Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage
The underground mining industry faces significant challenges in maintaining reliable communication due to multipath fading and physical obstructions, leading to weak signals and dead spots. This study addresses these issues by proposing a smart antenna system with circular polarization and beam stee...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Mining |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6489/5/1/14 |
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| author | Muhammad Ahsan Mahboob Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf Iqra Atif Hajime Ikeda Glen T. Nwaila Amer Masood Jahanzeb Qureshi Bekir Genc Inamullah Khan Bruce Mellado |
| author_facet | Muhammad Ahsan Mahboob Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf Iqra Atif Hajime Ikeda Glen T. Nwaila Amer Masood Jahanzeb Qureshi Bekir Genc Inamullah Khan Bruce Mellado |
| author_sort | Muhammad Ahsan Mahboob |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The underground mining industry faces significant challenges in maintaining reliable communication due to multipath fading and physical obstructions, leading to weak signals and dead spots. This study addresses these issues by proposing a smart antenna system with circular polarization and beam steering capabilities. The system utilizes a four-element square patch array and a Butler matrix for beamforming, enabling directional signal transmission. The antenna was designed and optimized using CST simulations. The experimental results demonstrate the antenna’s ability to steer beams in four directions, significantly reducing signal interference and improving coverage. The antenna achieved a bandwidth of 400 MHz (5.52–5.99 GHz) and a gain of up to 9.69 dBi, effectively mitigating polarization mismatches. The novelty of this study lies in the integration of circular polarization and beam steering into a compact, cost-effective system, specifically designed to enhance communication in underground mining environments. This solution improves both safety and operational efficiency by providing reliable communication in harsh conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6fec9c10a9e44ecd8d5eefe45739369a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-6489 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mining |
| spelling | doaj-art-6fec9c10a9e44ecd8d5eefe45739369a2025-08-20T02:42:22ZengMDPI AGMining2673-64892025-02-01511410.3390/mining5010014Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved CoverageMuhammad Ahsan Mahboob0Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf1Iqra Atif2Hajime Ikeda3Glen T. Nwaila4Amer Masood5Jahanzeb Qureshi6Bekir Genc7Inamullah Khan8Bruce Mellado9Sibanye-Stillwater Digital Mining Laboratory (DigiMine), Wits Mining Institute (WMI), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaSibanye-Stillwater Digital Mining Laboratory (DigiMine), Wits Mining Institute (WMI), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaSchool of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaDepartment of Systems, Control, and Information Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Asahikawa College, 2-2-1-6 Syunkodai, Asahikawa City 071-8142, JapanSchool of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaSibanye-Stillwater Digital Mining Laboratory (DigiMine), Wits Mining Institute (WMI), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaInstitute of Space Science, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, PakistanSchool of Mining Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Private Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaNational Institute of Transportation (NIT), Risalpur, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, PakistanInstitute of Collider and Particle Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2000, South AfricaThe underground mining industry faces significant challenges in maintaining reliable communication due to multipath fading and physical obstructions, leading to weak signals and dead spots. This study addresses these issues by proposing a smart antenna system with circular polarization and beam steering capabilities. The system utilizes a four-element square patch array and a Butler matrix for beamforming, enabling directional signal transmission. The antenna was designed and optimized using CST simulations. The experimental results demonstrate the antenna’s ability to steer beams in four directions, significantly reducing signal interference and improving coverage. The antenna achieved a bandwidth of 400 MHz (5.52–5.99 GHz) and a gain of up to 9.69 dBi, effectively mitigating polarization mismatches. The novelty of this study lies in the integration of circular polarization and beam steering into a compact, cost-effective system, specifically designed to enhance communication in underground mining environments. This solution improves both safety and operational efficiency by providing reliable communication in harsh conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6489/5/1/14underground mineswireless communicationmining industrysmart antenna systemscircular polarizationbeam steering |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Ahsan Mahboob Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf Iqra Atif Hajime Ikeda Glen T. Nwaila Amer Masood Jahanzeb Qureshi Bekir Genc Inamullah Khan Bruce Mellado Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage Mining underground mines wireless communication mining industry smart antenna systems circular polarization beam steering |
| title | Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage |
| title_full | Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage |
| title_short | Enhanced Underground Communication: A Circularly Polarized Smart Antenna with Beam Steering for Improved Coverage |
| title_sort | enhanced underground communication a circularly polarized smart antenna with beam steering for improved coverage |
| topic | underground mines wireless communication mining industry smart antenna systems circular polarization beam steering |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6489/5/1/14 |
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