Bluetooth Beacon-Based Mine Production Management Application to Support Ore Haulage Operations in Underground Mines - Article

Sep 12, 2026

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A mine production management application using Bluetooth beacons and a tablet PC was developed to support efficient underground mining loading-transport operations. The system captures beacon signals at major loading points and crushing sites via a tablet mounted on the truck, recording signal receipt time and truck location. Drivers input operational details such as loading point, ore type, and dumping method on the tablet. Recorded data are automatically transmitted to a cloud server, where multi-truck data are stored and managed continuously. Performance validation uses a limestone underground mine in Jeongseon, Korea.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

Smart mining and IoT in underground mines

Related work on short-range wireless technologies

Purpose and application approach

sustainability Article Bluetooth Beacon-Based Mine Production Management Application to Support Ore Haulage Operations in Underground Mines Sebeom Park and Yosoon Choi * 􀀁􀀂􀀃􀀁􀀄 􀀆􀀇􀀈 􀀁􀀂􀀃􀀄􀀅􀀆􀀇 Citation: Park, S.; Choi, Y. Bluetooth Beacon-Based Mine Production Management Application to Support Ore Haulage Operations in Underground Mines. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2281. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.3390/su13042281](10.3390/su13042281) Academic Editor: Bernardino Quattrociocchi Received: 24 January 2021 Accepted: 17 February 2021 Published: 20 February 2021 Publisher's Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional afﬁliations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Korea; [sebumi1v@gmail.com](sebumi1v@gmail.com) * Correspondence: [energy@pknu.ac.kr](energy@pknu.ac.kr); Tel.: +82-51-629-6562; Fax: +82-51-629-6553 Abstract: In this study, a mine production management application (app) using a Bluetooth beacon and tablet PC was developed to support the efﬁcient operation of an underground mine loadingtransport system. The app receives signals from the Bluetooth beacons attached to major loading points and crushing sites through the tablet PC mounted on the truck and records the time the signals were received as well as the location of the truck. In addition, when the tablet PC receives the signal from the Bluetooth beacon, the truck driver can select and input information such as loading point, ore type, and dumping method on the tablet PC screen. Data recorded on the tablet PC during the haulage operation are automatically transmitted to the cloud server when the truck arrives in a wireless communication area. The cloud server continuously stores and manages data transmitted from multiple trucks equipped with tablet PCs. The performance test was conducted by using the system developed for a limestone underground mine located in Jeongseon, Korea. Results conﬁrmed that the information related to ore production in the ﬁeld could be effectively collected and managed, and the efﬁciency of production management could be improved. Keywords: underground mine; mine production management; Bluetooth beacon; tablet PC; App Inventor 1. Introduction In the mineral resources industry, the concept of digital or smart mining began to be introduced in the form of futuristic mining in the 2010s [1] . Smart mining aims to efﬁciently utilize the mine's assets and maximize proﬁts by connecting and automating each process from the perspective of the entire mining industry [2] . Smart mining technology can be realized through the convergence of information and communication technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), drones, artiﬁcial intelligence (AI), big data, 3D printing, robotics, and autonomous driving, which are core technologies of the fourth industrial revolution [3] . In particular, smart and automated mines can potentially be built by gradually utilizing the IoT technology [4] . IoT refers to an environment in which people, devices, and spaces are connected through a network so that both people and objects can exchange data and communicate with each other anytime, anywhere. In the ﬁeld of mining, the IoT collects necessary data from physical mines in the real world and transfers it to virtual mines. Until recently, various studies have been conducted in the application of short-range wireless communication technologies such as IoT-based radio frequency identiﬁcation technology (RFID) and Bluetooth beacon technology using

FAQs

How does the Bluetooth beacon-based app collect data in underground mines?

The tablet PC mounted on the truck receives signals from Bluetooth beacons attached to key loading points and crushing sites, recording the receipt time and the truck’s location.

What information can the truck driver enter into the tablet PC?

When a tablet PC receives a beacon signal, the driver can select and input details such as the loading point, ore type, and dumping method.

How is recorded haulage data managed after collection?

Data recorded on the tablet PC are automatically transmitted to a cloud server when the truck enters a wireless communication area, where the server continuously stores and manages multi-truck data.

Sep 12, 2026

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