WIRELESS INFORMATION AND SAFETY SYSTEM FOR MINES

• US 20110205033A1
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
• Original Assignee: Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
• Inventors: Bandyopadhyay, Lakshmi Kanta, Mishra, Pankaj Kumar, Chaulya, Swades Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 17/18 Special adaptations of signalling or alarm devices for mine lifts B66B; gas-sensitive devices per se G01N
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks

Abstract

The wireless information and safety system for mines of the present invention enables continuously tracking and monitoring underground miners and moveable equipment in underground mines using ZigBee-enabled active RFID devices forming a wireless network among them and other static and mobile ZigBee devices placed at strategic locations. The present invention provides a wireless information and safety system for mines comprises in combination of ZigBee-compliant devices (programmable to operate as end devices, routers and coordinators by hardware specific embedded software) and wireless sensor network (WSN) software having various application modules both for underground and opencast mines. Use of the system of the present invention would help in identifying the miners entering in underground mine to keep the track of the miners and maintain computerized attendance. This would help in monitoring equipment locations and their operation to improve productivity and reduce fatal collision accident. This would help in locating and tracking the miners in case of disaster for speedy rescue operation. This would help in monitoring miners'"'"' unsafe practice and providing warning to the respective miner. This would further help in real time monitoring environmental parameters in underground mine. This would also help in sending coded message to the concerned person in underground mine. This would further help in monitoring movement of dumpers in opencast mine, which will ultimately help in optimum shovel-dumper performance and improving productivity.

Claims

1. A wireless information and safety system for mines, characterized in that the said system comprises in combination a plurality of programmable active RFID transceiver devices, programmable to operate as coordinators, routers and end devices, having resident hardware specific embedded software, capable of forming a wireless network among themselves;

the said plurality of programmed RFID transceiver devices strategically placed to form an unified wireless mesh-networking infrastructure provided with resident wireless sensor network (WSN) application software for tracking, monitoring and storing of information received from said RFID devices connected to sensors.

2. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the programmable active RFID transceiver device is ZigBee-compliant device.

3. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claims 1-2, wherein the programmable active RFID transceiver (1 to 16) devices, which are ZigBee-compliant programmable devices to operate as coordinator, routers and end devices, having resident application specific embedded software, consists of a combination of antenna (1), low noise filter (2), down-conversion mixer (3), local oscillator (4), band pass filter (5), amplifier (6), analog to digital converter (7), digital demodulator (8), radio data interface (9), control logic (10), microcontroller unit (11), digital modulator (12), analog converter (13), low pass filter (14), up conversion mixer (15) and power amplifier (16);

wherein the antenna (1) being connected in series to low noise filter (2), down-conversion mixer (3), band pass filter (5), amplifier (6), analog to digital converter (7) and digital demodulator (8);

local oscillator (4) being connected to the said down-conversion mixer (3) and amplifier (6);

the said digital demodulator (8) being connected to digital modulator (12) through radio data interface (9);

control logic (10) being connected to the said digital demodulator (8), digital modulator (12) and the said radio data interface (9);

microcontroller unit (11) being connected to the said data interface (9);

the said digital modulator (12) being serially connected to analog converter (13), low pass filter (14), up-conversion mixer (15) and power amplifier (16); and

the said local oscillator (4) being connected with the said up-conversion mixer (15).

4. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein the ZigBee-compliant active RFID transceiver devices provided with resident hardware specific embedded software to act as coordinator, router and end device forms an IEEE 802.15.4-based mesh network for tracking of underground miners and equipment by wireless sensor networking in mines.

5. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claims 1-4, wherein the resident wireless sensor network (WSN) application software is provided with the following modules:

(i) Tracking of miners and vehicles;

(ii) Route tracking in opencast mines;

(iii) Preventing vehicle collisions and fatal accidents;

(iv) Preventing vehicle collisions;

(v) Environmental monitoring;

(vi) Monitoring miner'"'"'s unsafe practice;

(vii) Sending alert message; and

(viii) Preparing computerised miners'"'"' duty hours.

6. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 1-5, wherein the resident hardware specific embedded software for programming the RFID transceiver devices to function as coordinator, router and end devices, is compiled and debugged in an IAR Embedded Workbench and TI-make Library using ‘

C’

language.

7. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 1-6, wherein the wireless information and safety system is capable of automatically forming alternative network among the undisturbed and reachable routers in case of disaster in particular area in underground mine so that communication does not get disturbed in the whole mine.

8. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 1-7, wherein the wireless information and safety system is a low-powered, intrinsically safe, easy to install and cost-effective system for underground and surface mines.