Medium Frequency Wireless Tracking of Miners

描述（由申请人提供）：最近发生在Sago矿、Aracoma Alma矿1号矿和Darby矿1号矿的悲剧使人们重新关注一个老问题：矿井紧急情况中的态势感知。改善沟通是解决问题的部分办法，而不是完全办法。矿井紧急情况经常涉及浓烟和灰尘，影响能见度，甚至使熟悉矿井布局的人迷失方向。被一氧化碳困住的矿工无法向潜在的救援人员传达有用的信息。位置感知是态势感知整体问题的一个重要方面。在很多情况下，如果救援人员知道被困或残疾矿工的位置，就可以避免矿难。救援队越快到达处于危险中的矿工，救援行动就越有可能成功。目前，还没有一种技术能够以合理的精度和成本确定地下矿工的精确位置。拟议的努力的主要好处在于实现一种技术，这种技术可以提供急需的位置信息，从而有助于在紧急情况下营救矿工。Q-Track是近场电磁测距或“NFER(R)”技术的先驱。NFER(R)系统在第15部分的限制下作为低功率未经许可的发射机在中频频段运行。通过使用相对较低的频率，长波长的传输，NFER(R)信号可以在复杂的工业环境中传播，而多径的影响最小。此外，由于这些系统在近场区域运行，它们比类似的高频或微波系统提供更多的跟踪信息。第二阶段工作的具体目标是开发用于矿井无线定位的NFER(R)原型系统。拟议的第二阶段工作的预期结果将是一个具有以下特征的原型矿工跟踪系统：范围：>400m精度：10m或更高支持传感器集成和低数据速率遥测传输。公共卫生相关性：矿工并不是唯一在危险环境中受益于位置信息的工人。士兵、核和化学工人以及紧急救援人员都面临着类似的危险，位置数据的可用性对他们都有帮助。通过赞助拟议的努力，NIOSH不仅可以促进矿工的安全，还可以促进各种第二产业工人的安全。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent tragedies at the Sago Mine, the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1, and the Darby Mine No. 1 have focused renewed attention on an old problem: situational awareness in mine emergencies. Improved communication is a partial, but not complete, solution to the problem. Mine emergencies often involve dense smoke and dust that impair visibility and disorient even those familiar with the mine layout. And miners overcome by carbon monoxide cannot communicate useful information to potential rescuers. Location awareness is an important aspect of the overall problem of situational awareness. In too many cases, mine fatalities might have been avoided if rescuers knew the location of trapped or disabled miners. The more quickly a rescue team can reach miners at risk, the more likely the rescue operation will be successful. Currently, there is no technology capable of determining the precise location of underground miners with reasonable accuracy and cost. The principal benefit of the proposed effort lies in bringing to fruition a technology that can provide critically needed location information and thus aid in rescuing miners in emergency situations. Q-Track is the pioneer in Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging or "NFER(R)" technology. NFER(R) systems operate in the MF band under Part 15 limits as low-power unlicensed transmitters. By using relatively low frequency, long wavelength transmissions, NFER(R) signals can propagate in complicated industrial environments with minimal impact from multipath. Furthermore, because these systems operate in the near-field zone, they have available much more tracking information than comparable high frequency or microwave systems. The specific aim of the Phase II effort is to develop prototype NFER(R) systems for wireless location in mines. The anticipated outcome of the proposed Phase II effort will be a prototype miner tracking system with the following characteristics: Range: >400m Accuracy: 10m or better Support for integration of sensors and transmission of low data rate telemetry. Public Health Relevance: Miners are not the only workers in dangerous environments who would benefit from location information. Soldiers, nuclear and chemical workers, and emergency responders all face comparable dangers and would all be helped by the availability of location data. By sponsoring the proposed effort, NIOSH will not only promote miner safety but also promote worker safety in a wide variety of secondary industries.