Activity Schedule

To access this screen:

Activate the Schedule ribbon and select Schedule >> Edit.

Use the Activity Schedule screen to view and modify scheduled activities for the selected Period. You can also schedule delays, selected mining blocks, or stockpiles.

You can adjust the position of activities, and you can adjust the schedule view using the Style section. You might want a different view for each activity type.

Use the Activity Schedule screen to schedule selected blocks and stockpiles for the selected Period, using the settings and options available in this screen and associated screens.

Select mining and stockpile blocks in the 3D window before selecting and defining the appropriate settings.

This screen opens with the current Period shown. You can modify the Period number using the arrow keys. By default, Loader is set to [<assigned loader>]. A list is available to filter the grid contents by a selected Loader.

The remaining tonnage is shown for each block or stockpile Category, along with the total. If you enter a tonnage or volume to be mined that exceeds the available maximum, a warning message is displayed and the tonnage is set back to the amount available.

The Percent field shows the percentage of the Block or Stockpile remaining. You can change the Percent value, which changes the Tonnage and Volume values.

The available Destinations depend on the Rock Types enabled in Destination Rocktype Settings. Studio OP requires that every Rock Type is enabled for at least one Destination before the StudioOP scheduler can be used.

The available Loader and Haul Truck classes in the lists depend on Haul Truck Settings. Certain combinations of Loaders and Haul Truck classes can be set to model typical fleet configurations. Some combinations might not be allowed due to poor matching of loader capacity with haul truck capacity.

The available Bench Exits appear in a list. These depend on the selected Destination and the haul routes that have been set up. You can modify this selection if required.

The Ramp Sector is chosen based on the selected Bench Exit and the Pit Exits linked to the chosen Destination. Set these up beforehand in Haul Route Settings so there is a valid route for each Destination of each material Category on every Bench in the schedule. You can select an alternative Ramp Sector if an alternative haul route exists.

The Surface Sector is selected from the chosen Pit Exit and Destination. The Pit Exit is chosen on the basis of the shortest cycle time. You can select an alternative Surface Sector if an alternative haul route exists.

The Dump Sector is optional and is selected from the list of possible Dump Sectors for the given Destination. You can also model the dump haul by entering an initial cycle time and an incremental cycle time in the Haul Route Settings.

The Truck Hours are shown for the selected haul truck class and haul route. Changing any of the above parameters changes the haul truck hours.

Spillover & Downtime Split

From this screen you can perform actions such as Spillover and Downtime split.

Spillover moves any records that exceed a machine’s availability to the next period, spacing out the schedule correctly.
Downtime split adds a zero-duration delay to the start of any downtime that occurs on the machine. This is used for synchronisation (second column) to link to the delay, enabling a machine to take over at the point of the downtime.

Within Synchronisation, there are options to control the start times of activities based on other machines and activity types. This is based on loader sequence.

You can manually move records to other machinery, assign them to go to other locations, or use a different haul truck. You can also adjust the amount of material mined, but this must not invalidate an activity flow.

Selection within the Activity Schedule screen permits interactive block selection within the 3D and Design views.

What Is A Sector?

A Sector consists of a number of Roads which, when combined, define a contiguous haulage path. For example, ramp roads connecting one bench exit to the next bench exit and eventually a pit exit can be combined to form a ramp sector. This defines the complete haulage path from a particular bench exit to a pit exit. Each bench has its own Sector. A number of contiguous haul route Sectors are required to define the total Haul Route for material hauled from the source (Block) to its Destination.

Ramp, surface and dump sector types connect the following types of nodes:

Block and Bench Exits.
Bench Exit and Pit Exit.
Pit Exit and Destination.
Destination and Dump Point.

What Can Be Adjusted?

The Activity Schedule screen is used to modify:

Tonnage or Volume of each material Category of a Block to be mined.
Destination of the material Category.
Haul Route used to get to the Destination.
Machines used when mining the material.
Haul Truck class used with the Loader.
Haul factor for the Bench.

Selective Mining

To mine selectively, select the Selective Loading checkbox.

Select a Category in the Activity Schedule grid by ticking the required Selected checkbox.

If you want to selectively mine a category and then change the order of mining so the loader sequence is Block1-Cat1, Block2-Cat1, Block1-Cat2, you must create these independent activities when you schedule.

The alternative is that if Block1-Cat1 and Block1-Cat2 are mined as one activity (same LDRSEQ) and they are to be split in the loader sequence, a new loader sequence must be calculated.

Activity Schedule Validation

If you change a Destination in the Activity Schedule grid, the associated Bench Exit and Sectors settings are checked to ensure there is a valid route for the new Destination. If a valid route cannot be found, a warning is issued.

For example, there may be two Bench Exits on a bench where Plant material can only go out BE1 and Stockpile material out BE2. If the Destination changes from Plant to Stockpile, the Bench Exit must change and the associated Sectors must change.

Note: When the Activity Schedule screen is accessed from the Update Schedule screen, certain features are greyed out to restrict functionality.

Schedule Activities

Activity steps:

Display the Activity Schedule screen.
Use the filter lists to control what you see in the grid:
- Period – Select a period from the list to filter the grid values.
- Machine Type – Select a machine type from the list to filter the grid values.
- Machine Class – Select a machine class from the list to filter the grid values.
- Style – Select a grid formatting style from the list.
- Styles Manager – Click the browse button to open the Style Manager screen.
Review the Activity Schedule grid, which lists scheduled activities and their columns for the selected Period.
Note: Only Categories with non zero tonnes are displayed in the grid.
Review and adjust the Activity Schedule Grid:

Note: Only categories with non zero tonnes are displayed in the grid.
1. If you need to synchronise activities, use Sync to define start and finish date/time parameters in the Synchronisation screen. The following two synchronisation types are possible:
  - – No synchronisation parameters are set for the listed activity. Click to define and set them if required.
  - – Synchronisation parameters are defined and set for the listed activity.
2. Use the grid columns to review and adjust key values, including:
  - Activity – Scheduled activity type.
  - Block – Scheduled block number.
  - Category – Scheduled material category label.
  - Selected: Tick the required checkboxes before you click a Selection group button.
    - – The activity is not selected.
    - – The activity is selected and available for use with the Selection group commands.
    Note: Ticking the checkbox in the grid header selects all displayed activities.
  - Start/Finish Time/Date (Cycle Time) – These columns describe the activity start and finish.
  - Lead Duration – An optional delay added to the start of the activity to allow inter-activity events (such as post-blast settling) to occur without impinging on the activity duration.
  - Working Duration – The operational duration determined by start and finish data, and related to the operating hours of each fleet.
  - Downtime Duration – Any inoperational time, as determined by the relevant Calendar.
  - Percent – The percentage of the Block or Stockpile remaining.
  - Volume – The tonnage remaining for the selected block or stockpile Category.
  - Tonnes – The total tonnage assigned to the block or stockpile category. If you enter a tonnage or volume to be mined that exceeds the available maximum, a warning is displayed and the value is set back to the amount available.
  - Volume Available – The total tonnage available for the current activity.
  - Machine Class – The class of machine associated with the current truck.
  - Destination – The destination of the mined material for the current activity.
  - Truck – The specific truck model involved in the current activity, as described by a machine type.
  - Bench Exit – The bench exit point used to transport the mined material, as defined in the Haul Routes screen. If blocks are scheduled with an invalid bench exit (unavailable to the block or pushback), those records are highlighted in red. Only bench exits that are valid for the blocks scheduled within the set period are allowed.
  - Ramp Sector – Select an existing sector consisting of pit ramps, as defined on the Haul Routes >> Sectors tab.
  - Surface Sector – Select an existing sector consisting of surface sector roads, as defined on the Haul Routes >> Sectors tab.
  - Dump Sector – Select an existing sector consisting of dump roads, as defined on the Haul Routes >> Sectors tab.
3. Review Bench Factor settings:
  - Truck Hours – Shown for the selected haul truck class and haul route. Changing any parameters changes the haul truck hours.
  - EFH Empty – The equivalent flat haul distance in kilometres for the return (empty) trip, calculated as unloaded trip time x unloaded flat haul speed x number of trips.
  - Tonnes Available – The total tonnes hauled by that truck class over a period.
  - Haul Distance – The total outward (loaded) distance hauled by that truck class over a period.
  - EFH Loaded – The equivalent flat haul distance in kilometres for the outward (loaded) trip, calculated as loaded trip time x loaded flat haul speed x number of trips.
Use the Switches to control scheduling behaviour:
- Selective Loading – Select this checkbox to allow adjustment by selective loading of the block’s individual material Category items.
- Automatic Redraw – Select this checkbox to enable automatic redraw of annotation in the Design window to reflect the current schedule status.
- Repeat Spillover – Click this button to enable automatic spillover. When selected, spillover continues through multiple periods until there is nothing left to spill over, there are no more periods to spill into, or some capacities are exceeded and a warning message is shown.
Use the Selection commands to change order and placement:
- Move Up – Move the currently selected Block activities up by one. The mining sequence changes. The order in which Blocks are listed is taken to be the mining sequence within a Period and is used by DTS to set up links between Blocks.
  Note: This option is only available if more than one Block is listed for the selected Period.
- Move Down – Move the currently selected Block activities down by one. Conditions apply as above.
  Note: This option is only available if more than one Block is listed for the selected Period.
- Move Prev – Move the currently selected activities to the previous Period.
- Move Next – Move the currently selected activities to the next Period.
- Delete Activity – Delete the currently selected Block activities and remove the records from the schedule.
  Note: Delete puts the material back, but only for a loading activity. Other activity types do not actually extract material.
- Downtime Split – Split the selected activity when downtime occurs during mining so that the activity happens either side of the downtime and a delay is inserted for the time when the downtime ends. This allows the delay, or the start and finish of the downtime, to be synchronised.
Use the Schedule commands to insert and manage activities:
- Delay – Insert a delay activity using the Insert Delay screen. Delay activities do not take any material and only have a duration. They can model the time to move a machine between blocks, or events such as shift change.
- Blocks – Open the Schedule Activities screen to add the currently selected block to the schedule.
- Stockpiles – Open the Schedule from Stockpiles screen.
- Undo Mining – Open the Undo Mining screen and undo mining activities using filter criteria.
- Spillover – Spill the selected activity into the next period or periods by splitting activities that have exceeded the Period Time constraints (times shown in red) into shorter-duration activity tasks and spreading them over the required number of current and future periods. Activities in the Spillover Zone are moved to the front of the next period. This button is affected by Repeat Spillover.