Project Introduction:
Blasting is an essential part of the mining cycle and proper practices are important for successful mining operations. In order to master the procedures in blasting and enhance the automation level of mining industry, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced the relevant Act in 2012 and requires that all of the industrial explosives’ site mixing vehicles must implement a dynamic monitoring information system to automatically collect relevant data and upload vehicle location information so as to improve the safety and reliability of mining blasting operations.

System Requirements:
According to the MIIT regulation, the acquired data should be in a unified format and once a day automatically sent to the management platform through the use of advanced electronics and information technologies. For the open pit mining operation, the truck will carry different types of solid-state explosives while driving to the mining area, and then mixing magnesium, aluminum, and related chemicals at the scene for blasting. Because the previous system is unstable that increased work difficulties and may have caused unwanted damages, an explosives and blasting technology company in Beijing, mainly in the business of civilian blasting equipment and all kinds of blasting services, plans to upgrade its IT system of site-mixed explosives trucks to better monitor the blasting operation.

The hardware devices for the new in-vehicle monitoring system needed to work in wide temperature range (-20~60˚C) and endure rigorous outdoor conditions, whilst be resistant to vibration when vehicles travelling along the road; they must also have low power consumption (less than 100 watts) due to using batteries for supplying electricity , and have a compact size as it will be installed in the trucks’ cab. The solution also had to integrate GPS, GPGS, and peripheral interfaces into a single device, but monitor and industrial computer must be separated to meet users' needs as well as easing maintenance and repair. Due to the extremely cold weather in northeast and northwest areas, the in-car computer was required to be able to have a scheduled boot up.

System Description:
Through the UNO-2174 attached to a FPM-3121, Advantech provided an embedded automation computer and a flat panel monitor to meet the customer’s requirements and government regulations. The UNO-2174 features multiple communication ports and fanless rugged design with IP40 anti-dust ingress protection and a wide operating temperature range. By connecting to PLCs, sensors and a micro printer, the UNO-2174 can monitor various on-site conditions, including the running status, chemicals dosing control, pressure, temperature, flow, solenoid valve, and tachometer, as well as printing out daily log while its data processing consumes a very little power from the battery.

By supporting two sockets for PCI Express mini cards and an additional SIM card slot, the UNO-2174 is able to integrate GPS and GPRS into one single board to deliver instant information and car location to control center by wireless network. It also complies with international standards (IEC60068-2-27F and IEC60068-2-64) to provide the best shock and vibration protection. Advantech’s R&D engineers also rewrote the BIOS for the regular boot-up process so as to meet particular needs of this case.

As for the FPM-3121, it is an industrial monitor and provides high levels of performance (can work at -20~60˚C) in harsh operating environment. Its 12.1" color TFT/LCD display is suitable for the use of the narrow space. The reason for using two devices, when a single device could do the same job, is that they can be separated for maintenance.

Project Implementation:

Product	Description
UNO-2174	Intel Atom N450 Automation Computer with 6 x USB, 8 x COM ports, and 2 x Mini PCIe
FPM-3121	Flat Panel Monitor with 12.1" Color TFT/LCD Display

System Diagram:

Conclusions:
For the mining industry in China, such a special industrial application has a great market potential but there is no one vendor in the market that can meet all of client’s needs. However, by the use of an intelligent design, Advantech’s products not only totally fulfill the demanding requirements such as wide temperature, anti-vibration, easy maintenance, GPS/GPGS integration, scheduled booting and low power consumption, and also provides the high performance and reliable devices for in-vehicle monitoring system. As this solution has passed the coldest weather test in northern China, Advantech has demonstrated our excellence and industry expertise.