Apparatus, system and method for blasting using magnetic communication signal
AssigneeOrica International Pte Ltd
InventorsSteven Kotsonis, Byron Wicks
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An initiator apparatus (IA) for blasting, the IA including: a magnetic receiver configured to receive a through the earth (TTE) magnetic communication signal representing a command from a base station; a blasting controller, in electrical communication with the magnetic receiver, configured to generate response data in response to the command; and an electromagnetic (EM) transmitter system (ETS), in electrical communication with the blasting controller, configured to transmit the response data for the base station using a TTE electromagnetic (EM) signal.
Claims18
An initiator apparatus (IA) for blasting, the IA including:
- a housing configured to allow insertion and burial of the IA in a borehole
- a magnetic receiver configured to receive a through the earth (TTE) magnetic communication signal representing a command from a base station;
- a blasting controller, in electrical communication with the magnetic receiver, configured to generate response data in response to the command;
- and
- an electromagnetic (EM) transmitter system (ETS), in electrical communication with the blasting controller, configured to transmit the response data for the base station using a TTE electromagnetic (EM) signal from in the borehole through the earth to an electromagnetic receiver system (ERS) that detects the TTE EM signal, wherein the ETS is a radio-frequency (RF) source and the EM signal is an RF signal.
A method of blasting including the steps of:
- receiving a through the earth (TTE) magnetic communication signal representing a command for an initiator apparatus (IA) buried in a borehole from a base station;
- generating, by the IA, response data in response to the command;
- and
- transmitting the response data for the base station using a TTE electromagnetic (EM) signal from in the borehole through the earth to an electromagnetic receiver system (ERS) that detects the TTE EM signal, wherein the EM signal is an RF signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.