LoRaWAN-Based Communication Protocol for Wearable Safety Devices in Mining Fields

Abstract

Excavation activities in deep mining involve the risk of accidents posing danger to humans. The implementation of smart devices to monitor the conditions of workers and locate them in deep mines would be expensive using current alternatives. Long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) has become the niche in Internet of Things (IoT) development and deployment due to its high scalability and low-power attributes. The main goal in using such a communication protocol is to make sure that all the devices can connect to the Internet for monitoring, safety, and endless other purposes as per the application and situation that is to be handled. IoT‐enabled low-power wide area network (LPWAN) wearable devices can technologically renovate and thereby reduce high-risk mining accidents and influence the rate at which rescue operations are carried out to improve safety conditions and monitoring performance across the industry. The challenge faced in rescue operations in the mining sector is to locate the survivors. This research aims to provide a solution for the same. The adaptive data rate, low-power, and long-range characteristics of LoRa make it suitable for developing safety devices cost-effectively. The findings of this research article propose that a smaller payload can be delivered at a higher success rate, in addition we have implemented the Fresnel zone to obtain the optimum position of gateways for the best signal coverage in each mining sector. The long-range scalability and signal penetration make LoRa more reliable in environments where communication must be established underground or through opaque mediums. Furthermore, these devices can be implemented as watches, helmets, or safety vests.