“Good things can happen from what this committee does. Last week I was fortunate enough to see… L-3 Communications shared with me the new device they have invented which is two-way communications from mines to the surface, which if that had existed [at the time of] the Sago Mine disaster, Junior Hamner and the others who died would have been saved. The technology, which I’m not saying the committee should take credit for, but we held a roundtable, you’ll recall, with scientists from Australia and around the world who’d been working on this, and I think that significantly contributed to the discovery of that piece of equipment, which I understand is already being employed at the Sentinel Mine and, hopefully, to be employed by everybody soon. That’s the biggest breakthrough in mine-safety history.”
L-3 has developed the MSHA- and State of West Virginia-approved L-3 ACCOLADE Wireless Mesh Mine Communications System to enhance safety and increase operational efficiencies for underground coal mines. The system was originally developed under a competitively-awarded research and development contract from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The L-3 Wireless Mesh system provides a self-healing, redundant, and survivable voice and data network, which allows communication among miners underground (peer-to-peer) and communication between below- and above-ground personnel. The system also provides a real-time situational awareness capability and has the ability to integrate existing/future mine sensors.
The ACCOLADE Wireless Mesh system includes the following key components
- Miner Mesh Radios provide each miner with robust voice and data com¬munications, as well as a locating capability.
- Fixed Mesh Nodes strategically located throughout the mine allow for dynamic routing of all communications throughout the network.
- Gateway Nodes serve as interface points between the above- and below-ground networks.
Mine Operations Center provides the central point for monitoring the network and tracking the position of all personnel within the mine.