Effective Visible Light Communication System for Underground Mining Industry

Adequate lightening and efficient communication technology have prime importance for safe underground mining communication system operations. Existing conventional light and communication systems used in underground mines are not very efficient solutions due to heavy power and maintenance requirements. Also, efficient communication technology is required for instantaneous reporting of any potential disaster event under hazardous underground environment. In this paper, we propose light fidelity (Li-Fi) as an efficient way of incident reporting as well as source of illumination for mines. Visible light communication (VLC) system is being used in mines operations, to support communication-blind areas. It exhibits superior performance over traditional radio frequency (RF) communication systems, in terms of low energy consumption, higher data rates achieved, and wide frequency band (430 − 790) T Hz. In this paper, we present VLC system for safe and reliable mining operations and analyze and discuss corresponding channel impulse response (CIR). We consider effect of shadowing and dust on our optical channel model. We compare the performance of our system with available methods in terms of bit error rate (BER), CIR, and prove the superiority of our proposed system

Requirements for the conceptual design of advanced underground coal extraction systems

Conceptual design requirements are presented for underground coal mining systems having substantially improved performance in the areas of production cost and miner safety. Mandatory performance levels are also set for miner health, environmental impact, and coal recovery. In addition to mandatory design goals and constraints, a number of desirable system characteristics are identified which must be assessed in terms of their impact on production cost and their compatibility with other system elements. Although developed for the flat lying, moderately thick seams of Central Appalachia, these requirements are designed to be easily adaptable to other coals

Optimisation of Mobile Communication Networks - OMCO NET

The mini conference “Optimisation of Mobile Communication Networks” focuses on advanced methods for search and optimisation applied to wireless communication networks. It is sponsored by Research & Enterprise Fund Southampton Solent University. The conference strives to widen knowledge on advanced search methods capable of optimisation of wireless communications networks. The aim is to provide a forum for exchange of recent knowledge, new ideas and trends in this progressive and challenging area. The conference will popularise new successful approaches on resolving hard tasks such as minimisation of transmit power, cooperative and optimal routing

Underground coal mine instrumentation and test

The need to evaluate mechanical performance of mine tools and to obtain test performance data from candidate systems dictate that an engineering data recording system be built. Because of the wide range of test parameters which would be evaluated, a general purpose data gathering system was designed and assembled to permit maximum versatility. A primary objective of this program was to provide a specific operating evaluation of a longwall mining machine vibration response under normal operating conditions. A number of mines were visited and a candidate for test evaluation was selected, based upon management cooperation, machine suitability, and mine conditions. Actual mine testing took place in a West Virginia mine

Height Information Aided 3D Real-Time Large-Scale Underground User Positioning

Due to the cost of inertial navigation and visual navigation equipment and lake of satellite navigation signals, they cannot be used in large‐scale underground mining environment. To solve this problem, this study proposes large‐scale underground 3D real‐time positioning method with seam height assistance. This method uses the ultrawide band positioning base station as the core and is combined with seam height information to build a factor graph confidence transfer model to realise3D positioning. The simulation results show that the proposed real‐time method is superior to the existing algorithms in positioning accuracy and can meet the needs of large‐scale underground users

M.I.N.G., Mars Investment for a New Generation: Robotic construction of a permanently manned Mars base

A basic procedure for robotically constructing a manned Mars base is outlined. The research procedure was divided into three areas: environment, robotics, and habitat. The base as designed will consist of these components: two power plants, communication facilities, a habitat complex, and a hangar, a garage, recreation and manufacturing facilities. The power plants will be self-contained nuclear fission reactors placed approx. 1 km from the base for safety considerations. The base communication system will use a combination of orbiting satellites and surface relay stations. This system is necessary for robotic contact with Phobos and any future communication requirements. The habitat complex will consist of six self-contained modules: core, biosphere, science, living quarters, galley/storage, and a sick bay which will be brought from Phobos. The complex will be set into an excavated hole and covered with approximately 0.5 m of sandbags to provide radiation protection for the astronauts. The recreation, hangar, garage, and manufacturing facilities will each be transformed from the four one-way landers. The complete complex will be built by autonomous, artificially intelligent robots. Robots incorporated into the design are as follows: Large Modular Construction Robots with detachable arms capable of large scale construction activities; Small Maneuverable Robotic Servicers capable of performing delicate tasks normally requiring a suited astronaut; and a trailer vehicle with modular type attachments to complete specific tasks; and finally, Mobile Autonomous Rechargeable Transporters capable of transferring air and water from the manufacturing facility to the habitat complex

Internet of Things for Sustainable Mining

The sustainable mining Internet of Things deals with the applications of IoT technology to the coupled needs of sustainable recovery of metals and a healthy environment for a thriving planet. In this chapter, the IoT architecture and technology is presented to support development of a digital mining platform emphasizing the exploration of rock–fluid–environment interactions to develop extraction methods with maximum economic benefit, while maintaining and preserving both water quantity and quality, soil, and, ultimately, human health. New perspectives are provided for IoT applications in developing new mineral resources, improved management of tailings, monitoring and mitigating contamination from mining. Moreover, tools to assess the environmental and social impacts of mining including the demands on dwindling freshwater resources. The cutting-edge technologies that could be leveraged to develop the state-of-the-art sustainable mining IoT paradigm are also discussed