Shunt cap for safe discharge of low-voltage detonators
AssigneeKraken Kinetics Inc.
InventorsRyan Austin Hayes, Brian Matthew Davis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A detonator device includes a voltage storage component; a first relay connected in series to an output of the voltage storage component; and detonation circuitry connected in series to an output of the first relay, the detonation circuitry comprising a detonator and a second relay connected in parallel to the detonator, wherein the output from the first relay is directed to ground via the second relay when the detonator device is in a first state, the output from the first relay is delivered to the detonator when the detonator device is in a second state, the detonator is configured to detonate when the output from the first relay is applied to the detonator in the second state, and the output from the first relay is between 5 and 100 volts.
Claims15
A detonator device, comprising:
- a voltage storage component;
- a first relay connected in series to an output of the voltage storage component;
- detonation circuitry connected in series to an output of the first relay, the detonation circuitry comprising a detonator and a second relay connected in parallel to the detonator;
- one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs, the one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors;
- and
- voltage sensing circuitry configured to determine a relay voltage at an output of the first relay or the second relay and transmit the relay voltage to the one or more processors, wherein
- the output from the first relay is directed to ground via the second relay when the detonator device is in a first state,
- the output from the first relay is delivered to the detonator when the detonator device is in a second state,
- the detonator is configured to detonate when the output from the first relay is applied to the detonator in the second state,
- the output from the first relay is between 5 and 100 volts, and
- the one or more programs include instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to transmit an electronic control signal to the first relay or the second relay based on the relay voltage.
A method of arming a detonator device, the method comprising:
- storing the detonator device in a pre-armed state, wherein the detonator device comprises a voltage storage component that is uncharged in the pre-armed state and a detonator;
- and
- arming the detonator device by charging the voltage storage component to a voltage sufficient to detonate the detonator, wherein
- an output of the voltage storage component is connected in series to a first relay,
- an output of the first relay is connected to a parallel combination of the detonator and a second relay,
- the output of the voltage storage component is directed to ground via the second relay when the detonator device is in the pre-armed state and when the detonator device is armed,
- the voltage sufficient to detonate the detonator is between 5 and 100 volts,
- the output of the first relay is connected to voltage sensing circuitry configured to determine a relay voltage at the output of the first relay and transmit the relay voltage to one or more processors, and
- the detonator device further comprises memory storing one or more programs including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to transmit an electronic control signal to the first relay based on the relay voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.