Mine Site Technologies

News

1 September 2010

Colombian miner goes digital in their underground mines MORE »

29 June 2010

MSHA Approval for VoIP MinePhone MORE »

23 April 2010

Careers in Mining Communication Technology MORE »

NEWS ARCHIVE »

Expos

Wi-Fi Based Digital Communications

ImPact AP's include 1 or 2 Wireless Cards,
a 4 Port Fibre Switch and up to 8 PoE Ethernet Ports
ImPact AP's include 1 or 2 Wireless Cards, a 4 Port Fibre Switch and up to 8 PoE Ethernet Ports
Our VoIP Mine-Phone allows two-way voice & text messaging throughout the mine via the ImPact Digital Network
Our VoIP Mine-Phone allows two-way voice & text messaging throughout the mine via the ImPact Digital Network

We developed our ImPact technology suite to meet the communication infrastructure and application requirements of mines in the 21st century. The ImPact Digital System complements our other communication technologies, ensuring a mine's overall communication system not only meet their safety requirements, but enable optimum productivity from all their mining assets.  The ImPact Wi-Fi Digital system offers a quantum leap in bandwidth, and hence data quality and capacity.  ImPact delivers:

  • Tracking via Wi-Fi RFID Tags
  • Real-time vehicle diagnostics
  • Accurate, real-time payload data
  • Two-way voice with VoIP telephones
  • Remote video
  • Remote PLC programming
  • Reporting via PDA's direct into data base
  • Many other 802.11 based Wi-Fi applications

ImPact is a purpose designed network communications platform that extends a site's Ethernet topology into the underground workings. Our design architecture philosophy provides extended general TCI/IP functionality with the added benefit of utilizing productivity enhancing tools available through proprietary and off-the-shelf wireless networking technologies.

The ImPact LAN and Wireless LAN technologies utilize carrier quality wired and wireless components and include design criteria that ensure high reliability and maintainability through architectures such as redundant loop implementations and SNMP fault detection and network management tools. An illustration of a typical ImPact wired and wireless Ethernet communications network is depicted below.

Wireless Access Point Schematic

ImPact 802.11 Wireless Access Point

Mine Site Technologies' ImPact 802.11 Wireless Access Point (WAP) provides the mining industry with a high throughput and robust communications infrastructure to support the deployment of general IP applications with a focus on mobile data solutions that are implemented over the ImPact Wireless LAN. The ImPact WLAN is standards based and Wi-Fi compliant. Some of the advanced applications supported by the ImPact WLAN in an underground mining environment include:

Mobile Vehicle data Solutions

  • Production Monitoring
  • Ore Flow Modeling
  • Utilization Monitoring & Optimization
  • Condition Monitoring
  • Equipment Tracking
  • Equipment Scheduling & Traffic Control

Voice over Internet Protocoal (VoIP) Wireless Phones

  • Digital Functionality
  • PTT (Press to Talk) Broadcast available
  • SMS Text Messaging
  • Voice Mail

Mobile Data Download (PDA and Pocket PC)

  • Equipment Operators' Logs
  • Shift Logs
  • Surveying Input
  • Geology Input
  • Materials Management

Mobile & Fixed IP Video

  • Real Time High Res Digital Video
  • Remote Monitoring
  • Security

Integrated Wired & Wireless LAN Connectivity Underground

  • Mobile work groups
  • Dispatch Applications
  • Email
  • Tracking via IP