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.