The number and severity of injuries associated with the use of ultra-heavy equipment in surface mines is a persistent safety concern. A cross-disciplinary team of faculty and students at West Virginia University are working to ease those concerns.

Vinod Kulathumani, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering, Vladislav Kecojevic, professor of mining engineering, and Ashish Nimbarte, assistant professor of industrial and management systems engineering, have designed, built and tested an integrated sensing and communication system that has two parts: proximity warning and collision avoidance and driver fatigue and distraction monitoring.

“Timely proximity warning continues to be a serious problem for surface mines simply because of the size of the equipment and the huge momentum generated that reduces the time available to react,” said Kulathumani.

The proximity warning system uses low-power radio waves for obstacles and vehicles less than 15 meters away. The system does not have line of sight restrictions or blind spots, unlike ultrasonic sensors and cameras. A global positioning system integrated with Wi-Fi radios in ad-hoc mode was also designed to give warning about vehicles approaching from greater distances. In ad-hoc mode, no cellular or global network is needed to transmit the data to a central unit, Kulathumani said, making warning about approaching vehicles available as soon as they are in range.

To combat driver fatigue, the system uses a combination of infrared cameras, accelerometers and wearable electroencephalogram sensors to detect the onset of behaviors associated with fatigue. Any deviation in driver characteristics, like a change in blinking patterns or variations in EEG data, can be used to trigger fatigue alert. The research team instrumented a wireless embedded system that seamlessly records all data on haul trucks so that operators are not hindered by the use of these safety systems. Once tested in-house, Kulathumani, Kecojevic and a group of graduate students visited the Red Hills Coal Mine in Ackerman, Mississippi, to deploy initial prototypes and collect data.

“Apart from fatigue monitoring, the systems can also measure the amount of time spent by operators in dealing with two way radios, gauges and displays on trucks. Ergonomic and safe user interface design is also a key component of this project to combat these common issues in surface mines,” said Kulathumani. “The data we collected will enable the design of better user interfaces and feedback mechanisms for the operators, a task that is led by Dr. Nimbarte on this project.”

The research team includes computer engineering graduate students Rahul Kavi, Shashank Sabniveesu, Rohit Rohit and Ajay Ravuri, and mining engineering graduate student Prakash Bishleshan.

“This project has been a great learning experience for the faculty and students involved,” said Kulathumani. “We took something developed inside of a lab and deployed it in real and harsh operating conditions. Once these systems are fully deployed on a large scale, it will help reduce the risk of injury for miners and help the industry forge a safer reputation.”

The design and implementation of the safety system is funded by a $742,000 award made by the Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health.

“This research using advanced cyber-physical systems that integrate sensor arrays along with embedded software is very important to the mining industry, not only in West Virginia but around the world,” said Pradeep Fulay, associate dean for research in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. “It is central to WVU’s Land-Grant mission.”

-WVU-

CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304.293.4086, Mary.Dillon@mail.wvu.edu

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