NETWORKS AND COMMS
IWT RF-based proximity system improves collision prevention
Of course comms technology has an important role to play in the collision avoidance and proximity detection market . Innovative Wireless Technologies ( IWT ) provides a wide range of SENTINEL™ wireless meshbased RF infrastructure for communications , tracking , and broadband data services for the mining industry . SENTINEL provides layers of communications capability , allowing , for example , a mine to start with a push-to-talk voice system and evolve over time to add personnel and asset tracking , environmental monitoring and support for Wi-Fi based devices . IWT ’ s latest enhancement to its wireless product portfolio is the Guardian™ Proximity System . Guardian is a Radio Frequency ( RF ) -based proximity system that resolves customer issues with first-generation proximity detection systems based on electromagnetic technology . These electromagnetic-based systems are prone to interference from high voltage AC lines , other electrical equipment , and even miner ’ s co-located personal dust monitors . As a next generation system , Guardian ’ s RF transmissions exhibit much better interference protection and provides improved location accuracy .
The Guardian system integrates with the vehicular controls on mobile haulage equipment to gracefully slow or stop vehicles when personnel are detected in potential impact zones around the vehicle . Multiple times per second , the Guardian system calculates the location of any miner within range around the vehicle . Miners wear a small , high bandwidth radio transceiver – approximately the size and weight of a deck of cards – which the Guardian sensors on vehicles use to determine the miner ’ s distance from the vehicle . Based on the location of miners in proximity to the vehicle , Guardian slows or stops the vehicle . Miners receive audio and visual feedback from the tag as well , alerting them to move out of the way of the on-coming vehicle .
The Guardian system software uses an intelligent throttle and brake algorithm to avoid unnecessarily abrupt stops when miners are detected well in advance of the approaching vehicle . Instead , Guardian decreases the throttle as appropriate to avoid potential impacts . This allows the mining operations to safely continue with the vehicle operating at reduced speeds while miners are clearing the warning areas ahead of the vehicle . If a miner does not clear out the warning area , the vehicle will automatically come to a complete stop using the vehicle ’ s emergency braking . And because the Guardian transceivers operate at high frequencies , the RF signals can also penetrate brattice curtains and track the location of miners behind the curtains .
Guardian also has provisions to leverage a mine ’ s investment in SENTINEL communication networks . Each Guardian system includes an embedded SENTINEL and Wi-Fi transceiver , allowing mines to include the vehicle tracking and status into their existing mapping display in their operations center . The data from vehicles using the Guardian system can then be aggregated into SENTINEL ’ s advanced analytics platform , allowing mines to track the operational performance of those vehicles and monitor the frequency of proximity-based stoppages .
According to Jeremiah Colling , IWT ’ s Director of Marketing , “ Guardian is a next-generation proximity platform that IWT is developing to address multiple unmet needs in the mining industry . The launch Guardian systems are being deployed to address miner safety issues with underground haulage vehicles , but future Guardian system implementations will focus on above ground vehicle collision avoidance as well . IWT believes that a single system , integrated with equipment throughout a mine and processing plant , will provide the greatest benefits for both safety and productivity .”
was the natural choice for Boliden .
“ It feels great to welcome Boliden to NorthStar ,” says Magnus Leonhardt , Head of Strategy and Innovation for Telia Sweden ’ s B2B business . “ Telia , Ericsson and Boliden have had a close collaboration for many years , and together built the world ’ s first underground 5G network . Our work together has come a long way and our focus is now on connecting vehicles , equipment and people in the mine to the 5G network and understanding what the requirements on the network are in order to be able to roll it out more broadly in a production environment .”
The private 5G network at Boliden ’ s mine in Kankberg will be modernised and expanded , and then connected to the specially developed innovation network used in the NorthStar program , thereby gaining access to new technical capabilities such as positioning , network slicing and edge computing .
“ We are now entering an exciting phase in our collaboration with Telia and Ericsson ,” says
Stefan Castehav , Senior Development Engineer at Boliden . “ For us , this investment is about stresstesting 5G and exploring new functions in the 5G network , such as being able to prioritize data traffic between different vehicles and machines in the mine . This will ensure that everything connected to the network will have the exact capacity , stability and security that it requires . This is important as digitisation is progressing rapidly and we are using increasingly advanced connected equipment in the mine , which places greater demands on the network . Another purpose of this collaboration is to evaluate what it ’ s like to build and manage 5G networks hundreds of meters underground .”
Joining the NorthStar 5G innovation program will also enable Boliden to benefit from the highly accurate location information provided by 5G positioning functionality , which has the potential to save lives when operating remotely controlled and autonomous machines and vehicles deep underground .
Telia has already delivered a complete communication and IT services solution to Boliden , including a private 5G-ready mobile network deployed at Sweden ’ s largest copper mine in Aitik , northern Sweden .
Currently , a handful of selected partners are participating in the NorthStar program , including Magna , Luleå University of Technology and AstaZero , a full-scale test environment for automated transport systems outside Gothenburg that is run by the RISE research institute . Technically , the NorthStar innovation network consists of a new 5G core network that is integrated with Telia Sweden ’ s existing , public 5G network , which is being rapidly rolled out across the country and currently covers more than 90 % of the population .
New Ambra-Sandvik partnership keeps mining connected
A recent partnership with Ambra Solutions brings additional connectivity and capabilities to
84 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2024