Synergy Automatics · Industrial IoT
Battery & Charging Monitoring
Monitor traction and stationary battery condition, charging activity and thermal risk in underground operations.
What this connected-mine application does
Monitor traction and stationary battery condition, charging activity and thermal risk in underground operations.
The practical objective is not simply to collect more data. It is to establish a trustworthy measurement chain, detect abnormal conditions, preserve the relevant operating context and route information to the team that can act on it.
- State of charge and state of health
- Cell or module voltage imbalance
- Battery and connector temperature
- Charge current, voltage and cycle state
- Insulation or ground-fault status where available
- Charger availability, fault and energy use
| Primary field devices | Battery-management-system interface; Temperature and current sensors; Charger communication gateway; Gas or smoke sensing for charging area; Energy meter and local alarm |
|---|---|
| Data update pattern | Event-driven alarms with periodic telemetry. Critical events should be timestamped and transmitted immediately where the communications design permits. |
| Connectivity options | Industrial Ethernet, fibre, Wi-Fi, leaky-feeder, LoRaWAN or private LTE/5G as site conditions permit. |
| Alarm and analytics | Escalate overtemperature, cell imbalance, charger fault, abnormal current, insulation fault, gas/smoke or failed communications. |
| Common integration | Common interfaces include dry contacts, 4–20 mA, Modbus RTU/TCP, OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, CAN/J1939, MQTT, SNMP or REST APIs where supported by the source equipment. |
| Data continuity | Timestamp at the edge, monitor signal quality and device health, and use store-and-forward buffering so short network outages do not create silent data gaps. |
| Environmental design | Use mine-suitable enclosures, protected cabling and glands, appropriate ingress/impact resistance, and certified equipment wherever the hazardous-area classification requires it. |
A five-layer implementation pattern
Measure
Approved sensors and machine interfaces capture the required physical or operating state.
Control locally
Existing PLCs, protection and safety systems retain their required local authority.
Acquire at edge
A rugged gateway timestamps, buffers, normalises and validates incoming data.
Transmit securely
Mine communications carry telemetry and alarms with health and quality monitoring.
Visualise and integrate
Dashboards, historians and APIs support response, maintenance and reporting.
Where the solution can be applied
- Battery charging station
- Electric vehicle or LHD
- Cap-lamp charging room
- UPS and communications backup
Potential benefits
- Reduced unexpected battery depletion
- Early detection of overheating or imbalance
- Improved charger and battery utilisation
- Cycle-life and replacement planning
- Energy and charging-session records
Design details that determine success
- Battery chemistry determines monitoring and response
- Keep OEM battery protection and charger interlocks active
- Engineer ventilation and fire detection for charging spaces
- Treat thermal events through approved emergency procedures
Escalate overtemperature, cell imbalance, charger fault, abnormal current, insulation fault, gas/smoke or failed communications. Dashboard alerts, remote notifications and analytics should complement—not replace—certified protection, local interlocks, emergency procedures, statutory inspections and competent decision-making.
Continue exploring the connected mine
Implementation questions
Can Battery & Charging Monitoring connect to existing PLC, SCADA or mine systems?
Usually, yes. The preferred approach is to reuse approved source data and add isolated field instrumentation only where required. The final interface depends on available protocols, network segregation, data ownership and the source equipment vendor.
Does the IoT layer replace local protection or safety controls?
No. Protection relays, safety PLCs, emergency stops, gas trips, fire systems and other approved local functions remain the primary safety and control layer. IoT adds visibility, history, notifications and decision support.
What happens when underground communications are interrupted?
Critical local functions continue independently. A suitable edge gateway buffers timestamped data, raises a communications-health alarm and forwards retained records after the connection returns.
How are sensors and alarm levels selected?
Selection starts with the mine risk assessment, required decision, environmental classification, measuring range, response time, maintainability and applicable rules. Alarm and trip levels must be approved for the specific site and jurisdiction.
Discuss Battery & Charging Monitoring
Discuss field instrumentation, edge connectivity, dashboards and integration with the Synergy Automatics team.
Engineering note: Instrument selection, hazardous-area certification, alarm limits, interlocks and network architecture must be validated against the mine risk assessment, applicable legislation, equipment approvals and site operating procedures.