Hardcore Breakthrough! Yimin Unattended Mining Truck Battery Swapping Tech, 3D Vision Unlocks a New Paradigm for Smart Mines

Deep in the Hulunbuir Grasslands lies a future mine that is zero-carbon, unattended, and intelligent — Yimin Open-pit Mine, the world’s first 5G-A smart open-pit mine. With hundreds of unattended mining trucks in operation, technology is reshaping traditional mining. The deep integration of 3D Vision and Unattended Battery Swapping systems has brought a disruptive transformation to this energy base.

Yimin Unattended Open-pit Mine: More Than Just “Unattended”

Yimin Open-pit Mine breaks the stereotype of dusty, labor-intensive traditional mines. Covering 42.3557 square kilometers with approximately 1.857 billion tons of coal reserves and an annual production capacity of 35 million tons, it is a critical energy supplier for Northeast China and has been rated a National Super Safe and Efficient Mine for 17 consecutive years.

Located in a mid-temperate semi-arid continental climate zone, Yimin Open-pit Mine endures extreme cold down to -40°C, long winters, and frequent snowstorms — harsh conditions that drove its intelligent upgrade. In May 2025, 100 unattended electric mining trucks, Huaneng Ruichi, officially entered fleet operation, marking the launch of the world’s first zero-carbon, unattended, intelligent open-pit mine transportation system, fully realizing unmanned and electric transformation in mine hauling.

These unattended mining trucks operate without human drivers. Supported by 5G-A’s millisecond-level latency and a vehicle-cloud-network collaborative dispatching system, they travel precisely between coal faces and dumping sites with a 90-ton load capacity. A single truck achieves 120% of the transport efficiency of manual operation. The solution eliminates safety risks of manual work in extreme cold and achieves zero carbon emissions in hauling: 100 trucks replace over 15,000 tons of diesel annually and reduce CO₂ emissions by 48,000 tons, truly delivering green and smart mining.

Unattended Mining Truck Battery Swapping Station: A “Minute-Level” Energy Refueling Tool in Extreme Cold

Efficient energy replenishment is essential for 24/7 unattended operation. Tailored for Yimin’s open-pit and extreme-cold conditions, mobile Unattended Mining Truck Battery Swapping Stations solve the industry pain points of short range and slow refueling for pure electric mining trucks, serving as the energy core of the unattended transportation system.

Adopting a mobile intelligent charging and swapping concept, this smart swapping station uses minute-level battery swapping technology. It completes a full battery replacement for one unattended mining truck in just 6 minutes — three times more efficient than traditional diesel refueling. The “swap-and-go” design keeps the fleet of 100 trucks running efficiently, with effective daily operation time reaching 20–21 hours.

Powered by a 3D Vision positioning system, the station runs fully autonomously: mining truck entry positioning, battery unlocking, used battery removal, new battery installation, lock detection, and truck departure — all processes are automated without human intervention.

Outdoor 3D Vision Technology: The Precision Guarantee for Reliable Battery Swapping

If the battery swapping station is the energy heart of unattended mining trucks, Outdoor 3D Cameras and Outdoor 3D Vision technology are its intelligent eyes, enabling millimeter-precision Unattended Battery Swapping and overcoming challenges such as variable lighting, extreme cold, and dust in complex mining environments.

During unattended battery swapping, positional deviations risk battery collisions, failed grasps, or lock malfunctions. Yimin Mine’s battery swapping station is equipped with a 3D Vision positioning system that eliminates these risks. High-performance industrial outdoor 3D cameras provide precise visual guidance throughout the swapping process, acting as the core brain of Unattended Battery Swapping.

Truck side: one 3D camera locates the on-board battery and guides the truss for battery removal and installation.

Opposite side: one 3D camera locates fully charged batteries and guides the truss for pickup and empty battery storage.

Precision Positioning: Solving Deviation Challenges

After entering the station, mining trucks may suffer from positional offset and angular deviation due to road interference. The 3D Vision system quickly scans and locates the truck’s battery compartment with millimeter-level positioning accuracy in typical scenarios, fully meeting bidirectional operations: removing batteries from trucks and installing fully charged batteries from storage. It ensures safe operation and avoids collision damage.

Anti-interference Adaptation: Fitting Extreme Working Conditions

As an all-outdoor operation area, the mine features variable lighting, winter snowstorms, and heavy dust, demanding high anti-interference performance for vision systems. AI Sensors provides customized Outdoor 3D Vision solutions that perfectly adapt to the mine’s complex environment, stably supporting Unattended Battery Swapping efficiency.

• The line laser solution delivers excellent ambient light adaptability, operating 24/7 without extra lighting day or night. With high-quality point-cloud imaging and intelligent algorithmic positioning, it maintains stable performance under complex outdoor lighting, with a positioning accuracy rate ≥99.9%.

• The upgraded binocular solution retains strong adaptability to outdoor and high-altitude lighting, with an IP68 protection rating and an operating temperature range of -20°C to 60°C, resisting harsh conditions. The Outdoor 3D Vision system captures high-quality images and 3D point-cloud data in 1 second; after rapid algorithm processing, it guides the actuator to complete swapping. With minimal night lighting, it supports all-weather operation, and rain does not reduce efficiency, with a positioning accuracy rate ≥99.9%.

Flexible Adaptation: Compatible with Diverse Battery/Frame Sizes

As a core component, the 3D Vision solution offers high flexibility and scalability. It adapts to mining truck batteries of different sizes without additional vision hardware costs, laying a solid foundation for future fleet expansion and scaled-up operations.

Empowered by Technology: Drawing a New Blueprint for Smart Mines

From a traditional open-pit mine to the world’s first smart open-pit mine, from manual driving to a fleet of 100 unattended pure electric mining trucks — every leap of Yimin Open-pit Mine relies on technological innovation. Unattended Battery Swapping stations resolve energy replenishment pain points, and 3D Vision positioning technology upholds precision standards.

Going forward, the open-pit mine will deploy more unattended mining trucks to expand intelligent operations. Core technologies including 3D Vision and Outdoor 3D Cameras will continue to upgrade, serving more complex working conditions and lifting smart mine development to new heights.