Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD FOR CONNECTING IGNITORS IN AN IGNITION SYSTEM
The invention relates to a method for connecting detonators to a detonating
system.
A detonating system consists of a plurality of detonators which are connected
to
a bus which in turn starts from a so-called logger. A logger is a device for
reading and storing data, in which the relevant data pertaining to a detonator
can be stored. A detonating system may consist of several detonating circuits:
this means that several loggers are present, to each of which is connected a
bus
with a plurality of detonators. The loggers are in turn connected to a
detonating
device or a tripping apparatus, a so-called blaster, from which the detonators
can be detonated in a predetermined temporal sequence on the basis of a
detonation command. In addition to the transmission of signals, the buses that
emanate from the loggers may also serve for supplying energy to the
detonators, in particular for the purpose of charging the detonating
capacitors.
Detonating systems of this type are employed, for example, in the open-cast
mining of mineral resources, of ores or coal, or in the pit-and-quarrying
industry.
In order to be able to address the detonators individually with respect to
their
delay-time, detonators exist that have an identification code. This code may
consist, for example, of an identification number or a bar code applied to the
detonator externally and able to be read off. The identification code may also
be
stored in the electronics of the detonator. If this identification code is
stored in
the logger, the detonator can be addressed by the programming-and-storage
electronics of the logger if a function, a delay-time for example, is to be
stored in
the detonator.
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After the bus from the logger has been installed, 1--he
detonators, with their detonating line connzcted to the bus
. + `7f1t~he 3og4er= assigned 'to' them, 'are =l&gged -on: se~eral
loggers with appropriate buses are distributed in the
terraiiz, logging-on of the detonators to the buses can be
effected simultaneously. When a detonator is being
connected to.the bus, the person doing the connecting, the
logger-on, communicates the identification code of the
respective detonator to the logger assigned to the
detonator, for example by radio. At the same time the
logger-on can additionally communicate to the logger the
geographical coordinates of the borehole into which the
detonator is lowered. The coordinates of the borehole and
also the identification code of the detonator can be
combined into a so-called address, under which the
respective detonator can be addressed individually from the
logger. Determination of the coordinatea of the borehole
can be effected, for example, by means of GPS (Global
Positioning System) or by means of the DGPS (Differential
Global Positioning System).
Logging-on of the detonators to the bus is effected,
particularly in opencast-mining operations, under
conditions that may lead to damage which is not visible at
first, in particular to the insulation of the detonators
and also of the detonating lines. Such damage can lead to
shunts, in particular a shunt from detonator to detonator.
if these shunts arise between detonators that are
simultaneously connected to different buses, errors in the
transmission of data may occur, for example as a result of
loss or falsification of the signals to be transmitted or
as a result of intrusion of signals pertaining to an
extraneous detonator.
The object of the present invention is to present a method
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with which the faults and errors that have been described can be avoided.
The present invention thus concerns a method for connecting detonators to a
detonating system comprising several detonating circuits in which a plurality
of
detonators are connected to respective buses which each start from a logger
which is connected to a blaster assigned to all the loggers, by which the
detonators are detonated in a predetermined temporal sequence on the basis of
a detonation command, wherein a log-on manager is installed which is in
bidirectional contact with the loggers, with the blaster and with log-data
communicators of the loggers, which signal data pertaining to the detonators
to
the logger, wherein when logging the detonators on to the buses of the
detonating circuits of the detonating system a logger-on, the person who
connects with the detonators, announces his presence to the log-on manager, in
that the log-on manager recognizes the logger-on from an identification code
assigned to him and assigns him to the logger to whose bus the logger-on
wishes to connect the detonators, in that the log-on manager checks whether a
detonator is being connected and data are being transmitted at the time of
reporting, in that, when no data are being transmitted, the logger assigned to
the
bus for communicating the data pertaining to the detonator to be connected is
switched to receiving and wherein when another detonator is already being
connected, the log-on manager sends a message to the log-data communicator
to the effect that a transmission of data is not possible, in that the
connection of
the detonator to the assigned logger is only enabled when the transmission of
data pertaining to the other detonator has been concluded and in that the data
communicated from the detonators form the basis for the temporal sequence of
the detonation of the individual detonators.
In accordance with the invention it is proposed that a so-called log-on
manager
be installed. Each of the loggers-on carries a transceiver, a log-data
communicator which has its own identification code and which serves for
communicating the identification codes and the data pertaining to the
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geographical coordinates of the detonators to the logger assigned to it. These
transceivers are designed for bidirectional contact both with the logger
assigned
to them in the given case and to the log-on manager. The log-on manager is in
bidirectional contact with all the loggers and with all the log-data
communicators
which are carried by the loggers-on. Contact may be made via lines or by
radio.
The method according to the invention for logging detonators on to the
detonating circuit of a detonating system takes place as described here. A
detonator is to be logged on to the bus of a logger by a logger-on. To this
end,
the logger-on who wishes to connect the detonator announces his presence by
means of his log-data communicator to the log-on manager which recognises
him from the identification code and can consequently assign the associated
logger. Logging-on can be effected, for example by means of radio for example,
by a signal with the identification code communicated to the log-on manager by
virtue of a keystroke. The log-on manager acknowledges the log-on with a
signal
to the log-data communicator. If no other detonator is connected at the
moment,
an enabling
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signal is cotnmunicated for the purpose of logging-on the
detonator. Otherwise a message is sent to the effect that
the transmission of data is not possible. By this means, a
of t'he signals to ult-0'f
5' the=possibilities of error listed above is advantaleously
prevented from occurring.
The signals may be communicated optically, acoustically or
mechanically, for example by vibrations, to the logger-on
l0 by the log-da.ta communicator. At the same time, the logger
assigned to the logger-on is switched to receiving by the
log-on manager, in order that the corresponding data can be
read in by the detonator to be connected- This addressing
of the logger by the log-on manager can only be effected if
15 it knows the identificatioTi code of the logger.
Consequently it is possible that when a logger-on announces
his presence the log-on manager can turn directly to the
appropriate logger, in order that the latter can receive
the signals of the log-data communicator assigned to the
20 logger or alternatively the data pertaining to a detonator
announcing its presence itself when logging on to the bus.
If the logger-on has now received the confirmation from the
log-on manager that the detonator can be connected to the
25 bus, it implements this connection and acknowledges the
logging-on by the transmission of the identification code
and possibly the position of the connected detonator if the
ascertaining thereof - through the use of the GPS or the
DGPS, for example - is possible.
If, by reason of the possibilities of error defined above,
the logger now detects that the communicated data are
incomplete or faulty, it can report the error immediately
and, for example, communicate it visually on a display for
the logger-on. As a result, faulty detonators or a faulty
connection can be immediately detected.
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As a result of the connecting of detonators zn. several
detonating circuits to several buses'it may happen that two
or more loggers-on announce their.presence to the log-on
manzq~er - 's-iMultair4t3us'!V: 2 'However, = the-ai-on ^tanager caYrly ~=
_~''~
allows one logging-on at a time, so that in each instance
only one logger-on is offered the possibility of connecting
=a detonator and in each instance only the data pertaining
to one detonator are transmitted to the logger assigned to
it. The remaining loggers-on are informed by a signal that
they are located, as it were, in a wait-condition, and
ezxabling takes place only when the logging-on operation of
a detonator that is already proceeding has been concluded.
To this end, a wait-loop may be provided in the log-on
manager, in which the respective loggers-on are arranged in
temporal sequence according to the sequence of the incoming
message, and the wait-position is optionally indicated to
them.
Once a detonator has been successfully logged on to the bus
by a logger-on, the logger acknowledges this to the log-
data communicator with an acknowledging signal.
Thereafter the logger-on can notify the log-on manager of
the successful logging-on of the detonator by virtue of a
signal. The acknowledging signal of the logger may,
however, also go directly to the log-on manager and may
serve at the log-data communicator only as an indication of
a successful logging-on. After this, the log-on manager
can enable the logging-on of the next detonator for the
following logger-on in the wait-loop. The logger-on who
has just successfully carra.ed out the coruiecticn of a
detonator knows thereafter that he can register the
connection of the following detonator.
The log-on management can also be implemented when the
detonator announces its presence automatically to the
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logger when connecting to the bus. in this case, the
logger-on firstly has to dxaw the attention of the log-on
manager by means of the signal which he generates,.to the
~~-"that =la.e interids '~:o lo~>ra de~oaator on: ~:- 'I~here~poii' ~he ,
log-on manager checks whether the logging-on operation of a
-detonator is already running at the same time. = If this is
the case, the logger to whose bus a detonator is to be
logged on is-barred to the reception of the data until such
time as the logging-on operation of a preceding detonator
to another logger has been concluded. Aftex confirmatiou
of the reception of the signals of the logged-on detonator
by virtue of the acknowledging signal of the logger, either
the logger-on can communicate the successfui logging-on to
the log-on manager or the signal can go directly to the
log-on manager. The log-on manager thereafter sends an
enablizig signal to the logger to whose bus the detonator is
to be logged on. If the detonator is then connected to the
bus, it automatically sends its identification code to its
logger which, in the case of an orderly reception of the
signals, acknowledges the connection and stores the
identification code, optionally with the geographical
coordinates of the detonator, by way of address.
The process according to the invention provides the highest
possible security in the course of the simultaneous
logging-on of detonators in a detonating system with
several detonating circuits and therefore with several
loggers.
The log-on manager is suitable, moreover, for the purpose
of coordinating the communication of the delay-times from
the blaster to the individual detonators via the loggers.
Since this transmission of data can likewise be impeded and
disrupted by the possibilities of damage, described above,
to the detonators or detonating lines, it is advantageous
if each detonator is addressed iadividually. In this case
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the loggers and the blaster must have an address, in order
that they can be addr.essed by the log-ox3, manager. The log-
on manager then allows the transmission.of data that is to
~efe -a~v sed== fi-rom~ the biwst-er on~~ 't'b' 'th6k ldgger;zwand;a~otn
there only to the detonators, and.bars the remaining
loggers. Once the transmission of data from.the blaster to
the respective logger and from there to the detonators has
been concluded, the blaster can indicate the end of the
transmission of data by means of a signal to the log-on
manager. Similarly, the respective=logger can report to
the log-on manager the fact that the reception of the
delay-time data by the detonators has taken place and the
programming of the individual detonators has been
concluded. On the basis of these signals the log-on
manager can switch off the preceding logger and switch the
following logger to receiving. The method according to the
invention guarantees that, in the course of the
transmission of signals after the connecting of the
detonators and also in the course of the subsequent
programming of the delay-times, the transmission of signals
of one detonator or logger is not disrupted by the
transmission of signals of another detonator or logger and
that errors in the transmission are immediately detected
and can be assigned to the respective transmitter or
receiver, to the detonator or to the logger.
The invention will be elucidated in more detail on the
basis of an exemplifying embodiment.
The attached representation shows a detonating system 1
with four separate detonating circui.ts 2 to S. Each of the
detonating circuits 2 to 5 consists of a bus 6 to 9 which
in each case starts from a logger 10 to 13 and to which the
detonators 14 with their detonating line 15 are connected -
that is to say, are logged on - at the connection-point 16.
A person, a logger-on 17 to 20, in each of the four
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detonating circuits 2 to 5, is busy logging detonators on
to the= respective buses 6 to 9. The logger-on 17 is just
in the process of logging a detonator 14, with its
. =.-,: detoi~tat ing i ine ' 16 tr~~~ie b~xs = ~ af- th~ e.~e~t ~abing=~ -
= 5 circuit 2 at a connection-point 16. =The logger-on 20
:wishes to proceed similarly at the same time.
Each of the=loggers-on 17 to 20 has a transceiver, a log-
data communicator 21, which has its own identification
i0 code. These log-data communicators-21 are suitable for
bidirectional contact both with the respective loggers 10
to 13 and with the log-on manager 22.
In the present exemplifying embodiment, the transmission of
15 data would be endangered in the case of a shunt of the
detonators if there might be a sxmultaneous connection of
detonators 14 by the logger-on 17 and the logger-on 20. In
order to avoid this, both the logger-on 17 and the logger-
on 20 have registered with the log-on manager 22 via their
20 log-data communicators 21 by specifying their respective
identification code. The log-on manager 22 can assign the
loggers-on to the respective logger on the basis of the
identification code of the respective log-data
communication 21. In this way the logger-on 17 is assigned
25 to the logger 10, and the logger-on 20 is assigned to the
logger 13.
in the present exemplifying embodiment the logger-on 17
has, as symbolized by the radio contact 23, announced his
30 presence to the log-on manager. 22 before the logger-on 20,
whose radio contact is symbolized by the dashed line 24, so
that the log-on manager 22 switches the logger 10 on via
the radio contact 25 which is indicated and allows the
logger-on 17 to connect a detonator 14 ahead of the logger-
35 on 20. After the log-on manager 22 has given the logger-on
17 the permission for logging the detonator 14 on at the
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connection-point.16, this logger-on communicates'to the
logger= cn the identificatiori code of the detonator 14 and
optionally the posztion of the borehole, in the present
W-4iiearis - o'f = t1f&,3tbg=gdatw, cotnmunl~cafior
5. radio, to the -logger 10. This transrni.ssion of data is
syrnbolized by the radio =contact 26. Once the data =
pertaining to the detonator have been communicated to the
logger 10, the latter reports the orderly reception of the
data to the log-data communicator 21 of the logger-on 17
via the radio link 26 which is indidated. Said logger-on
17 thereupon acknowledges the successfully accomplished
logging-on operation by means of a signal.to the log-on
manager 22 via the radio link 23. Thereupon, the message
is sent via the radio contact 24 which is indicated to the
log-data cocnmunicator 21 of the logger-on 20 with the
enabling notification for the purpose of logging the
detonator 14, which has been held in readiness, on to the
bus 9. Once the detonator has been successfully connected
to the bus 9 by the logger-on 20, he acknowledges this
connection by means of a radio signal to the log-on manager
22, so that the latter can pass on the enabling to another
logger-on with a view to logging a detonator on.
Once all the detonators 14 that are ready have finally been
logged on to the respective buses 6 to 9 of the detonating
circuits 2 to 5, the programming of the detonators with
respect to their time-delay is effected from the detonating
device or from the tripping apparatus, the so-called
blaster 27. The latter may be linked to the respective
loggers 10 to 13 via lines 28 to 31. However, although not
represented here, a radio link may exist between the
blaster 27 and the respective loggers. Moreover, a link
exists, via a line 32 or via a radio link 33 which is
indicated, between the blaster 27 and the log-on manager
22. The log-on manager 22 is equipped for the purpose of
switching the loggers 10 to 13 on and off separately in
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each instance if-the delay-times in the detonators 14, for
example, are to be stoxed by the blaster 27 in the
respecti.ve detonating circuits 2 to S. To this end,
is a comniu3i~`~ati~s^~i"~~o~Ktrie Y51~s~ex 27""~o he
log-on manager 22 as to which of the loggers 10 to 13=-of
the detonating circuits 2 to 5 is to be add.ressed..- in the
present exemplifying embodiment the log-on manager 22 has
entered into-a connection with the logger 10 via the radio
contact 34 which is indicated here and has switched it on
for the receptiom of the data from the blaster 27, whereas
the following loggers 11 to 13 are switched via the
remaining radio contacts 35 in such a way that they cannot
receive the data intended on.J.y for the logger 10. Only
after communication of the data that are intended for the
detonating cixcuit 2 do a switch-over to the following
logger and a disabling of the preceding logger, which has
already received the data, take place, and the barring of
the loggers to which these data are likewise not directed
is retained_
Only when all the data have been communicated from the
blaster 27 to the respective detonating circuits 2 to 5 can
the detonators be detonated by the blaster 27 via the
respective loggers.
