Positional blasting system

• US 20050217525A1
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Davey Bickford USA Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Information Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: McClure, Robert, Trousselle, Raphael
• Granted Patent: US 7,650,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/311
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 1/055 specially adapted for firing multiple charges with a time delay

Abstract

A blasting system facilitates the actuation of a plurality of programmable detonators according to a desired blasting pattern, to cause the discharge of a plurality of associated charges, by downloading to the detonators blasting information that can be automatically determined by a portable handheld unit that incorporates a positional detecting device, such as a GPS device. The blasting information for any given detonator can be determined by the handheld unit as a function of the distance and the direction of the movement of the unit to the detonator, and/or by the actual GPS location while at the site of the detonator. This automatic determination of blasting information, and particularly the delay times, based on the movement of the unit to the detonator, eliminates error prone human calculations of the delay times needed for multiple detonators at a blasting site. This simplifies the operations and procedures needed for achieving a desired blasting pattern, without sacrificing safety or quality.

Claims

1. A blasting system for selectively detonating a plurality of charges located in a plurality of boreholes at a blasting site, comprising:

a blasting controller;

a plurality of detonators operatively connected to the blasting controller, each of the detonators associated with and adapted to discharge a selected number of charges, the detonators located in the boreholes;

a handheld programming unit adapted to communicate blasting information to the detonators, to store the communicated blasting information and to transfer the stored blasting information to the blasting controller; and

a positional device incorporated with the handheld unit and adapted to cooperate with the handheld unit to automatically determine blasting information for communication to at least one detonator based on at least one of the following;

a) movement of the device to said at least one detonator; and

b) positional data associated with the location of said at least one detonator, whereby the use of automatically determined blasting information facilitates accurate communication of the blasting information to said at least one detonator and to the blasting controller, to help achieve a desired blasting sequence.

2. The blasting system of claim 1 wherein the positional device further comprises at least one of a GPS receiver and an accelerometer.

3. The blasting system of claim 1 wherein for said at least one detonator the handheld programming unit and positional device automatically determine a delay time for downloading to the detonator.

4. The blasting system of claim 1 wherein the positional device is integrally incorporated with the handheld programming unit.

5. The blasting system of claim 4 wherein the handheld programming unit further comprises a display for showing at least one of the following:

a representation of the locations of the detonators, a delay time, an identifier and coordinates related to the actual position of the unit.

6. The blasting system of claim 5 wherein the handheld programming unit further comprises:

means for inputting selected data to the unit, to assist in correlating an identifier and a delay time for each detonator.

7. The blasting system of claim 1 and further comprising:

means for signal communication between the handheld programming unit and each of the detonators, whereby blasting information may be downloaded from the unit to the detonators.

8. The blasting system of claim 1 and further comprising:

a case for housing the blasting controller, the case including a cradle adapted to receive the handheld programming unit so as the place the unit and the controller in operative communication, whereby blasting information for the detonators may be uploaded to the blasting controller.

9. The blasting system of claim 1 wherein the blasting controller further comprises:

a display for showing the locations of the detonators; and

at least one input device for calling up at the display, blasting information associated with a selected detonator.

10. A program product comprising:

a program resident on a programming unit configured to download blasting information to a detonator located at a blasting site, wherein the program automatically determines at least some of the blasting information based on movement of the programming unit in a direction toward and a distance to the actual location of the detonator; and

a signal bearing medium bearing the first program.

11. The program product of claim 10 wherein the signal bearing medium includes at least one of a recordable medium and a transmission-type medium.