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Miners
Give a Nod
to Nodes
New mesh networking technology
boosts worker safety and
productivity and fulfills new
federal requirements.
By Byron Henderson
undreds of feet under- ONLY Online
H ground, nearly a mile
away from the mouth of
the mine, a miner realizes he
Visit MCCmag.com for
the results of a reader
survey on mesh
needs to repair a key piece of
networks and more on
equipment. Summoning an
engineer used to mean a long third-generation mesh
walk back through the mine or network technology.
a long wait for the man trip, a
motorized shuttle vehicle. While the miner is walking or
waiting, no coal is being dug, so these interruptions add up
quickly in lost production. But now, with the push of a but-
ton on a wireless VoIP handset, miners can request that
engineering resources be dispatched to a location without
going anywhere. If the VoIP system is connected to the pub-
lic phone network, staff in the mine may be able to get serv-
ice assistance from equipment manufacturers while at the
working face. In a few minutes, the miner is safely and pro-
ductively back to work. Multiply this scenario by dozens or
hundreds of times per week in a
large mine, and there is an obvious,
immediate positive impact to the
bottom line.
But how did this step- and time-
saving exchange take place nearly
a mile down the mineshaft? Tradi-
tional cellular signals don’t propa-
gate through rock, and there’s no
time for laying wire phone lines
Compact wireless mesh node and
▼
antennas mounted on a support column
are designed for harsh environments.

Miners Give a Nod to Nodes
that might be damaged by rock falls Mining network communications quarters site, with public switched
and moving equipment. The answer is and tracking supplier Active Control telephone network (PSTN) access via
third-generation wireless mesh tech- Technology (ACT) of Burlington, the PBX. Clear voice connections are
nology based on the Wi-Fi 802.11 pro- Ontario, Canada, has installed wireless provided at 12 hops to the farthest
tocol. A series of multiradio enclo- mesh technology supplied by Mesh- extent of the current installation.
sures, called wireless mesh nodes, Dynamics in a number or mines. A miner location and tracking sys-
propagate the signal down the length tem based on Wi-Fi is also supported
of the mineshaft and wirelessly con- Underground Coal Mines over the wireless infrastructure, which
nect miners working or traveling near- Underground coal mines, both helps fulfill the MINER Act require-
by. The nodes may be placed along “long wall” and “room and pillar,” are ments. In addition, an IP-based video
entries, travel ways, beltways or in air- challenging settings for wireless com- camera remotely monitors a key junc-
way intakes and returns to wirelessly munications. There are often multiple tion of the belt system crucial to mine
link miners at the working face to the adjacent entries (tunnels) into the mine. productivity. The mine operator enjoys
rest of the mine, as well as to the At the least, the network must provide multiple benefits from the installation.
office and managers outside the mine. coverage in the belt entry, the main Besides fulfilling MINER Act require-
travelway, primary escape route and ments, mine personnel are instantly
Improving Safety for the working unit at the mine face. more productive through better com-
and Response Another challenging characteristic is munications. Requests for repairs, sup-
Besides the time-saving productivi- that the mine is constantly changing: plies, tools and other material may be
ty boost, the wireless mesh nodes also The working unit progresses forward made over the VoIP system, saving the
provide infrastructure that delivers life- everyday, and therefore the supporting time and inconvenience of multiple
saving miner location and communica- infrastructure must move with the unit. man-trip shuttles. The ability to
tions capability in case of an accident Any communications systems must be remotely monitor the operation of key
or disaster. Preserving the safety of easily deployable, configurable and belt locations via video has also
underground mine personnel has been resilient. increased uptime and productivity.
an important focus of government and Because of the vehicle and human
industry. In the aftermath of the Sago traffic and hazards such as moisture, Surface Mining Applications
mine disaster, a coal mine explosion in rock fall and vibration, a compact and Outdoor, aboveground mining
Sago, W. Va., in January 2006, the fed- robust physical device is required. The sites also require wireless voice, data
eral government set in place a safety and communications mission and video communications. There is
timetable for underground coal-mining demands the ability to work from bat- an increasing need for up-to-the-
operations to upgrade procedures, tery power and for isolated portions of minute status on operations, equip-
equipment and technology with the the network to continue operation if ment and personnel, as well as a
passage of the Mine Improvement and disconnected by an incident. Because strong move toward mine automa-
New Emergency Response (MINER) distances in the tunnels can be quite tion. But because an open-pit mine is
Act in 2006. Major elements of the long, the mining environment poses a constantly changing landscape, it’s
MINER Act require a wireless two- unique challenges for real-time data necessary for any network deploy-
way medium of communications and over many hops. ment to be simple to deploy and rede-
tracking of individuals by 2009. A A recent successful installation in a ploy. The wireless mesh nodes act
wireless communications system that working room-and-pillar underground similar to “radio robots” to locate
provides two-way communications coal mine required long-distance con- one another and quickly establish a
between underground and surface per- nectivity for voice, location tracking network without operator intervention.
sonnel and an electronic tracking sys- and video process monitoring. The nodes may also be in motion
tem that allows surface personnel to Because the headquarters and pro- relative to one another and to fixed
independently determine the location cessing plant is 3.5 miles from the elements of the network, yet remain
of anyone trapped underground is key main lateral entry to the mine, multi- constantly connected. It’s critical for
to meeting the requirements. New Wi- ple hops were needed both outside mining enterprises to monitor the pro-
Fi wireless mesh technology delivers and inside the mine. In a number of ductivity of a haulage fleet and report
high performance and reliability at low locations within the mine itself, wire- that information back to local and cor-
cost over long distances in under- less mesh nodes were secured to the porate management. Additionally,
ground coal mines in numerous pilot roof bolt or supporting timbers and visual monitoring through video cam-
and production mine networks, powered by a battery backup system. eras mounted on mining vehicles
because it allows for reliable two-way Individual miners carry wireless Wi- allows for immediate response from
VoIP communications and Wi-Fi loca- Fi VoIP handsets that provide voice the control center rather than requiring
tion tracking. connectivity to the PBX at the head- a manned trip to a location in the

The nodes wirelessly link miners at the may also easily be deployed over the
wireless mesh infrastructure.
working face to the rest of the mine, as The wireless mesh technology pro-
vides the high performance, low delay
well as to the office and managers and jitter, and mobility required for
outside the mine. reliable communications in demanding
mining environments. Best of all, net-
works deployed to increase miner safe-
mine. Extending the network into the nodes on haulage trucks and loaders ty may also boost productivity and
mine also extends the private tele- provided communications for the vice-versa. As mining becomes more
phone network into the pit — vital for automated mining application in use technical and automated, third-
remote locations that are often without on the vehicles. Because of third- generation wireless mesh keeps the
cellular service — and at much lower generation radio intelligence, the mining enterprise seamlessly connect-
cost than satellite telephony. nodes maintain communications ed from working face to office. ■
In a recent installation in an open- throughout the active area of the mine
pit mine, a fixed wireless mesh node and can be easily relocated. Optional Byron Henderson is vice president, market-
was placed at the administrative GPS capability allows managers to ing for MeshDynamics, which serves cus-
office, and several relocatable wireless instantly locate any of the wireless tomers in many market areas: mining and
mesh nodes with solar power were mesh nodes and its host vehicle on a industrial sites, defense, transportation, pub-
deployed on trailers throughout the map view of the mine. Additional lic safety and municipal networking. E-mail
active area of the mine. Mobile mesh safety voice and video applications comments to editor@RRMediaGroup.com.
RadioResource MissionCritical Communications delivers wireless voice and data solutions for mobile and remote mission-critical operations. The magazine covers business, public
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Pandata Cor p. All rights reser ved. Reprinted from the July 2008 issue of RadioResource MissionCritical Communications. For more infor mation about
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