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The mining industry is being pressured to increase productivity and reduce production costs. New advancements in computer and telecommunication technologies have brought innovative solutions that contribute in meeting those challenging needs. The SIAMnet is a powerful communication system specifically designed for underground mining applications. It supports simultaneous transmission of voice, data and video signals. |
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The SIAMnet plays a major role in vehicle automation systems. Its infrastructure supports any multimedia application such as Internet, monitoring and control telemetry, mobile equipment dispatch, network teleoperation and autoguided vehicles. Some of these automation applications require a quick response time to function properly and efficiently. With its large bandwidth configuration, a SIAMnet network provides significantly more voice, video and data transmission bandwidth than any conventional system, such as a leaky cable. |
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The SIAMnet is composed of a fixed communication backbone that uses specially designed mining antennas and bi-directional amplifiers. Mobile or stationary devices such as modems or portable radios use the SIAMnet backbone to send information to a central location or to each other. The SIAMnet is adaptable to any mine configuration. It can be designed as a mine wide system of networks and sub-networks or as independent cells. A cell can be designed to provide RF coverage to a production zone or a complete level. |
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The main Head-end of each cell or network can be configured to send information to the surface control center via a fiber optic cable or other communication medias. The mine network (Lan) can be hooked up to the SIAMnet to allow mobile units to communicate with the central server. The customer's computers may communicate with the underground mobile units for the purpose of exchanging production data. Worldwide communication is also possible if the SIAMnet is connected to the Internet via the customer’s network. The SIAMnet has been designed to support high-level automation, such as the teleoperation of underground vehicles. |
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Vehicles can be driven or guided from a distance using the SIAMnet communication system. The operator can control his vehicle from a remote location. All the feedback data, including images are sent from the vehicle to the control room. The SIAMnet allows underground computers to talk to each other or with other equipment such as a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). PLCs can be used to control production equipments such as Pumps or Fans or to send vital signs information such as seismic activity to the surface personnel. |
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Data Communication with a Remote (underground) PLC |
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