As mining companies constantly seek a competitive advantage, delivering technology solutions that can positively influence safety and productivity is increasingly valuable.

By solving subterranean positioning problems, Cohda Wireless’ solutions can significantly improve the safety of both personnel and vehicles while contributing to increased productivity.

Cohda Locate delivers sub-metre real-time tracking of an equipped mobile fleet, plant and personnel in underground mines and mining pits. This performance is a fundamental game changer for vehicle and personnel safety applications, delivering collision avoidance capability in line with EMESRT requirements. Using the V2X wireless platform as the basis for Cohda Locate ensures a standards-based, robust & future-proofed system operating in a licenced spectrum. Through this, the mining industry benefits from highly tested, automotive-level safety, reliability & robustness features.

Through this, Cohda Wireless is becoming a supplier of choice to METS and mines.

Our Mining Solutions

Mining Locate Proximity Detection

Cohda Wireless’ Proximity Detection Solution is designed to significantly enhance safety in underground mining environments by reducing vehicle-related incidents and increasing operator awareness. Built on our proven V2X technology, this system ensures reliable operation even in GNSS-denied environments, providing advanced collision avoidance capabilities.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Coverage: Operates in line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight scenarios, including “around corners.”
• Real-Time Alerts: Provides accurate distance and direction data for vehicles and personnel, alerting operators in critical situations.
• Dual Interaction Modes:
  • Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V): Detects other vehicles at a minimum of 100m away.
  • Vehicle-to-Personnel (V2P): Identifies personnel at a minimum 60m away, even around blind corners.
• Advanced Technology: Employs RF Time-of-Flight ranging for spatial location determination.
• Ease of Integration: Works seamlessly with existing fleet management systems.

Benefits

• Enhanced Safety: Early warnings help operators proactively avoid collisions.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduces downtime caused by accidents.
• Compliance: Meets ISO 21815-1 and EMESRT Level 7 safety standards, with plans for Level 8 and 9 integration.

Proximity Detection Hardware

• XBU-V Units: Ruggedised On-Board devices for heavy and light vehicles.
• Personnel Tags: Compact, low-power tags integrated into cap lamps for continuous tracking.  These personnel tags contain Cohda Wireless firmware integrated into the Spectrum59 smartTag.
• HMI Integration: Displays warnings and object identification to vehicle operators. Example of HMI integration is with Maptek VisionV2X.

Download the Proximity Detection Whitepaper

Mining Locate Positioning System

Cohda Wireless’ Positioning Solution revolutionises underground mining by addressing the challenges of GNSS-denied environments. Using sub-metre tracking, this system improves the safety of personnel and vehicles while boosting operational productivity.

Key Features

• High Accuracy:
  • Vehicle positioning: ±5m
  • Personnel positioning: ±10m
• Centralised Monitoring: Provides a unified view of all assets in real-time through a Central Positioning Service (CPS).
• Robust Technology: Operates seamlessly in harsh underground conditions with automotive-grade reliability.

Applications

• Safety Enhancements:
  • Emergency response.
  • Collision avoidance.
• Operational Efficiency:
  • Fleet optimisation.
  • Asset tracking and management.
• Data-Driven Insights: Enables process improvements through analytics.

Positioning Components

• MK5 Units: Ruggedised On-Board unit hardware XBU-V and Infrastructure Unit (XBU-I) including Mining Locate specific firmware.
• Personnel Tags: Compact, low-power tags integrated into cap lamps for continuous tracking. These personnel tags contain Cohda Wireless firmware integrated into the Spectrum59 smartTag.
• Central Positioning Service: Supports remote configuration and monitoring, minimising on-site intervention.

Benefits

• Improved Safety: Protects personnel through precise, real-time location data.
• Increased Productivity: Optimises equipment usage and traffic flow.
• Reduced Costs: Minimises accident-related expenses and downtime.

Central Positioning Service (CPS)

Positioning Systems Accuracy:

MK5 XBU

Built specifically for mining operations, our MK5 XBU can be deployed as an On-Board Unit (XBU-V or OBU-V) or as fixed infrastructure as a Road-Side Unit (XBU-I). It is also available as a reference design for mining equipment developers.

The MK5 XBU is based on our MK5 OBU and RSU products, ruggedised for the harsh conditions of underground mining operations. Its communication range is outstanding, and it can determine its location precisely, even deep underground.

To improve safety as well as productivity, the MK5 XBU can provide ranging to people via personnel tags, and it can be remotely configured to minimise the need for on-site personnel.

Features:

• Dual IEEE 802.11p radio;
• Cohda Locate Mining specific software
• Powerful processor running Cohda software applications;
• Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that delivers lane-level accuracy;
• Integrated security;
• Hardware acceleration;
• Tamper-proof key storage;
• NXP chips with Cohda firmware;
• Supports DSRC (IEEE 802.11p)

Learn more about our hardware.