IoT Cap Lamps

By 2010, miners' Cap Lamps finally shifted from traditional corded Cap Lamps to cordless. By 2010, the second cap lamp evolution occurred, with the transformation from illumination only devices to wireless digital devices. This is in correlation with modern mines going digital and implementing IoT solutions to reduce costs, optimise productivity and increase safety.

When deciding how to integrate miners into the digital mine, do you keep adding new devices to the associated infrastructure or do you embed all digital functions you require into the cordless Cap Lamp the miner already wears?

Essentially, an IoT Cap Lamp is a regular Cap Lamp with wireless functionalities. This wireless technology is not for high-speed communications. It is purposely designed for monitor and control using low power. It is best described as IoT cap lamp, as it is more than just a wireless cap lamp.

Role of Caps Lamps in Digital Mines

The Cap Lamp is the ONLY device

1. powered by battery and

2. carried by every miner

3. all the time

The Cap Lamp is becoming

A "Personal Data Centre"
A critical PPE Safety Communications Devices

What is an IoT Cap Lamp

An IoT Cap Lamp is a general Cap Lamp
with embedded Wireless module(s) in

low bandwidth
low power
for monitoring, control, alerts and signalling

Wireless Cap Lamp

is for monitoring and control
is NOT for high-speed two-way communication

This is why we call it IoT, instead of Wireless

Advantages of Cordless Cap Lamps

This transition is nearly complete!

Is "Cordless" suitable for IoT?

Pro:

Better radio signal coverage due to its elevated omni-directional position

Con:

Limited Batteries
Limited space in the enclosure
sensitive to weight

Applications of IoT Cap Lamps

Scenario 1: P2P Wireless
Application Example: V2P Ranging

WiFi FTM

Resolution: 5 m
Main Application: Collision Warning
EMESRT Level: 7/8

DSRC

Resolution: 2 m
Main Application: Collision Warning
EMESRT Level: 7/8

UWB

Resolution: 0.3 m
Main Application: Collision Avoidance Potential
EMESRT Level: possibly 9

Scenario 2: Wireless LAN/WAN
Application Example 1: Miner’s Tracking

Network	Location Decision	Main Features
WiFi	WiFi RSSI	Convenient, Expensive, Low Accuracy
LTE	BLE Beacon	Only Main Tunnels, BLE Maintenance
WiFi	BLE Beacon	Low Cost, High Accuracy, BLE Maintenance
LoRa	RSSI / BLE	Very low Cost and Low Accuracy

Scenario 2: Wireless LAN/WAN
Application Example 2: Two-way signaling

Down-Stream

Evacuation Alert
Paging

Up-Stream

Duress alert

Scenario 2: Wireless LAN/WAN
Application Example 3: Beyond communications

Receive Big Data From Your Miners

IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) in cap lamp for movement, traffic awareness,
man-down detection, human behaviour study, etc.
Complete record for light, signalling, temperature, charging, battery, wireless, etc.
Potential – light sensor, mini-camera, laser point, etc

Scenario 2: Wireless LAN/WAN
Other Application Examples

Access Control
Ventilation Control
Zone Management
Traffic Management
Theft Prevention
Workshop Management

Scenario 3: On-Site Wireless
Application Examples

Cap Lamp (PPE) Kiosk

RFID or NFC

Electronic Tag Board

RFID / WiFi

Location/Object ID

Data Logger, eg strata sensor

BLE / WiFi
(Data can be stored, then uploaded when a wireless WAN/LAN signal comes in ranges)

Scenario 4: Wireless Personal Area Network (PAN)

Every miner will have several wireless devices

Cap Lamp links to these devices through Bluetooth
Cap Lamp will be the centralized device to monitor and control devices

Devices -> Cap Lamp

A flashing Cap Lamp is the most effective way to alert a miner, as an example Radiation Sensing Alert
Rio Tinto Project – Alerts & Signalling for lost devices

Cap Lamp -> Devices

Simple instruction to devices by pressing cap lamp button
Device co-ordination

Roobuck for IoT Cap Lamps

Treat your cap lamps as a wireless terminal

Roobuck

Is the world leader in IoT Cap Lamps
IoT Cap Lamp development is fully supported by our $5.3m CRC-P project
in collaboration with our research partner and mining partners

Roobuck's Offerings

Products: cap lamps, signal lights, wireless devices
Solutions: tracking, proximity, access control
R&D & Integration Services: Explosion-proof, wireless, lighting, software and API development

Tags: Cap Lamp IoT Digital Mine

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