Dual redundancy system for electronic detonators
AssigneeSMI Technology, LLC
InventorsErich Nicol Meyer, Pieter Franciscus Zuidmeer
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Abstract
A detonator assembly (10) comprising a housing (12) disclosed and claimed. The assembly comprises an main circuit (11) comprising an electrically operable fuse (16) located in the housing. The assembly further comprises at least a first redundancy circuit (13) wherein at least one element of the main circuit is duplicated (18 for 16) also located in the housing. The invention also includes within its scope an initiation system (42) comprising at least one level of redundancy which may be in one or more or all of a blast controller (24), a harness (40) and detonator assemblies 10.1 to 10.n forming part of the system.
Claims16
A detonator comprising a housing;
- a main circuit comprising an electrically operable fuse located in the housing;
- and at least a first redundancy circuit wherein at least one element of the main circuit is duplicated, also located in the housing.
A blast controller comprising a housing:
- a main circuit located in the housing and connectable to an output for communicating with and controlling detonators connected to the output;
- and a first redundancy circuit wherein at least one element of the main circuit is duplicated, also located in the housing and connectable to the output.
A harness comprising a main path for electronic signals and a first redundancy path for such signals.
A detonator initiation system comprising a blast controller and at least one detonator connectable to the blast controller, at least one of the blast controller and the detonator comprising a main circuit located in a housing therefor and a first redundancy circuit wherein at least one element of the main circuit is duplicated and located in the housing.
A method of producing a component of an electrically controllable detonator initiation system, the method including the steps of:
- providing a housing for the component;
- providing a main circuit of the component in the housing;
- and
- providing a first redundancy circuit in the housing, the first redundancy circuit comprising at least one element of the main circuit duplicated in the redundancy circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.