Mobile Robots in Mine Rescue and Recovery

Aim:
The mainstay of this project is after coal mine disaster, rescuer
doesn't know mine tunnel situation. It is very dangerous to go into
mine tunnel without environment detect because second explosion
may occur. Coal mine detect and rescue robot is a kind of mobile
robot. It can go into explosion environment and
detect gas content, temperature, etc. And carry some food and
medicine to people pin down in a disaster.

Introduction:
Coal mine is a dangerous field, Coal mine is a special mine. It is
a tunnel system under ground. There only few pithead on ground. If
there any fault, people is easily be in closed in tunnel and they often
cannot escape from tunnel. It has dangerous factors as collapse, gas
explosion, CO poison gas, CO2 gas, low 02 content, high temperatures
(fire), smoke, water, etc. All these factors can kill people in mine.
Varies fatal factors menace people. After coal mine disaster, mine
tunnel situation is unknown. It is very dangerous to go into mine
tunnel without environment detect because second explosion may
occur. Many rescuers are killed by second explosion. How to detect
situation under ground is an important problem.
The problem in tunnel is narrow and rugged. The middle tunnel
is rail track. One side is belt transmission. The other side is a narrow
road on coal. Road is a coal road, rugged, many obstacle. Robot is
difficult to move on mine tunnel. Varies obstacle must be crossed. This
is only normal tunnel. After explosion, all things are damaged by
explosion. Tunnel became ruins. Coal block and dust is
Filled on tunnel, wire is twined, tube is twist, and pole is stick on coal
pile. Robot wants cross pile is very difficult.
Coal mine detect and rescue robot is a kind of mobile robot. It
can go into explosion environment.

Existing System:
In our existing system the RS-232 serial wire line connection to
upload data from the device to the control man PC. This has several
drawbacks; the robot can’t travel for a long distance. If anything
happen to the cable, total communication between server and the
robot will be disabled.
After that we enabled Bluetooth communication for the better
communication, as well as wireless communication between the robot
and server system. The Bluetooth is a low end medium for
communication. Bluetooth medium can’t travel for a long distance.
Sensor unit is a main unit. At first we have only one senor to
detect CO, CO2 gas, low 02 content. There is no more separate sensor
for sensing unit.
Proposed system:
Our proposed system consists of sensor unit. Sensor is an
important unit. Many signals must be detected, such as gas content,
CO gas, CO2 gas, 02 content, temperature,. These sensors must be
concentrated in a small volume.
Communication medium is 2.4GHz radio frequency. This unit is
used to make a communication medium with server and robot. And to
send various types of data’s like temperature, gas level in mine. And
mainly used to convey the video signals.
 Motion detection camera is used to capture the situation of the
mine, by using control box unit. The control box unit is used to
overcome the problem of transferring the data’s in side the tunnel.

Block Diagram:
Robot unit:
Sensor uint
2.4GHz
CO sensor

CO2 sensor

Wireless Camera
Microcontroller unit
O2 sensor

High temperature
Sensor
Robot driver
Unit

Server unit:
Personal Computer
Microcontroller
Unit
2.4GHz

AV receiver
AV Tuner Card

Block Diagram Description:

This block diagram comprises Microcontroller, sensor unit,
camera unit, motor driver unit, mechanical driver unit and a
communication medium (2.4GHz).
The sensor unit must be directly interfaced to the controller. The
monitoring device takes the current readings and sends them to the
Microcontroller. The controller circuit is responsible for transmitting
this information. Controllers are designed at hardware level. The
2.4GHz module is interfaced with the controller via the standard serial
port.
Readings are periodically reported to monitoring system in the
form of radio packet service. These data’s are updated by the
PC/SERVER. The readings about the parameters of the mine will be
thus updated and automatically displayed on the monitoring system.
So that rescue team can view the readings continuously. And motion
detection camera is used to visualize the critical situation of the mine.
System Requirement:
Software Requirement:
Language : Embedded ‘C’,
Java
 Compiler : Keil.
OS : Windows
98/2k/xp.
Hardware Requirement:
● Controller & supporting components (AVR AT89s2313).
● 2.4GHz.
● Toy car unit.
● Mechanical driver unit.
● Motor driver unit.
● Sensors (gas, CO, CO2, low 02 content, high
Temperature,).