Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42D—BLASTING
  • F42D1/00—Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
  • F42D1/04—Arrangements for ignition
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42D—BLASTING
  • F42D1/00—Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
  • F42D1/04—Arrangements for ignition
  • F42D1/042—Logic explosive circuits, e.g. with explosive diodes
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42D—BLASTING
  • F42D1/00—Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
  • F42D1/04—Arrangements for ignition
  • F42D1/045—Arrangements for electric ignition
  • F42D1/05—Electric circuits for blasting
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42D—BLASTING
  • F42D1/00—Blasting methods or apparatus, e.g. loading or tamping
  • F42D1/04—Arrangements for ignition
  • F42D1/045—Arrangements for electric ignition
  • F42D1/05—Electric circuits for blasting
  • F42D1/055—Electric circuits for blasting specially adapted for firing multiple charges with a time delay

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a firing system comprising electronic detonators.
• the invention finds its application in the field of pyrotechnic initiation, in any sector where a set of one or more electronic detonators must traditionally be implemented. Typical uses include mining, quarrying, seismic exploration, or the building and public works sector.
• each electronic detonator is set up in a place arranged to receive them. These locations are, for example, holes drilled in the ground.
• Firing systems are known in which, to know the position of the electronic detonators in a work site, the geographical coordinates of the electronic detonators are harvested. Collecting the geographical coordinates of the electronic detonators can generate either significant costs due to the presence of a GPS receiver device associated with each electronic detonator, or significant time of presence of operators in the field to implement this harvest.
• this type of firing system can not be used in certain terrains, such as underground ground. Moreover, the proper functioning of this type of firing system is dependent on the proper functioning of the satellites dedicated to the geolocation system used.
• the present invention aims to solve at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide an alternative firing system that can allow to perceive the presence of electronic detonators.
• the invention aims, in a first aspect, a firing system comprising electronic detonators and signaling devices, each signaling device being associated with an electronic detonator and to report the presence of the electronic detonator which he is associated.
• the firing system further comprises an image acquisition device designed and positioned for acquisition of images representing signaling devices.
• the image acquisition device can thus take images of a work site with signaling devices indicating the presence of the electronic detonators with which they are associated, at their respective location.
• the image obtained by the image acquisition device is represented by signaling devices, each signaling device signaling the presence of an electronic detonator.
• each signaling device signaling the presence of an electronic detonator.
• the signaling devices are positioned to be perceptible to the image acquisition device in order to signal the presence of the electronic detonators.
• the image acquisition device may be the human eye, which may implement the acquisition of an image with signaling devices indicating the presence of the electronic detonators.
• the signaling device comprises an active device emitting a signal indicating the presence of an electronic detonator with which it is associated. According to one characteristic, the signaling device emits a visual signal.
• a visual signal is defined as a signal that can be seen by the human eye.
• a visual signal may be for example a light signal.
• this visual signal can be acquired by an image acquisition device and seen by the human eye.
• the visual signal indicates the presence of an electronic detonator at a location.
• the active device is an infrared emitter.
• the image acquired by the image acquisition device is thus an infrared image.
• the signaling device comprises a passive device comprising identification information of the electronic detonator with which it is associated.
• the passive device comprises a bar code.
• the bar code can be one or two dimensions such as a QR code or datamatrix code.
• each signaling device is connected to conducting wires connecting the electronic detonator with which it is associated, to a firing line.
• the signaling device can be integrated in a connector connecting the electronic detonator to the firing line.
• the signaling device is positioned on a module associated with the electronic detonator to which the signaling device is associated, the module being external to the electronic detonator.
• FIG. 2 shows schematically an example of a job site.
• FIG. 1 represents a firing system 1 comprising a set of electronic detonators 2. Each electronic detonator 2 is connected to a firing line 3, the firing line 3 being connected to a control unit 4.
• the electronic detonators 2 are directly connected to the firing line 3, but in general, subsets of electronic detonators 2 are respectively connected to bus lines (not shown), the bus lines being connected to each other. at the firing line 3.
• each electronic detonator 2 is connected to the firing line 3 by means of the conducting wires 5.
• the connection of the conducting wires 5 to the firing line 3 is carried out by means of the connectors 6.
• the electronic detonators are connected to the control unit (eg a fire control unit and / or a programming unit) by non-wire means.
• control unit eg a fire control unit and / or a programming unit
• the control unit 4 is a fire control unit designed to carry out the firing operations of the electronic detonators 2 as well as test operations to verify the proper functioning of each electronic detonator 2 before proceeding with the setting up fire.
• the fire control unit 4 can also implement programming operations of the electronic detonators 2.
• the firing system 1 may further comprise a programming unit (not shown in the figures) designed to interact with the electronic detonators 2 and with the firing control unit 4.
• This programming unit can have different functions.
• the firing system 1 furthermore comprises a set of signaling devices 10.
• Each signaling device 10 is associated with an electronic fuse 2 and makes it possible to signal the presence of the electronic fuse 2 to which it is associated.
• the electronic detonator 2 once installed at the location (for example a hole drilled in the ground), is not visible on the work site, and that the signaling device 10 associated with each electronic detonator 2 is visible on the work site so that the determination, at least approximate, of the position of the electronic detonator 2 on the work site is possible.
• determining the position of a detonator is equivalent to determining the position of the associated signaling device.
• a signaling device is thus defined as any device for signaling the presence of an electronic detonator at a location.
• the signaling device is thus located in a visible location in the work site. For example, if the electronic detonator is in a hole drilled in the ground, the signaling device is located on the ground. If the detonator is in a hole drilled in a wall, the signaling device is located on the outer surface of the wall.
• the signaling device 10 is connected to the conducting wires 5 connecting the electronic detonators 2 to the firing line 3 at the connector 6.
• the signaling device 10 is thus connected to the electronic detonator 2 with which it is associated.
• the signaling device 10 can be supplied with electrical energy via the firing line 3.
• each signaling device is positioned on an external module associated with the electronic detonator 2 with which it is associated.
• the signaling device can also be integrated or connected to this plug-in.
• the connectors may be equipped with a signaling device.
• the signaling devices can be integrated or located in other modules associated with electronic detonators.
• each signaling device 10 includes an active device indicating the presence of an electronic detonator.
• the active device emits a signal indicating the presence of the electronic detonator 2.
• the signal is a visual signal, for example a light signal.
• the signaling device comprises at least one light-emitting diode (LED) emitting a visual signal for indicating the presence of an electronic detonator 2.
• LED light-emitting diode
• the active device is an infrared emitter.
• the signaling device for signaling the presence of an electronic detonator comprises a passive device encoding, for example, an identification information of the electronic detonator, such as a one or two-bar code. dimensions.
• the firing system 1 further comprises an image acquisition device 20 designed for acquisition of images representing signaling devices 10.
• the image acquisition device 20 comprises a device capturing images or sequences of images or video, such as a camera or a camera.
• the image acquisition device may further correspond to the human eye. Indeed, the signaling devices 10 can be viewed by an operator in the work site.
• the image acquisition device 20 enables the acquisition of images with a resolution adapted for the display of the signaling devices 10 or of a signal emitted by the signaling device 10.
• the image acquisition device 20 may be a device independent of the other elements making up the firing system 1 (as represented in FIG. 1) or be integrated in an element of the firing system 1.
• the image acquisition device can be integrated in the firing control unit or in a programming unit.
• the image acquisition apparatus may be integrated into a mobile device such as a remote-controlled vehicle such as a drone.
• the image acquisition device 20 is configured and positioned to acquire images (FIG. 2) of the work site with signaling devices 10.
• the image acquisition device 20 is configured for acquiring an image of the work site 100 (FIG. 2) in which the presence of at least one electronic detonator 2 is represented.
• the presence and the position of the electronic detonators are represented by the visible signal emitted by the signaling device 10.
• the signaling devices 10 are located so as to be visible by the image acquisition device 20.
• the image acquisition device 20 is designed to acquire the signals emitted by the signaling devices 10.
• the image acquisition device 20 captures images with a light signal associated with each electronic detonator 2.
• the image acquisition device is adapted to the acquisition of infrared images.
• the data acquisition device is designed for shooting these signaling devices distributed on the work site.
• the image acquisition apparatus 20 may be positioned at a determined location so that all of the signaling devices in the job site can be acquired.
• the image acquisition apparatus 20 is placed so that the signals emitted by all the signaling devices 10 in the work site can be acquired.
• the location where the image acquisition device 20 is positioned is determined according to the job site in which the firing system is installed.
• the image acquisition device 20 may be positioned at a predetermined location to take partial images of the work site. A complete image of the job site can be reconstructed from the partial images.
• a camera or camera can adapt its field of view to take partial images of the terrain while remaining in the same location.
• the image acquisition device 20 may be successively located at different predetermined locations to take a set of partial images of the site for reconstitution of an image of the entire site.
• the image acquisition device 20 is positioned to acquire images with part of the signaling devices 10 or with all the signaling devices 10 present at the work site.
• the image acquisition device 20 can be used in a fixed or mobile manner. In other words, the image acquisition device 20 can be positioned at a determined location to capture either images of the entire work site or partial images of the work site (use of the acquisition device of the work site). images 20 fixedly).
• the image acquisition device 20 can also capture partial images of the job site from different locations (mobile use of the image acquisition device 20).
• the firing control unit 4 is positioned so that the image of the work site with signaling devices 10 can be acquired. In this case, the image acquisition device 20 is in a fixed position.
• the image acquisition device 20 is integrated in a programming unit, the image acquisition device 20 is mobile.
• FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an image 100 representing a work site in which the electronic detonators 2 are positioned. Each electronic detonator 2 is positioned at a location 101.
• the image 100 has been taken by the image acquisition device 20. It should be noted that, as indicated above, this image acquisition device 20 has characteristics as a function of the type of associated signaling devices 10 2. The image acquisition device 20 is thus adapted to take an image 100 in which the signaling devices 10 are represented.
• partial images of the job site can be taken by the image acquisition device. These partial images can be used to reconstruct a complete image of the job site.
• the reconstruction of an image of a work site is implemented by known methods and are not described in this document.
• the signaling device 10 can emit a signal indicating the presence of an electronic detonator 2 .
• the signaling device 10 signals the presence of an electronic detonator 2 with which it is associated if the electronic detonator 2 is correctly connected to the firing line 3.
• the signaling device is active, a signal is emitted only if the detonator is properly connected to the firing line.
• the signaling device emits a signal when the electronic detonator receives a command from a control unit.
• the command sent to an electronic detonator 2 is nominative, that is to say that it concerns only this detonator 2.
• an electronic detonator receiving a nominative command concerning it responds to this command, other detonators receiving this command not responding to the command.
• the command may be non-nominative, any detonator receiving this command emitting a signal.
• the position of the electronic detonators can be determined.
• the firing system 1 may further comprise determining means (not shown in the figures) of the position of the locations receiving the electronic detonators 2.
• These determination means use the images acquired by the image acquisition device 20 to determine the positions of the signaling devices 10 associated with the electronic detonators 2.
• the determining means comprise electronic modules designed to receive, store and process the images acquired by the image acquisition device. These determination means are known and do not need to be described here.
• FIG. 3 illustrates steps of an embodiment of a method for determining positions of electronic detonators in a work site using the firing system according to the invention.
• the positions of the electronic detonators can be obtained by different methods while using the firing system according to the invention.
• the method comprises a control step E1 in which a command is sent to a first electronic detonator 2.
• the command sent to an electronic detonator 2 is nominative, that is to say that it concerns only this detonator 2.
• an electronic detonator receiving a nominative command concerning it responds to this command, other detonators receiving this command not responding to the command.
• the electronic detonator 2 receiving this nominative command transmits, by means of the signaling device 10, a signal indicating its presence during a transmission step E2.
• a visual signal is emitted at the emission step E2 by the signaling device 10, or light-emitting diode.
• the associated light-emitting diode 10 turns on at the emission step E2.
• the acquisition comprises the acquisition of an image or several images of the work site 100 in which the visual signals emitted by the light-emitting diodes are visible.
• control steps E1, emission of a signal E2 and acquisition E3 of the transmitted signal are implemented for each of the electronic detonators 2 of the assembly.
• a determination step E4 of the positions of the locations follows the acquisition step E3.
• the determination step E4 consists of detecting the ignition of a light-emitting diode 10 associated with an electronic detonator 2 and of determining the coordinates of the light spot in the acquired image.
• the determination of the position of a signaling device on an image is carried out by known methods of image processing.
• E5 verification step it is verified that all the electronic detonators have been processed, that is to say that the steps of E1 command, E2 emission, E3 acquisition and E4 determination were implemented for each electronic detonator 2.
• control operations E1, E2 emission, E3 acquisition and E4 determination of the position are spaced in time for each electronic detonator 2.
• the image coordinates are ordered and a location number is associated with each image coordinate. This gives a list of location numbers.
• the determined image coordinates may be those of a pixel being the barycenter of the set of image pixels representing on the image the light-emitting diode 10 turned on.
• the signaling device 10 here the light-emitting diode, is positioned at the location receiving the electronic detonator 2 so that the position of the signaling device 10 is representative of the position of the electronic detonator 2.
• the signaling devices associated with the electronic detonators are lit at substantially the same time, either by a nominative command or by a non-nominative command.
• a single image or multiple images of the job site are taken with the signaling devices emitting a signal.
• an image or several partial images of the work site can be obtained by the acquisition device. of images, a complete image that can be reconstructed from the partial images obtained.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Closed-Circuit Television Systems (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)
• Image Analysis (AREA)
• Studio Devices (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Automotive Seat Belt Assembly (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)

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• 2018
  • 2018-02-16 FR FR1851350A patent/FR3078153B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2019
  • 2019-02-15 RU RU2020130276A patent/RU2020130276A/ru unknown
  • 2019-02-15 BR BR112020016350-3A patent/BR112020016350A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2019-02-15 WO PCT/FR2019/050344 patent/WO2019158872A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2019-02-15 CA CA3091298A patent/CA3091298A1/fr active Pending
  • 2019-02-15 EP EP19710056.3A patent/EP3752789A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2019-02-15 AU AU2019220595A patent/AU2019220595A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2019-02-15 US US16/970,184 patent/US20210102792A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2020
  • 2020-08-10 CL CL2020002071A patent/CL2020002071A1/es unknown
  • 2020-08-10 CO CONC2020/0009818A patent/CO2020009818A2/es unknown
  • 2020-09-14 ZA ZA2020/05698A patent/ZA202005698B/en unknown

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