System for Decentralized Acquisition and Wireless Transmission of Acquired Data for Use Underground

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This invention describes a decentralized system for acquiring and wirelessly transmitting measurement data in underground environments, such as mines or tunnels. It employs temporary mobile modules (measurement stations) distributed throughout an underground site to collect and store data. When a fully mobile module (such as a vehicle) passes within range, it automatically receives the stored data, which it then relays to a central data access point when connectivity is established. The temporary modules only transmit data after receiving a request from a fully mobile module, optimizing power consumption and network load. The data is ultimately evaluated centrally, providing a robust and flexible solution for environments lacking permanent networking infrastructure.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Real-time environmental monitoring in underground mines (e.g., gas concentrations, temperature, humidity).
• Monitoring machine health, material movements, and operational status in tunnels or mining operations.
• Safety monitoring (e.g., personnel presence, atmospheric hazards) in underground construction sites.
• Asset management and logistics tracking for vehicles and resources moving underground.
• Supplementing or replacing fixed infrastructure networks in dynamic or evolving underground settings, such as expanding mining shafts or tunnels.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Reduces the need for extensive and costly fixed cabling or wireless network infrastructure in complex underground environments.
• Allows flexible and adaptive data collection with easily relocatable measurement stations.
• Minimizes data transmission power consumption, enabling battery operation and long-term deployment in remote locations.
• Supports nearly real-time data collection and central analysis, improving operational awareness and safety.
• Easily expandable and integrates with existing central systems, facilitating future upgrades or changes in monitoring needs.
• Ensures data security and integrity through selective data transmission and encryption protocols.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

In the system, the data, which are acquired in a decentralized manner, are evaluated centrally. Multiple at least temporarily mobile modules are arranged at various positions of a respective underground structure and the temporarily mobile modules are designed to acquire and buffer store measurement data and to transmit acquired measurement data wirelessly and automatically to multiple fully mobile modules as soon as a fully mobile module has reached a distance from a temporarily mobile module at which a wireless data transmission between a respective temporarily mobile module and a fully mobile module is possible. Fully mobile modules are designed to buffer store data that have been received from at least one temporarily mobile module and, upon reaching a data access point that is connected to a central acquisition, evaluation and/or storage unit, to transmit these buffer-stored data to the respective data access point. Temporarily mobile modules are furthermore designed to wirelessly transmit buffer-stored measurement data only after receiving a wirelessly received request signal that has been transmitted from a fully mobile module to the respective temporarily mobile module.