Development of Autonomous Driving Patrol Robot for Improving Underground Mine Safety

Abstract

To improve the working conditions in underground mines and eliminate the risk of human casualties, patrol robots that can operate autonomously are necessary. This study developed an autonomous patrol robot for underground mines and conducted field experiments at underground mine sites. The driving robot estimated its own location and autonomously operated via encoders, IMUs, and LiDAR sensors; it measured hazards using gas sensors, dust particle sensors, and thermal imaging cameras. The developed autonomous driving robot can perform waypoint-based path planning. It can also automatically return to the starting point after driving along waypoints sequentially. In addition, the robot acquires the dust and gas concentration levels along with thermal images and then combines them with location data to create an environmental map. The results of the field experiment conducted in an underground limestone mine in Korea are as follows. The O2 concentration was maintained at a constant level of 15.7%; toxic gases such as H2S, CO, and LEL were not detected; and thermal imaging data showed that humans could be detected. The maximum dust concentration in the experimental area was measured to be about 0.01 mg/m3, and the dust concentration was highly distributed in the 25–35 m section on the environmental map. This study is expected to improve the safety of work by exploring areas that are dangerous for humans to access using autonomous patrol robots and to improve productivity by automating exploration tasks.