MUMBAI, India, Aug. 31 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641099139 A) filed by Lmayavarman M on August 17, 2026, for "an Iot Driven Intelligent Helmet System For Live Hazard Identification In Underground Coal Mines".
Inventors include Lmayavarman M; Hariganesh S; Gowtham V; and Dr Vinay Kumar S B.
The application for the patent was published on August 28, 2026, under issue no. 35/2026.
Abstract: 9. Summary of the invention The present invention has introduced a thorough IoT-enabled Smart Helmet platform aimed at delivering live, multi-parameter hazard recognition for underground coal mining. Its dual-circuit master-slave configuration brings together poisonous gas detection, environmental 10 sensing, fall recognition, heart rate measurement, and GPS-based location tracking inside a single wearable mining helmet. LoRa SX1278 transceivers ensure dependable underground long- range wireless transfer, while the ESP8266-Blynk IoT environment provides instant smart phone dashboard notifications to safety supervisors anywhere they may be 15 through hardware prototyping, helmet assembly, and on-site testing, the system's capability across each targeted hazard class was confirmed with minimal latency and strong reliability. The presented solution remains affordable (combined component cost falling under Z3,500), portable, and scalable to support multi-worker installations using one master 20 surveillance unit alongside several slave helmet units running on a shared LoRa network. Detailed description of the invention The Smart Helmet system introduced here employs a two-circuit masterand- slave configuration. The slave board, which is housed within the 25 miner's helmet, functions as the data-gathering point, while the master board located at the mine surveillance post takes care of computation and dispatching cloud-based alerts. The slave board features an Arduino Uno controller paired with five sensors connected through a Sensor Shield: 30 • MQ-9GasSensor: Performs continuous sampling of CO and combustible gas levels (covering a 10-1000 ppm spectrum). • DHT11Sensor: Records ambient temperature in LoRa SX1278 transmitter accompanied by a helical antenna, with power supplied by a 9V battery clip. The ceramic GPS antenna patch as well as the I2C breakout for the ADXL 345 are clearly observable, illustrating a flexible wiring strategy that permits replacement of individual sensors without requiring redesign of the entire board. 10 Figure 3 illustrates the finished Smart Helmet, where each component of the slave circuit has been fixed directly on to an industry-standard yellow mining hardhat. The GPS receiver along with the NEO-6M antenna sit on the helmet's upper surface, the LoRa SX1278 transmitter 15 together with its helical antenna is attached on the right-hand side, the Arduino Uno and Sensor Shield occupy a central spot, and the MQ-9 gas detector and ADXL345 are fastened close to the brim. This arrangement displays the comfortable wear ability and slim profile of the proposed device when used in genuine mining settings. 20 Figure 4 captures the master circuit, which consists of the ESP8266 Wi- Fi controller positioned next to the LoRa SX1278receiver module along with its helical antenna. This small unit is intended for placement at the mine entry or surveillance post, where Wi-Fi service is reachable for 25 Blynk cloud connectivity. Figure 5 captures the Blynk IoT mobile interface during live hardware testing. The display features Temperature (30°C), Heart Rate (52 BPM), Gas Level (17 on the 0-1023 ADC range), and Location (with GPS 30 satellite locking still in progress). The Status section reads Coal mining continues to rank among the most perilous industrial professions worldwide, where workers repeatedly face fatalities arising from harmful gas buildup, tunnel cave-ins, thermal stress, sudden cardiac events, and unintended falls. The conventional reactive safety mechanisms used 10 today fall short in delivering live, on-the-spot threat identification. The present invention introduces an Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled Intelligent Helmet platform engineered specifically for subterranean coal extraction sites. Mounted within the helmet, the slave board combines an Arduino Uno controller with an MQ-9 gas detector, a DHT11 temperature and 15 humidity sensor, an ADXL345 tri-axis accelerometer, a pulse-detecting sensor, and a NE0-6MGPS unit, enabling continuous tracking of both the worker's vital signs and surrounding environmental factors. The collected readings are wirelessly relayed using a LoRa SX1278 transceiver operating at 433 MHz to a master board built around an ESP8266 Wi-Fl controller, 20 which then pushes live measurements and urgent notifications to the Rlynk IoT smart phone application without delay. A complete hardware version of the system was constructed, mounted onto a real mining helmet, and verified through practical trials, where it consistently detected gas leakage, fall incidents, irregular vital signs, and high-temperature conditions. The 25 proposed framework offers an affordable, body-worn, and expandable safety platform for coal mine personnel.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
