Fibocom+ Sany: 5G Intelligent Mines Guarantee Safer and More Efficient UndergroundOperations

As coal is themain source of energy to power China’s needs, the coal industry bears theresponsibility of leading the digital transformation of the energy sector. Atthe beginning of 2020, eight departments, including the National Developmentand Reform Commission, jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Accelerating theIntelligent Development of Coal Mines. The document states that intelligentoperation should be implemented in major coal mines, as well as thosepreviously impacted by serious accidents, by 2025. Subsequently, a series ofindustry policies such as the Guidance on the Intelligent Construction of CoalMines (2021 edition) and the Development Plan of Intelligent Manufacturing forthe 14th Five-Year Period have been introduced to accelerate the intelligenttransformation of coal mines. In addition, 5G technology also plays a paramountrole in the upgrade and transformation of the industry.

Traditional Industry Challenges

· Traditionalmining sites are often dusty and hostile environments with an increased risk ofsubsidence and landslides

· Operatorsworking deep in the mine may face sudden dangers including roof collapse, waterseepage, noxious gases, and hypoxia

· The arduousnature of the work, as well as the technical expertise

Digital Transformation Value

· In terms ofremote collaboration scenarios, experts can provide professional support forfield personnel even if they are thousands of miles away

· In terms ofintelligent inspection scenarios, AR glasses can not only improve inspection efficiencybut also help standardize

· The AIrecognition function of the glasses can meet equipment inspection requirementsas well as those relating to violation assessments regarding command

· In terms oftraining and teaching scenarios, AR glasses can meet the personnel trainingneeds in modernized mines

Safety and Efficiency Challenges forMiners Working Underground

The tunnelstructure of a typical coal mine contains a number of complex subterraneanelectromechanical devices including prospecting apparatus, coal miningmachinery, mineral processing equipment, mining devices, power supplies,ventilation equipment, and drainage machines. During daily mining operation,many of these machines require manual control, operation, and maintenance.

Subterraneanlabor, by its very nature, carries additional risk. Traditional mining sitesare often dusty and hostile environments with an increased risk of subsidenceand landslides. Operators working deep in the mine may face sudden dangersincluding roof collapse, water seepage, noxious gases, and hypoxia. The dark,cramped, and enclosed underground environment is also prone to producingechoes, while much of the equipment used underground is particularly noisy,making conversations between miners almost particularly difficult. The arduousnature of the work, as well as the technical expertise required to operate someof the machinery, may increase the possibility of dangerous accidents, pushingthe price of maintenance costs and safety controls higher, as well as auxiliarymaterials production.

Shanghai SanyElectronic Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Sany”) has beenfocusing on improving workflow and enhancing work efficiency, while alsoensuring the safety of miners in the workplace. Sany has also been exploringunmanned coal mine operations when developing its solutions.

Founded in2001, Sany has been committed to the R&D, production, sales, and service ofindustrial IoT devices, channels, cloud products and systems in intelligentenergy/mining. With the integration of the intelligent mine 2025 directive intonational strategies, the arrival of the 5G era assures a promising future forthe use of IoT data in the energy industry. It is an increasingly probablyprospect that Sany will become the operator of an intelligent mine.

At present,with the support of Fibocom and Qualcomm, Sany has developed 5G miningaugmented reality (AR) glasses, based on the Fibocom 5G smart module SC171,with a built-in Qualcomm QCM6490 IoT solution.

5G Empowering the Transformation ofTraditional Equipment into “Coal Mine IoT” Intelligent Devices

By integratingvirtual information with the real environment, 5G mining AR glasses enable atransition in information flow from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. Thisrevolution can unleash a variety of innovative functions, further reducing thework burden operators face, while enhancing efficiency.

In terms ofremote collaboration scenarios, the glasses integrate technologies includingAR, real-time audio and video, as well as 5G capabilities, to build an ARcollaboration space connecting front-line field personnel and remote experts.In the case of emergencies such as equipment failures, experts can provideprofessional support for field personnel even if they are thousands of milesaway.

In terms ofintelligent inspection scenarios, AR glasses can assist in traditional routinginspections, spot inspection procedures and operation processes based onstandard operating procedures. Navigation from AR virtual images can also beattained, while equipment data can also be viewed in real time. In addition,personnel can also be provided operational method and processing guidance,through the various technologies associated with AR glasses, such as cloudcomputing, algorithms, and big data. This can not only improve inspectionefficiency but also help standardize the safety of manual operations. It isworth mentioning that the AI recognition function of the glasses can meetequipment inspection requirements as well as those relating to violationassessments regarding command, operation and labor discipline by safetysupervisors and shift leaders. In addition, the real-time video recording functionprovides supporting evidence for safety inspection and accident analysis.

In terms oftraining and teaching scenarios, AR glasses can serve as mobile multimediaknowledge bases to meet the personnel training needs in modernized mines.

Qualcomm QCM6490 IoT solution Guarantees5G Performance and Provides Computing Power Support

Mining ARglasses involve the transmission large quantities of video data. Its real-timemonitoring and real time audio and video functions put forward strictlimitations on the latency of data transmission as well.

Although thesignal of traditional wired transmission is stable, the complicated undergroundenvironment and equipment makes it difficult for wiring to be installed. Evenif wireless communication technology such as 4G/Wi-Fi can solve such wiringchallenges, requirements for the latency and stability of the connection may bedifficult to meet, thus hindering the in-time uploading and archiving ofoperational data. However, the new-generation communication technologiesrepresented by 5G can be applied to underground production scenarios wheretraditional network technologies would be challenging to install.

Fibocom andQualcomm guarantee the 5G performance of Sany mining AR glasses. Specifically,the device is equipped with the Fibocom 5G intelligent module SC171 and thebuilt-in Qualcomm QCM6490 IoT solution, which is a 5G SoC developed by Qualcommspecifically for AIoT. The Octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 670 CPU ensures highperformance with a maximum frequency reaching 2.7GHz. In terms of GPU, Adreno642L is adopted with a main frequency up to 812MHz, with an integrated AIaccelerator to provide a computing power of up to 14TOPS.

SC171 seriesrepresent the high-end 5G intelligent modules developed by Fibocom, supportingall the current network bands of 5G in China and 2.4GHz+5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi 6.This is therefore providing customers with flexible and powerful intelligentcomputing and data transmission solutions. Moreover, leveraging the processingpower of the Qualcomm chip, 5G intelligent module SC171 can support smooth 4Kvideo displays on Sany’s terminal devices, allowing them to efficiently processincoming data. It also supports a 2520x1080@60fps dual display with up to fivecameras running at the same time, showing a powerful multimedia playbackfunction.

Lianghe Xu

General Managerof the Product Marketing Department of Fibocom

The applicationof 5G mining AR glasses requires 5G cellular access. In addition, it is alsonecessary to meet power consumption limitations while maintaining video capturequality, sufficient local computing power, and high reliability and stabilityin the mine working environment. Based on the Qualcomm QCM6490 IoT solution,the solution developed by Fibocom has achieved excellent performance in termsof power consumption and computing power, as well as 5G and Wi-Fi 6 fullconnection capabilities, providing us with strong technical support.

Bibo Liu

Deputy DeneralManager of Sany & President of the Central Research