Accurate integrated position measurement system for mobile applications in GPS-denied coal mine

The automatic positioning of underground mobile applications plays a crucial role in enabling intelligent coal mining. However, due to the diverse kinematics and dynamics of these applications, various positioning methods have been proposed to match different targets. Nonetheless, the accuracy and applicability of these methods still fall short of meeting the requirements for field applications. Based on the vibration characteristics of underground mobile devices, a multi-sensor fusion positioning system is developed to enhance the accuracy of positioning in long and narrow global positioning system denied (GPS-denied) underground coal mine roadways. The system combines inertial navigation (INS), odometer, and ultra wide band (UWB) technologies through extended Kalman filter (EKF) and unscented Kalman filter (UKF). This approach enables accurate positioning by recognizing target carrier vibrations and facilitating fast conversion between multi-sensor fusion modes. The proposed system is tested on both a small unmanned mine vehicle (UMV) and a large roadheader, demonstrating that UKF enhances stability for roadheaders with strong nonlinear vibrations while EKF is more suitable for flexible UMVs. Detailed results confirm that the proposed system achieves an accuracy level of 0.15 m, meeting most coal mine application requirements.