Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objectives: Underground mine communication is the most vital factor today to monitor different parameters continuously and to take necessary actions accordingly to mitigate all hazards that happen inside mines. Accidents in coal mines occur due to inadequacy of information from the mine environment due to inefficiency of existing phone systems. Methods/ Statistical Analysis: In this paper, cognitive radio technology is used in underground coal mines to wirelessly transmit crucial parameters such as temperature, humidity and methane gas levels to enhance the safety and security of coal mine workers. To depict cognitive radio, two communication channels, Bluetooth and RF have been used. These wireless channels are used to transmit data from the hardware circuit fitted on the miner’s gear to the ground control center. Findings: To test the working of proposed technique it is subjected to several test cases. Experiments have proved feasibility and good stability of the system. Using the proposed technology the network sensor scalability has been improved. Application/ Improvements: The deployment of a module of cognitive radio sensors is made on the miner’s gear to monitor the aforementioned parameters. Various traffic issues like routing algorithm, handoff problems are identified as the extension of the proposed cognitive radio networks.

Keywords: Cognitive Radio (CR), Coal Mine, Monitoring System, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Tracking and Positioning, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)