Various hydraulic assemblies are used in underground mining, such as electro-hydraulic valve blocks or strips for controlling the hydraulic functions of shields used in underground longwall mining. In this case, each valve strip is provided with a plurality of hydraulic control valves and each control valve can be controlled by use of an actuator mounted on the valve strip specifically for this purpose. In underground mining, it is typical to use actuators which are identical in structure and appearance on the valve strips of all shields so that, in the case of a fault of one of the actuators for instance, that faulty actuator can be replaced by any other actuator. When replacing one actuator or when one or more control valves are replaced, the miner must ensure that the correct actuator is always assigned to each control valve. The valve strips of underground shields therefore present a potential risk of assembly and connection faults that are attributable to operator error. The same also applies to the sensors associated with underground shields. Such sensors typically measure for instance, the position of individual canopy bars or lifting props, or measure the hydraulic pressure in the cylinders or props forming the hydraulic components of the shield.
It is an objective of the invention to provide an assembly of hydraulic components which may include actuators and/or sensors for underground mining, in which the aforementioned risks associated with personnel-related connection faults is reduced or eliminated.