# US 12,215,958 B2 · Detecting magazine types using magnets > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,215,958 B2 - Document ID: US12215958B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/834,549 - Filed: 2022-06-07 - Published: 2023-05-11 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-07 - Assignees: Axon Enterprise, Inc. - Applicants: Axon Enterprise, Inc. - Inventors: John Groff; Trevor Ryan; Michael Roberts; Magne H Nerheim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215958B2 ## CPC - F41H 13/0012: {Electrical discharge weapons, e.g. for stunning} - F41H 13/0025: {for remote electrical discharge via conducting wires, e.g. via wire-tethered electrodes shot at a target} - F41A 9/62: having means for indicating the number of cartridges left in the magazine, e.g. last-round indicators (last-round safeties F41A17/40) - F41A 17/38: {Magazine mountings, e.g. for} locking the magazine in the gun - F41H: ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL - F41A: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE ## Abstract Magazines of conducted electrical weapons (CEW) comprise a set of magnetic elements having positions, polarities, and magnitudes corresponding to a type of magazine. The CEW uses sensors to detect an indicator magnet indicating that a magazine is inserted into a bay of the CEW. The CEW additionally uses sensors to detect information about the set of magnetic elements and determines, based on the detected information, a type of the magazine. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving, by a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”), a magazine into a bay of the CEW; detecting, by the CEW, an indicator magnet having a first respective position on the magazine and a first respective polarity; performing, by the CEW, a check for one or more magnetic elements responsive to the indicator magnet being detected, the one or more magnetic elements having one or more second respective positions on the magazine and one or more second respective polarities; and determining, by the CEW and based at least in part on the one or more magnetic elements, a magazine type of the magazine. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more magnetic elements comprise three magnetic elements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine is based at least in part on the one or more second respective polarities of the one or more magnetic elements. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine is based at least in part on the one or more second respective positions of the one or more magnetic elements. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine comprises accessing, by the CEW, a data store of the CEW, the data store of the CEW comprising a mapping of information about the one or more magnetic elements and a corresponding magazine type. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, by the CEW, information about the magazine type of the magazine for display to a user of the CEW. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying, by the CEW, one or more parameters of operation of the CEW based at least in part on the magazine type of the magazine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second respective positions are one or more fixed positions and the one or more second respective polarities are one or more fixed polarities of the one or more magnetic elements. ### Claim 9 A conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) comprising: a bay configured to receive a magazine; a memory configured to store information about one or more magazine types; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and configured to perform steps comprising: detecting an indicator magnet having a first respective position on the magazine and a first respective polarity; determining, based at least on the indicator magnet, that the magazine is within the bay; performing a check for one or more magnetic elements responsive to the indicator magnet being detected, the one or more magnetic elements having one or more second respective positions on the magazine and one or more second respective polarities; and determining, based at least in part on the one or more magnetic elements, a magazine type of the magazine. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein performing the check for the one or more magnetic elements is performed responsive to detecting the indicator magnet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine is based at least in part on the one or more second respective polarities of the one or more magnetic elements. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine is based at least in part on the one or more second respective positions of the one or more magnetic elements. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine comprises accessing the memory of the CEW, the memory of the CEW comprising a mapping of information about the one or more magnetic elements and a corresponding magazine type. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to modify one or more parameters of operation of the CEW based at least in part on the magazine type of the magazine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, further comprising a sensor configured to at least in part perform the check for the one or more magnetic elements. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The CEW of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises a hall effect sensor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein determining the magazine type of the magazine comprises establishing, by the CEW, a communication channel with a remote entity and receiving, from the remote entity, a mapping of information about the one or more magnetic elements and a corresponding magazine type. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The CEW of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to display information about the magazine type of the magazine for display to a user of the CEW. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The CEW of claim 18, wherein the information about the magazine type comprises a number of cartridges the magazine can receive. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The CEW of claim 18, wherein the information about the magazine type comprises an identifier of the magazine type.