Hardware design for in-mine positioning system
Abstract
This thesis describes the hardware design of a positioning system which locates a
vehicle relative to a digital map of an underground mine. The mines of interest are
potash mines of Saskatchewan, and they are at a depth of approximately 1000 meters
and they cover an area larger than 10 kilometers by 10 kilometers. An important
application of an in-mine positioning system is tracking a ground penetrating radar
system. Ground penetrating radar is used to determine the current condition of the
mine ceiling and to evaluate its risk of delamination. A ground penetrating radar
system is driven along a mine tunnel and measurements are logged. It is necessary
to record position information along with the radar signal and this can be done with
the aid of a positioning system.
The design and evaluation of the hardware system that supports a positioning
system, which can locate a vehicle inside a mine tunnel with reasonable accuracy and
cost is described in this thesis. The hardware system includes a dead reckoning system
(DRS), which is built using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) accelerometer
and gyroscope sensors and ultrasonic distance sensors, along with a data acquisition
system.