Integrated detonator delay circuits and firing console
First Claim
1. Electronic apparatus for use with a capacitor, an explosive, a supply of electrical energy, and a firing console for transmitting information including commands and a firing delay time, the apparatus comprising:
- means for storing an electrical representation of the firing delay time supplied from the firing console, for transmitting the stored firing delay time representation to the firing console in response to a first command supplied from the firing console, for supplying a first signal in response to a second command from the firing console, and for supplying a second signal as soon as a time interval, commencing on a third command from the firing console, has elapsed, which time interval is substantially equal to the stored firing delay time; and
means for charging the capacitor from the supply in response to occurrence of the first signal and for transferring electrical energy from the capacitor so charged to the explosive thereby to fire the explosive in response to occurrence of the second signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A detonation system for use with supply of electrical energy has user operable firing console for selectably transmitting unit identification information, firing delay time information and selections from a command set including Output, Delay, Fire (Time), Abort, Power Up (Arm), Input, and Store. The console displays responses or information digested from responses by electrical delay detonators to the commands. The detonators have explosive, a capacitor for storing energy from the supply to set off the explosive, circuitry for charging the capacitor from the supply and transferring the energy from the capacitor to the explosive in response to first and second signals generated in response to the commands. Each detonator can be programmed with a unique identification number and delay time. The time base in each detonator can be compensated so that errors in the time base are obviated so as to achieve the correct delay. Security code circuitry and software are described so that each detonator can only be set off by authorized users.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. Electronic apparatus for use with a capacitor, an explosive, a supply of electrical energy, and a firing console for transmitting information including commands and a firing delay time, the apparatus comprising:
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means for storing an electrical representation of the firing delay time supplied from the firing console, for transmitting the stored firing delay time representation to the firing console in response to a first command supplied from the firing console, for supplying a first signal in response to a second command from the firing console, and for supplying a second signal as soon as a time interval, commencing on a third command from the firing console, has elapsed, which time interval is substantially equal to the stored firing delay time; and means for charging the capacitor from the supply in response to occurrence of the first signal and for transferring electrical energy from the capacitor so charged to the explosive thereby to fire the explosive in response to occurrence of the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An electronic delay detonator for use with a supply of electrical energy and a firing console for providing commands and a firing delay time, the electronic delay detonator comprising:
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a capacitor; an explosive; and electronic apparatus including; means for storing an electrical representation of the firing delay time supplied from the firing console, for transmitting the stored firing delay time representation to the firing console in response to a first command supplied from the firing console, for supplying a first signal in response to a second command from the firing console, and for supplying a second signal as soon as a time interval, commencing on a third command from the firing console, has elapsed, which time interval is substantially equal to the stored firing delay time; and means for charging the capacitor from the supply in response to occurrence of the first signal and for transferring electrical energy from the capacitor so charged to the explosive thereby to fire the explosive in response to occurrence of the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A detonation system for use with a supply of electrical energy comprising:
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user operable firing console means for selectably transmitting unit identification information, firing delay time information and selections from a command set including at least first, second and third commands, and for displaying responses to at least one of the commands; and a plurality of units of apparatus each comprising in physical association; an explosure; means for storing a code identifying the apparatus as a unit, for storing an electrical representation of the firing delay time information supplied from the firing console, for transmitting the stored firing delay time representation to the firing console in response to the first command supplied from the firing console only when the firing console has previously sent unit identification information matching the stored code, for supplying a first signal in response to the second command from the firing console, and for supplying a second signal as soon as a time interval, commencing on the third command from the console, has elapsed, which time interval is substantially equal to the stored firing delay time; and means for temporarily storing electrical energy from the supply in response to occurrence of the first signal and for transferring stored electrical energy to the explosive thereby the fire the explosive in response to occurrence of the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36)
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35. An electronic circuit for use in an electrical delay detonation system including a firing console for sending information transmissions and a detonator with means for firing the detonator in response to occurrence of a signal to fire, the electronic circuit comprising:
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means for decoding the transmissions from the firing console into a security portion and into a command portion; and means for generating the signal to fire in response to one of the transmissions from the firing console only if the security portion of said one transmission matches a predetermined code. - View Dependent Claims (37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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38. A firing console for operation in combination with a plurality of delay detonators, the firing console comprising:
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means for storing a code including a prestored normally user-inaccessible code portion; and means for transmitting a selectable command together with the code to the delay detonators, the code as transmitted including the user-inaccessible code portion and a userselectable code portion indicative of an individual one of the electrical delay detonators for which the selectable command is intended.
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Specification