Tianbaonet L2pro Unlocks Efficient, Safe Underground Mining with 0.6% Error in 8-Kilometer Tunnel Measurement

With the accelerating construction of digital mines, spatial data acquisition technology has become a crucial support for the digital transformation of the mining industry. In this context, Tianbaonet has completed an in-depth application of Lixel L2pro handheld SLAM 3D laser scanning technology at a large gold mine, solving mining operation challenges with cutting-edge technology. This project aims to create a digital twin base for underground tunnels, enabling precise stockpile measurement, safety monitoring, and geological surveying, thus achieving full-process digitalization for mining production, enhancing operational efficiency, ensuring production safety, and meeting industry precision standards.

Project Background

The large state-owned underground gold mine, with a long history of mining, has more than 8 kilometers of tunnels, covering multiple areas such as excavation faces, transportation tunnels, chambers, and stockpiles. The current production process faces several challenges:

• No GPS signal underground, narrow tunnels with weak features, and traditional station-based scanning techniques have low efficiency and blind spots, making it difficult to quickly complete full spatial data collection.
• The stockpile is measured manually with an error margin of ±5% to 10%, which cannot meet the precision requirements for inventory accounting and financial settlement, bringing inconvenience to cost control.
• The frequency of tunnel deformation monitoring is low, and hidden dangers are difficult to detect in time, posing safety risks.
• Geological surveying is challenging, with manual and photogrammetric methods being inefficient, inaccurate, and posing safety risks.

The core goal of this project is to leverage Lixel L2pro handheld 3D laser scanning technology to create a digital twin base for underground tunnels. This includes the full-space digital modeling of tunnels, precise stockpile measurement, void volume calculation, deformation and safety monitoring of tunnels, and geological surveying. The project aims to achieve full-process digital, visual, and refined management of mining production, improving operational efficiency and ensuring safety while meeting industry precision standards.

Equipment Selection

Considering the project requirements and the complex working environment underground, the Lixel L2pro handheld 3D laser scanner, specially designed for such environments, was selected for this project. The device integrates multiple sensing modules, combined with AI intelligent algorithms, and can output point cloud data in real-time with precision comparable to post-processing results, making it suitable for underground mining operations.

Technical Highlights:

• Strong Environmental Adaptability: Supports Multi-SLAM multi-source fusion algorithm, laser + vision + IMU collaborative positioning, stable operation in weak-feature environments.
• High Precision and Real-time Performance: Planar/altitude absolute precision ≤ 3cm, relative precision ≤ 2cm, point cloud thickness of only 5mm, and dense point clouds of 1 million points per square meter can restore fine details.
• Portable, Efficient, and Safe: Weighs only 1.7kg, can be operated by a single person, non-contact measurement greatly reduces safety risks.
• Seamless Data Integration: Supports external RTK/CORS, directly outputs point clouds with absolute coordinates in LAS/PLY/DXF formats, seamlessly integrates with GIS, BIM management platforms, and CAD software, without the need for secondary format conversion.

Project Implementation

The project was divided into four core modules, leveraging the Lixel L2pro handheld 3D laser scanner, LixelStudio 3D intelligent processing software, and LixelGo mobile app. Real-time point cloud quality preview was available on mobile, while PC-based one-click data processing allowed for efficient coordination between field data collection and internal processing.

01. Full-Space Digital Modeling of Underground Tunnels

• Preparation: Before work began, a site survey of the underground tunnels was conducted, planning a "grid" scanning route. Reflective control points were placed every 80-100 meters according to control point layout specifications to ensure uniform distribution across the scanning area.

• Field Data Collection: A single operator used the L2pro, initializing the scanner for 15 seconds, and then moved along the planned route. The LixelGo app on the mobile device allowed real-time monitoring of point cloud data. In complex areas, the operator slowed down and stayed longer to scan, without needing to change stations, seamlessly connecting scanning data.

• Indoor Data Processing: The collected point cloud data was imported into LixelStudio software, where the software’s noise reduction and registration features automatically removed dynamic interference from personnel and equipment, calibrated the coordinates using the control points, and optimized point cloud quality with the "WuJian" algorithm, creating a high-precision, true-color 3D mesh model.

• 3D Modeling: The point cloud data was exported in LAS format for 3D modeling, completing the full-space digital replication of tunnels, chambers, and underground rivers. Fine details such as tunnel support bolt spacing, pipeline layout, and the outline of underground rivers were accurately restored, meeting the requirements for constructing the digital twin base for the mine.

02. Void Volume Calculation

For three void areas, L2pro was used for volume calculation, with errors of just 1%, 0.6%, and 2%, well below the industry standard of ≤ 3%.

Implementation Process:

• The field-collected point cloud was fitted into a triangular mesh model.
• The fitted triangular mesh model was imported into Geomagic software, which automatically calculated the model’s volume.
• Compared to traditional manual measurements, the minimum error was only 0.6%, and the data is objective and traceable, effectively resolving settlement disputes and enabling refined inventory management.

03. Tunnel Deformation and Safety Monitoring

Scanning was conducted once a week, following the same route and parameters as the baseline period to ensure consistency in data collection. After each scan, the FLAC3D software was used to perform differential analysis between the current point cloud and the baseline point cloud, with accuracy far exceeding traditional monitoring methods, providing precise data support for hazard early warnings.

04. Geological Surveying

L2pro’s powerful scanning capabilities laid the foundation for mine digitization, while Lixel CyberColor (LCC) technology enabled the complete restoration of the mine’s real-world appearance. Based on the new-generation 3D content production technology of Multi-SLAM + 3D Gaussian splashing, the system uses proprietary algorithms and optimizations of 3DGS technology to automatically generate ultra-realistic large-scale 3D models, quickly constructing centimeter-level precision real-world 3D models that accurately restore mine structures and core component details.

Project Summary

This project has fully validated the strong adaptability and practicality of the L2pro handheld 3D laser scanning technology in digital mine construction. It not only solved industry pain points such as GPS unavailability, spatial complexity, high operational risks, and insufficient data precision, but also achieved:

• Full-space digital modeling of tunnels
• Accurate stockpile measurement and void volume calculation
• Tunnel deformation and safety monitoring
• Full-process digital geological surveying

Compared to traditional technologies, L2pro has not only reduced labor costs and operational risks but also achieved precision and traceability in data, becoming a core competitive advantage for digital mine construction. As the construction of digital mines continues to advance, L2pro will further expand its application in scenarios such as open-pit slope monitoring, void stability analysis, and emergency rescue modeling. It will integrate deeply with BIM, GIS, IoT, and other technologies to create a more comprehensive and intelligent digital twin system for mines, helping the mining industry transition to high-quality, safe, and efficient intelligent development.