Avoiding accidents underground.

Given the twists and turns of darkened mine shafts, underground vehicle operators aren't always able to notice nearby vehicles or people. In an attempt to avoid the costly and at times deadly accidents that can come as a result, a Sudbury-based company has developed an advanced warning system.

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"We've developed a collision avoidance system that's different from any other one," says Wayne Ablitt, co-owner of Jannatec Radio Systems. "Most avoidance systems are visual, an external light will go off or the (system is an) audio, but the problem is that nearby individuals can become numb to it. So we developed two-way collision avoidance, so that if you have two vehicles approaching one spot, each notifies the other."

Measuring six inches long by three and a half inches wide by two inches high, the small rectangular Jannatec Advanced Warning System (JAWS) unit is small enough to be easily attached to various vehicles, with the exact location depending on the type of vehicle.

For example, a Jeep will have the small unit attached to the dashboard, not far from the operator, enabling them to see the four small lights that comprise the physical component of the warning system, which functions through the use of radio frequencies.

"Inside these boxes is a 900 mHz tranceiver," says Jason Buie, designer. "They spend most of their time sitting idle and listening for everybody else, but a few times a second, they come up and transmit a signal. Another unit sees something on its channel, and if the signal strength is high enough, it determines what kind of hazard it is and displays it appropriately on the unit."

Each of the unit's colored lights represents a different hazard for which the operator needs to be aware, with a flashing light representing the nearby proximity of multiple instances of that type. An approaching vehicle in the immediate area will trigger a blue light on both vehicles via a radio frequency "handshake." The presence of numerous vehicles will cause the blue light on each vehicle's unit to flash. In a similar fashion, the unit can also detect and appropriately identify the presence of people who have the proper circuitry installed in their cap lamps as well as non-passable vehicles who possess the right of way, such as 50-ton haulage trucks.

In an attempt to avoid having an operator crash into a parked vehicle, the JAWS unit recognizes when a vehicle shuts off, at which point it emits a "fixed hazard" signal. However, this signal isn't exclusive to parked units, as certain circuitry can also be inserted into barrier markers and other stationary objects to enable them to emit the same signal.

Testing was performed within the Inco's Garson and Coleman mines since this spring, and results thus far have been very positive.

"Everybody I talk to thinks it's the cat's meow," says Ron Schilke, general foreman, maintenance, Coleman Mine. "It's to the point now where I'm getting calls from the other mines, asking when they're going to get to do some testing and installation."

Schilke says that any given mine site faces up to 12 vehicular collisions every year, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage and lost production. He attributes much of this to human error, which often comes in the form of miscommunication--a factor that the JAWS system helps to mitigate, he says.

"Years ago, I had a guy in one of the mines who was working on the side of a drift, and a machine's scoop was down because the operator didn't see him," says Schilke. "It caught his leg, ripped it off and killed him. Had he had this kind of signal to let him know that there was somebody within the vicinity, the operator would have known to stop and investigate to see what was going on."

As the testing phase for the product is essentially complete, production for fully functional JAWS systems is imminent. While In-co is on the verge of purchasing 240 units for use on its vehicles in the Garson and Coleman mines, Schilke says it's also planning on purchasing related components for use within personnel cap lamps, which would total up to 500 units at Coleman alone.

www.jannatec.com

By NICK STEWART

Northern Ontario Business