Wireless information and safety system for mines

• US 8,587,414 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• 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, Chaulya, Swades Kumar, Mishra, Pankaj Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBINIYI, PAULSON IDOWU
• Application Number:
  US12/934,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 106, 3405721-5729, 235375-385
• 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 system comprises in combination a plurality of programmable active RFID transceiver devices, programmable to operate as coordinators, routers and end devices, having resident hardware application-specific embedded software, and capable of forming a wireless network among themselves;

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

wherein the RFID transceiver devices form an IEEE 802.15.4-based mesh network for tracking of miners and equipment by wireless sensor networking in mines;

wherein the RFID transceiver devices feature a 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band; and

further

wherein the RFID transceiver devices consist of a combination of an antenna (1), a low-noise filter (2), a down-conversion mixer (3), a local oscillator (4), a band-pass filter (5), an amplifier (6), an analog-to-digital converter (7), a digital demodulator (8), a radio data interface (9), control logic (10), a microcontroller unit (11), a digital modulator (12), an analog converter (13), a low-pass filter (14), an up-conversion mixer (15) and a power amplifier (16);

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

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

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

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

wherein the microcontroller unit (11) is connected to the data interface (9);

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

wherein the local oscillator (4) is connected with the up-conversion mixer (15).

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

3. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the resident wireless sensor network (WSN) application software enables:

(i) Tracking of miners and vehicles;

(ii) Route tracking in opencast mines;

(iii) Preventing fatal accidents;

(iv) Preventing vehicle collisions;

(v) Environmental monitoring;

(vi) Monitoring miners'"'"' unsafe practices;

(vii) Sending alert messages; and

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

4. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the resident hardware application-specific embedded software for programming the RFID transceiver devices to function as coordinators, routers and end devices, is compiled and debugged in an IAR Embedded Workbench and TI-make Library using ‘

C’

language.

5. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wireless information and safety system is capable of automatically forming alternative networks among the undisturbed and reachable routers in case of disaster in a particular area in an underground mine so that communication does not get disturbed in the whole mine.

6. A wireless information and safety system for mines, as claimed in claim 5, 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.