Portable networking solutions provider Rajant Corporation, electronics manufacturing services provider Sanmina-SCI, and civil and mining consulting engineering firm Hannah Engineering have collaborated to design, develop and bring the product to commercialisation.
The suppliers said the project was in support of statewide rulings from West Virginia and the new 2006 federal regulations included in the June 2006 MINER Act.
Both the state legislation and the MINER Act require mining companies to install improved wireless communications and tracking solutions to provide optimal safe working conditions for miners.
The system will be deployed as Hannah Engineering's Wireless Integrated Technology System (WITS), which the company said provides a complete end-to-end solution for improved communications within coal mines.
The WITS system utilises the networking capabilities of Rajant and Sanmina-SCI to offer wireless communications and personnel tracking from within the mine by connecting a host of disparate communication devices.
Rajant BreadCrumb technology was deployed in the mine, which delivered instant, portable, mesh-networking capabilities to VoIP phones within the mine.
BreadCrumb units were hand deployed, thereby enabling the network to move as the miners moved. The networking components also facilitated tracking of miners.
In operational situations, should an emergency situation arise, miners would easily be located within the mine by using Rajant's BCAdmin network monitoring software.
Sanmina-SCI's Defense & Aerospace Systems Division provided its REDI-COMM system, which interfaced with the BreadCrumb network and allowed the miners communication devices to be linked with emergency radio systems, other critical communication networks, and POTS phone lines.
The Defense & Aerospace Systems Division will soon offer a specialised version of its MP1 phone system that will be uniquely configured and certified for underground use.
“We have been working on an integrated solution for almost one year," Hannah Engineering president Dewayne Hannah said.
“By delivering a complete system, coal mines can more quickly meet the new regulations, improve safety, and have better response mechanisms in the case of an emergency. We are looking forward to commercial deployment of the solution and to making our mines safer."
