Safe communication underground
September 2010
Data Acquisition & Telemetry
Becker Electronics has launched a new Wi-Fi system which ensures reliable, safe and efficient communication underground. The new Becker WRAP (wireless router access point) provides a high speed backbone for wireless VoIP, seamless roaming of devices, advanced vehicular dispatch systems, process automation, as well as any device which can utilise a wireless, serial or fibre backbone.
WRAP’s versatile design allows a combination of communications backbones to be used to optimise a system. For example, fibre can be used for high data throughput. In the working sections of a coal mine, a wireless mesh topology is recommended.
“Becker Electronics has made a substantial investment in researching and testing underground Wi-Fi systems to overcome the problems in underground conditions,” says Albert Bower, managing director of Becker Electronics. “A feature of this system is its intrinsically safe design which enables safe use in hazardous mining conditions underground. What is important about Becker’s systems is that each product can be installed as a single standalone system, or can be deployed using a phased approach to minimise initial capital outlay.”
WRAP is the primary component in creating the Becker Wi-Fi IS backbone. The internal layer 3 router contains the logic to route all network traffic to the correct interface card or to the correct fibre point. The route of network traffic is based on the rules configured into the router itself. Firewall rules can also be configured to control bandwidth usage, as well as to provide network security.
The system supports various configuration implementations ranging from traditional distributed antenna backbones interconnected via a redundant fibre optic loop, to mixed configurations of distributed and leaky feeder configurations. Each unit also includes an RS485 bus to communicate with industrial serial devices, such as Becker UATRs (UHF active tag readers) for tagging and tracking implementations.
A feature is the design for future upgrades. These are usually applied in the form of a software update. Hardware upgrades are implemented on an exchange programme basis. WRAP is currently being used at the Illwara Coal Mine in Australia and has also passed stringent testing on various mines in the USA, Russia, Poland, Germany and South Africa.
For more information contact Albert Bower, Becker Electronics, +27 (0)11 801 5900, [email protected], www.za.becker-mining.com
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