Autonomous mining system based on real-time digital video communication that uses ethernet and optical technologies
AssigneeKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology
InventorsMeiwei Kong, Boon S. Ooi, Tien Khee Ng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An autonomous mining system includes a real-time digital video transmission sub-system configured to obtain video streams from underground, and transfer the video streams to a control center located above ground; and an exploration and maintenance sub-system located underground, and configured to extract a resource and bring the resource to the surface, based exclusively on commands received from the control center through the real-time digital video transmission sub-system.
Claims20
An autonomous mining system comprising:
- a real-time digital video transmission sub-system configured to obtain video streams from underground, and transfer the video streams to a control center located above ground;
- and
- an exploration and maintenance sub-system located underground, and configured to extract a resource and bring the resource to the surface, based exclusively on commands received from the control center through the real-time digital video transmission sub-system,
- wherein the real-time digital video transmission sub-system comprises:
- an optical wireless communication transceiver, attached to the underground, and configured to (1) receive commands from the control center at an Ethernet module, using an Ethernet protocol, and (2) optically communicate the commands with a light source, in a diffused light-of-sight or a non-line-of-sight configuration, to mobile nodes of the exploration and maintenance sub-system.
A method for autonomous mining exploration, the method comprising:
- acquiring underground video streams with a real-time digital video transmission sub-system;
- transferring the underground video streams to a control center located above ground;
- analyzing the underground video streams for determining a position and a status of plural mobile nodes;
- generating commands at the control center with respect to future actions of the plural mobile nodes;
- transmitting the commands to the plural mobile nodes through a combination of (1) Ethernet protocol, between the control center and an optical wireless communication transceiver, which is attached to the wall or ceiling of the mine, and (2) optical light communication protocol, between the optical wireless communication transceiver and the plural mobile nodes;
- and
- actuating the plural mobile nodes, exclusively based on the received commands, to execute the actions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.