their individual requirements. This typically includes adding custom variables or alarms to type definitions derived from the ones specified in this document.
Thus, the scope of this document is to define the basic elements of data that are necessary for operation of the AFC and parameters of the AFC that are required by other longwall components as defined in OPC 40569-1. These include, for example:
State of the AFC (includes e.g. current run direction)
Current load on the AFC in percent
A precise overview of the data contained in the OPC 40563-2 Information Model is given in Chapter 6.
The following information sources are excluded and may be added by manufacturers or mine operators using custom type definitions derived from the ones presented in this document:
Real-time sensor data (e.g. temperature, motor current)
Tele-remote control signals (e.g. start, stop)
Alarms and events (e.g. current tripping alarm, temperature warning)
Custom state machines
6 OPC UA ObjectTypes
6.1 AFCType ObjectType Definition
6.1.1 Overview
The AFCType provides a representation of an armoured face conveyor machine and is a sub-type of the MiningEquipmentType as defined in Figure 1. Importantly, it contains a ParameterSet to monitor all relevant parameters of the equipment.
6.1.2 ObjectType Definition
The AFCType is formally defined in Table 1.
| Attribute | Value | ||||
| BrowseName | AFCType | ||||
| IsAbstract | False | ||||
| References | Node Class | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtype of the MiningEquipmentType defined in OPC 40560, i.e. inheriting the InstanceDeclarations of that Node. | |||||
| 0:HasAddIn | Object | 4:MiningEquipmentIdentification | 4:MiningEquipmentIdentificationType | M | |
| 0:HasComponent | Object | 2:ParameterSet | 0:BaseObjectType | M | |
| Conformance Units | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Functional Variables | |||||
| AFC Methods |
The components of the AFCType have subcomponents which are defined in Table 2.
| BrowsePath | References | NodeClass | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Others |
| 2:ParameterSet | 0:HasComponent | Variable | AFCState | AFCStateEnum | AFCStateType | M, RO |
| 2:ParameterSet | 0:HasComponent | Variable | Load | 0:Double | 0:AnalogUnitRangeType | M, RO |
The component variables of the AFCType have Attributes defined in Table 3.
| BrowsePath | Value Attribute | Description Attribute |
NamespaceUri: http://www.opcfoundation.org/UA/units/un/cefact UnitId: 20529 DisplayName: % Description: percent | This is the EngineeringUnit of the conveyor load. | |
| High: 200 Low: 0 | This is the EURange of the conveyor load. |
6.1.3 ObjectType Description
6.1.3.1 Untitled
The Load variable describes the current percental load of the conveyor motor.
Please refer to OPC 10000-100, OPC 40001-1, OPC 40560 and OPC 40563-1 for the descriptions of other inherited instance declarations.
7 OPC UA VariableTypes
7.1 AFCStateType VariableType
The AFCStateType VariableType is a subtype of the BaseDataVariableType. It is used to define the different states of the AFC which can occur during operation. It is formally defined in Table 4.
| Attribute | Value | |||||
| BrowseName | AFCStateType | |||||
| IsAbstract | False | |||||
| ValueRank | Null | |||||
| DataType | AFCStateEnum | |||||
| References | NodeClass | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtype of the BaseDataVariableType defined in OPC 10000-5. | ||||||
| 0:HasProperty | Variable | AFCNormalRunning Direction | AFCNormalRunningDirectionEnum | 0:PropertyType | M, RO | |
8 OPC UA DataTypes
8.1 AFCNormalRunningDirectionEnum
This enumeration defines the direction in which the AFC is running within the longwall system. The enumeration is defined in Table 5
| Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LEFT | 0 | Enum value indicating a normal AFC direction to the left |
| RIGHT | 1 | Enum value indicating a normal AFC direction to the right |
Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 6
| Attribute | Value | |||||
| BrowseName | AFCNormalRunningDirectionEnum | |||||
| IsAbstract | False | |||||
| References | NodeClass | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtype of the Enumeration type defined in OPC 10000-5. | ||||||
| 0:HasProperty | Variable | 0:EnumValues | 0:EnumValueType [] | 0:PropertyType | ||
8.2 AFCStateEnum
This enumeration defines the state of the AFC. The enumeration is defined in Table 7
| Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UNDEFINED | 0 | Enum value indicating an undefined AFC state |
| STOPPED | 1 | Enum value indicating a stopped AFC state |
| RUNNING | 2 | Enum value indicating a running AFC state |
| REVERSE | 3 | Enum value indicating a reversed AFC state |
Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 8
| Attribute | Value | |||||
| BrowseName | AFCStateEnum | |||||
| IsAbstract | False | |||||
| References | NodeClass | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtype of the Enumeration type defined in OPC 10000-5. | ||||||
| 0:HasProperty | Variable | 0:EnumValues | 0:EnumValueType [] | 0:PropertyType | ||
9 Profiles and Conformance Units
This chapter defines the corresponding profiles and conformance units for the OPC UA Information Model for OPC 40563-2. Profiles are named groupings of conformance units. Facets are profiles that will be combined with other Profiles to define the complete functionality of an OPC UA Server or Client. The following tables specify the facets available for Servers that implement the OPC 40563-2 Information Model companion specification.
NOTE: The names of the supported profiles are available in the Server Object under ServerCapabilities.ServerProfileArray
9.1 Conformance Units
Table 9 defines the corresponding ConformanceUnits for the OPC UA Information Model of the AFC.
| Category | Title | Description |
| Server | AFC Functional Variables | Supports all mandatory variables part of the AFCType type definition. |
| Client | AFC Client Functional Variables | Supports querying all mandatory variables part of the AFCType type definition. |
9.2 Profiles
9.2.1 Profile list
Table 10 lists all Profiles defined in this document and defines their URIs.
| Profile | URI |
| AFC Core Server Facet | http://opcfoundation.org/UA-Profile/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/Server/Core |
| AFC Core Client Facet | http://opcfoundation.org/UA-Profile/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/Client/Core |
9.2.2 Server Facets
9.2.2.1 Overview
The following sections specify the Facets available for Servers that implement the OPC 40563-2: AFC companion specification.
9.2.2.2 AFC Core Server Facet
Table 11 defines a Profile that describes the base characteristics for an OPC UA Server that has implemented the OPC 40563-2 Information Model.
| Group | Conformance Unit / Profile Title | Mandatory / Optional |
| Profile | Mining Base Server Profile | M |
| AFC | AFC Functional Variables | M |
9.2.2.3 Untitled
9.2.3 Client Facets
9.2.3.1 Overview
The following tables specify the Facets available for Clients that implement the OPC 40563-2: AFC companion specification.
9.2.3.2 AFC Core Client Facet
Table 12 defines a Facet that describes the base characteristics for an OPC UA Client querying an OPC UA Server that has implemented the OPC 40563-2 Information Model.
| Group | Conformance Unit / Profile Title | Mandatory / Optional |
| Profile | Mining Base Client Profile | M |
| AFC | AFC Client Functional Variables | M |
10 Namespaces
10.1 Namespace Metadata
Table 13 defines the namespace metadata for this document. The Object is used to provide version information for the namespace and an indication about static Nodes. Static Nodes are identical for all Attributes in all Servers, including the Value Attribute. See OPC 10000-5 for more details.
The information is provided as Object of type NamespaceMetadataType. This Object is a component of the Namespaces Object that is part of the Server Object. The NamespaceMetadataType ObjectType and its Properties are defined in OPC 10000-5.
The version information is also provided as part of the ModelTableEntry in the UANodeSet XML file. The UANodeSet XML schema is defined in OPC 10000-6.
| Attribute | Value | ||
| BrowseName | http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/ | ||
| Property | DataType | Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NamespaceUri | String | http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/ | |
| NamespaceVersion | String | 1.0.0 | |
| NamespacePublicationDate | DateTime | 2022-09-01 | |
| IsNamespaceSubset | Boolean | False | |
| StaticNodeIdTypes | IdType [] | System.Int32[] | |
| StaticNumericNodeIdRange | NumericRange [] | ||
| StaticStringNodeIdPattern | String | ||
Note: The IsNamespaceSubset Property is set to False as the UaNodeSet XML file contains the complete Namespace. Servers only exposing a subset of the Namespace need to change the value to True.
10.2 Handling of OPC UA Namespaces
Namespaces are used by OPC UA to create unique identifiers across different naming authorities. The Attributes NodeId and BrowseName are identifiers. A Node in the UA AddressSpace is unambiguously identified using a NodeId. Unlike NodeIds, the BrowseName cannot be used to unambiguously identify a Node. Different Nodes may have the same BrowseName. They are used to build a browse path between two Nodes or to define a standard Property.
Servers may often choose to use the same namespace for the NodeId and the BrowseName. However, if they want to provide a standard Property, its BrowseName shall have the namespace of the standards body although the namespace of the NodeId reflects something else, for example the EngineeringUnits Property. All NodeIds of Nodes not defined in this document shall not use the standard namespaces.
Table 14 provides a list of mandatory and optional namespaces used in an OPC 40563-2 OPC UA Server.
| NamespaceURI | Description | Use |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/ | Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in the OPC UA specification. This namespace shall have namespace index 0. | Mandatory |
| Local Server URI | Namespace for nodes defined in the local server. This namespace shall have namespace index 1. | Mandatory |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/DI/ | Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in OPC 10000-100. The namespace index is Server specific. | Mandatory |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Machinery/ | Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in OPC UA for Machinery (OPC 40001-1). The namespace index is Server specific. | Mandatory |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/General/ | Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in OPC 40560. The namespace index is Server specific. | Mandatory |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/General/TransportDumping/General/ | Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in OPC 40563-1 The namespace index is Server specific. | Mandatory |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/TransportDumpingArmouredFaceConveyor/ | Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in this document. The namespace index is Server specific. | Mandatory |
| Vendor specific types | A Server may provide vendor-specific types like types derived from ObjectTypes defined in this document in a vendor-specific namespace. | Optional |
| Vendor specific instances | A Server provides vendor-specific instances of the standard types or vendor-specific instances of vendor-specific types in a vendor-specific namespace. It is recommended to separate vendor specific types and vendor specific instances into two or more namespaces. | Mandatory |
Table 15 provides a list of namespaces and their indices used for BrowseNames in this document. The default namespace of this document is not listed since all BrowseNames without prefix use this default namespace.
| NamespaceURI | Namespace Index | Example |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/ | 0 | 0:EngineeringUnits |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/DI/ | 2 | 2:DeviceRevision |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Machinery/ | 3 | 3:MachineComponentsType |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/General/ | 4 | 4:MiningEquipmentType |
| http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/TransportDumping/General/ | 5 | 5:HaulageMachineType |
11 (normative)OPC 40563-2 Namespace and mappings
Namespace and identifiers for OPC 40563-2 Information Model
This appendix defines the numeric identifiers for all of the numeric NodeIds defined in this specification. The identifiers are specified in a CSV file with the following syntax:
<SymbolName>, <Identifier>, <NodeClass>
Where the SymbolName is either the BrowseName of a Type Node or the BrowsePath for an Instance Node that appears in the specification and the Identifier is the numeric value for the NodeId.
The BrowsePath for an Instance Node is constructed by appending the BrowseName of the instance Node to the BrowseName for the containing instance or type. An underscore character is used to separate each BrowseName in the path. Let’s take for example, the MiningEquipmentType ObjectType Node which has the add-in Identification object. The Name for the Identification InstanceDeclaration within the MiningEquipmentType declaration is: MiningEquipmentType_Identification.
The NamespaceUri for all NodeIds defined here is:
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/
The CSV released with this version of the specification can be found here:
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/schemas/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/1.0.0/NodeIds.csv
NOTE The latest CSV that is compatible with this version of the specification can be found here:
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/schemas/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/1.0.0/NodeIds.csv
A computer processible version of the complete Information Model defined in this document is also provided. It follows the XML Information Model schema syntax defined in OPC 10000-6.
The Information Model Schema for this version of the specification (including any revisions, amendments or errata) can be found here:
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/schemas/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/1.0.0/opc.ua.mining.transportdumping.armouredfaceconveyor.nodeset2.xml
NOTE The latest Information Model schema that is compatible with this version of the document can be found here:
http://opcfoundation.org/UA/schemas/Mining/TransportDumping/ArmouredFaceConveyor/opc.ua.mining.transportdumping.armouredfaceconveyor.nodeset2.xml
Annex A nnex B Bibliography (Informative)
[1] DARLING, P., 2011. SME Mining Engineering Handbook [online]. 3rd ed.
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