Investigating Antenna Placement on Autonomous Mining Vehicle

Abstract: Future mines will benefit from connected intelligent transport system technologies. Autonomous mining vehicles will improve safety and productivity while decreasing the fuel consumption. Hence, it is necessary for Scania to increase the know-how regarding the design of vehicular communication systems for the harsh mine environment. The scope of this work is to examine the requirements for the antenna placement of a future autonomous mining truck and propose suitable antenna types and positions. By using the electromagnetic simulator suite CST Microwave Studio, the research estimates the impact of a simplified autonomous mining vehicle geometry on basic antenna radiation patterns. Some simulated antenna configurations are assessed with radiation pattern measurements. In order to radiate enough power towards the area surrounding the vehicle and guarantee reliable communications, the truck requires omnidirectional antennas in centered locations, or alternatively one patch antenna for each side. The method used to solve the problem is also assessed: flexibility provided by the simulation method is emphasized, whereas some relevant limitations are discussed. Hardware requirements, availability of the models and limited results provided by the software can make the simulation phase not suitable to evaluate the antenna placement.