Underground radio communications and personnel tracking system

• US 8,115,622 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stolar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stolar Incorporated
• Inventors: Stolarczyk, Larry G., Stolarczyk, Gerald L., Bausov, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/275,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20090140852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/573.1, 340/521, 340/572.1, 340/825.36, 340/10.1, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/04 Adaptation for subterranean or subaqueous use

Abstract

An underground radio communications and personnel tracking system uses a portable communications device worn by a miner when underground in a mine. A cap-lamp transceiver provides voice and text communication on ultra-low frequency (ULF) to ultra-high frequency (UHF) carrier frequencies and modulation adapted by programming of a software defined radio to making selective and agile radio contacts via through-the-earth, conductor/lifeline, coal seam, tunnel, and ionosphere/earth-surface waveguides for transmission of electromagnetic waves. These waveguides comprise layered earth coal and mineral deposits, and manmade mining complex infrastructures which serendipitously form efficient waveguides. Ultra-Low Frequency F1/F1 repeaters are placed underground in the mine, and providing for extended range of communication of the cap-lamp transceiver with radios and tracking devices above ground of the mine.

Claims

1. An improved underground radio communications and personnel tracking system, comprising:

a portable communications device configured for wearing by a miner when underground in a mine;

the improvement comprising;

miner communication gear (102) and a mine management controller (104) configured for automatic mutual communication through various ever-changing media channels available to them including an ionosphere-earth waveguide (106), a layered earth waveguide (107), a coal seam waveguide (108), a conductor/lifeline waveguide (109), and a tunnel waveguide (110);

wherein the miner communication gear (102) includes a cap-lamp transceiver configured for voice and text communication on ultra-low frequency (ULF) to ultra-high frequency (UHF) carrier frequencies and using various kinds of modulation that instantaneously favor at least a particular one of the ionosphere-earth waveguide (106), layered earth waveguide (107), coal seam waveguide (108), conductor/lifeline waveguide (109), and tunnel waveguide (110) radio communication medium and pathway channels;

a cap-lamp transceiver implemented with a software definable transceiver (SDT) for text messaging, voice communication, and tracking with passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags;

wherein the miner communication gear (102) and mine management controller (104) include transceivers programmed for making selective and agile radio contacts via any of the radio communication medium and pathway channels (106-110) by finding a combination of radio carrier frequency and modulation that supports communication between the miner communication gear (102) and the mine management controller (104) as each independently and unpredictably fades in and out.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of narrow-band F1/F1 repeaters for underground placement in said mine, and providing for extended range of communication of the cap-lamp transceiver with radios above ground of the mine;

wherein, the F1/F1 repeaters intercommunicate via said ionosphere-earth waveguide (106), layered earth waveguide (107), coal seam waveguide (108), conductor/lifeline waveguide (109), and tunnel waveguide (110) radio communication medium and pathway channels;

wherein, multi-frequency and modulation capabilities are realized with software-definable transceivers (SDT) and the digital core electronics are shared between the cap-lamp transceivers and F1/F1 repeaters.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a single magnetic dipole antenna for each F1/F1 repeater.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a cylindrical enclosure for insertion into a vertical roof borehole and providing protection for an F1/F1 repeater.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a 2000 kHz F1/F1 repeater and vertical magnetic dipole antenna enclosed in a flame proof enclosure to provide bidirectional through-the-earth waveguide transmission between the end of a development entry power center or refuge chamber and the surface; and

a 200-Hz F1/F1 repeater and vertical magnetic dipole antenna enclosed in a flame proof enclosure to provide bidirectional coal seam waveguide transmissions.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

radio frequency identification (RFID) tags encoded with information corresponding to their underground placement in said mine, and providing location information on interrogation; and

an RFID tag reader included in the portable communications device, and capable of interrogating nearby RFID tags in said mine and then announcing a location to said miner and to radios above ground of the mine.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a two-way text messaging device included in the portable communications device, and capable of communicating messages underground with radios above ground of the mine using said ionosphere-earth waveguide (106), layered earth waveguide (107), coal seam waveguide (108), conductor/lifeline waveguide (109), and tunnel waveguide (110) radio communication medium and pathway channels.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a situation control center configured to track the locations of miners and communicate with them from above ground through the portable communications device via said ionosphere-earth waveguide (106), layered earth waveguide (107), coal seam waveguide (108), conductor/lifeline waveguide (109), and tunnel waveguide (110) radio communication medium and pathway channels.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electromagnetic (EM) gradiometer and communications transceiver configured to detect the locations of miners with said cap-lamp transceivers and communicate with them from above ground via said layered earth waveguide (107).

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said ionosphere-earth waveguide (106), layered earth waveguide (107), coal seam waveguide (108), conductor/lifeline waveguide (109), and tunnel waveguide (110) radio communication medium and pathway channels are combined into bi-directional, self-healing, transmission paths by a combination of F1/F1 repeaters and Hill-Wait multi-mode lifeline cable; and

said layered earth waveguide (107) provides an emergency radio transmission path between the surface and a section power center and refuge chamber, with a F1/F1 repeater providing a redundant communications path to the surface.

11. An underground radio communications and personnel tracking system, comprising:

a portable communications device for wearing by a miner when underground in a mine;

a cap-lamp transceiver included in the portable communications device that provides voice and text communication on ultra-low frequency (ULF) to ultra-high frequency (UHF) carrier frequencies and modulation adapted by programming of a software defined radio to making selective and agile radio contacts via through-the-earth, conductor/lifeline, coal seam, tunnel, and ionosphere/earth-surface waveguides for transmission of electromagnetic waves;

wherein said waveguides comprise layered earth coal and mineral deposits, and manmade mining complex infrastructures which form natural waveguides;

a number of F1/F1 repeaters for underground placement in said mine, and providing for extended range of communication of the cap-lamp transceiver with radios above ground of the mine;

wherein, the ULF F1/F1 repeaters intercommunicate with others via through-the-earth, conductor/lifeline, coal seam, tunnel, and ionosphere/earth-surface waveguides;

a conductor/lifeline cable for supporting Hill-Wait monofilar and bifilar modes of transmission, and that is constructed with a multi-strand steel core with at least two 16-gauge insulated copper conductor wires, and a multi-core fiber optic, all for installation in man and material entries of said mine; and

molded way-out Braille indicators with passive RFID tags periodically attached to the conductor/lifeline cable.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a vertical magnetic dipole (VMD) included in a cap-lamp battery enclosure and configured to create a horizontally polarized electric field component for inducing monofilar current flows in nearby conductor/lifeline cable; and

an electrical connection of the extreme ends of loops of the conductor/lifeline cables configured to form a mesh bi-directional transmission network.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a number of trickle chargers for maintaining a constant charge in batteries supplying the F1/F1 repeaters from a mine section power center via two insulated conductors in the conductor/lifeline cable.