Development of a Robust Ultra-Wideband Module for Underground Positioning and Collision Avoidance
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REVIEW
Development of a Robust Ultra-Wideband Module for Underground Positioning and Collision Avoidance Amir Ehsan Kianfar 1
&
Fabian Uth 1 & Ralph Baltes 1 & Elisabeth Clausen 1
Received: 28 April 2020 / Accepted: 23 July 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract As indoor positioning provides particular challenges due to the unavailability of GPS signals, various systems such as ultrawideband (UWB), radio frequency identification (RFID), ultrasound, and wireless local area network (WLAN) have been proposed in recent years. Some of these technologies are currently being marketed and some are still being developed. UWB technology allows for higher precision while also reducing power consumption. Hence, the underground automation and localization systems can use this technology for more accuracy and robustness. This article discusses new robust UWB modules used for underground positioning and collision avoidance with regard to human safety in underground mining operations. Keywords Ultra-wideband (UWB) . Collision avoidance (CA) . Localization . Positioning . Underground positioning system (UPS) . Indoor positioning system (IPS)
1 Introduction The traditional way of determining the localization of people within an underground mine is to use tokens, which the employees leave at the shaft before getting inside the mine, and take them after they come back up. This method, however, proved unreliable with employees forgetting to leave the tokens or taking them back. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags solved this problem. The tags emit radio signals, which predict whether the miner is still in the mine or has returned to the surface. This immensely reduces the factor of human error. An even more important issue than knowing if the miners are in the mine is the precise determination of their locations. To approach this issue, different technologies try to * Amir Ehsan Kianfar [email protected] Fabian Uth [email protected] Ralph Baltes [email protected] Elisabeth Clausen [email protected] 1
Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT) of RWTH Aachen University, Wüllnerstraße 2, 52062 Aachen, Germany
calculate the exact position of the machinery and miners underground. Next sections of this paper introduce the UWB technology, which is one of the current technologies used to estimate and track positions in underground mines. One of the most important research areas at the AMT of RWTH Aachen University is localization in indoor areas, pursuing a precise localization of workers and machinery underground to reduce accidents. To approach this, the AMT designs and develops UWB modules, which were successfully tested with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 in the area of localization systems and collision avoidance in non-explosive area.
2 Ultra-Wideband Signal As its name states, ultra-wideband is a radio signal, which has a high bandwidth over a wide spectrum of frequencies. It has a short duration pulse of picoseconds to nanoseconds and a low duty cycle of about 0.5%, which
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