A wireless sensor network based personnel positioning scheme in coal mines with blind areas

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Geosciences
• Computer Science

Background:

• Tunnels often have blind areas, hindering accurate personnel tracking.
• Existing positioning systems may be costly or lack precision in complex underground environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, low-cost, and high-precision personnel positioning scheme for tunnel networks with blind areas.
• To address localization errors caused by underground environmental interference.

Main Methods:

• A four-step global positioning method: local area positioning, error correction, coordinate transformation, and blind area estimation.
• Utilizing data models for tunnel networks, measurement networks, and mobile miners.
• Developing a location engine and gateway for real-time data transmission.

Main Results:

• A prototype system demonstrated good reliability, scalability, and positioning performance.
• Static localization error was less than 2.4 meters in underground tunnel environments.
• Moving estimation error was below 4.5 meters in corridor environments.

Conclusions:

• The proposed positioning system is effective for underground environments with blind areas.
• The system offers a reliable, scalable, and high-precision solution for personnel tracking.
• Continuous operation for over three months without failures validates system robustness.