New approach for localization and smart data transmission inside underground mine environment

Area of Science:

• Mining Engineering
• Wireless Communication
• Environmental Technology

Background:

• Underground mines face challenges with real-time data access and environmental monitoring.
• Existing communication technologies have limitations in underground environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present advanced technologies for real-time underground data access.
• To improve the environmental impact of underground mining operations.
• To enhance miner safety through improved communication and location estimation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing Visible Light Communication (VLC) for indoor miner positioning and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis.
• Implementing Long Range (LoRa) technology for transmitting underground data to surface control rooms.
• Comparing LoRa's range performance with existing surface communication technologies.

Main Results:

• VLC enables accurate miner location estimation within underground mines.
• LoRa technology provides a viable solution for long-range data transmission from underground to the surface.
• Analysis of SNR distribution for VLC systems provides insights into system performance.

Conclusions:

• The integration of VLC and LoRa technologies offers a significant advancement in underground mine communication.
• These technologies contribute to mitigating adverse environmental effects and enhancing operational safety.
• The proposed approach facilitates real-time data access, crucial for efficient mine management.