Special Devices, Incorporated

David T Jennings, Iii

Gimtong Teowee

Alex A Kouznetsov

David M Forman

Dynamic baselining of current modulation-based talkback from a slave device to a master device in a system such as an electronic blasting system, wherein the dynamic baselining enhances communication integrity under conditions of environmental noise and the like. With a data packet of appreciable length, the dynamic baselining is preferably performed repeatedly on the bytes or words within the packet.

Dynamic baselining in current modulation-based communication

Firing-readiness diagnostics in an electronic pyrotechnic device such as an electronic detonator or an electronic blasting system thereof. The diagnostics may include a check for any incompatible attached devices, a resistance or continuity check of an ignition element, and/or a capacitance check of a firing capacitor.

Firing-readiness diagnostic of a pyrotechnic device such as an electronic detonator

Selective, staggered charging of individual slave devices in a system at different times, such as electronic detonators in an electronic blasting system, so as to prevent excessive voltage drop on the bus. The staggered charging may be obtained through a clock-driven charging timing process or other suitable means.

Staggered charging of slave devices such as in an electronic blasting system

Current modulation-based talkback in a system in which the background noise in the level of current draw is minimized such that the talkback is effected with a desirably high signal-to-noise ratio, such as by the master device holding the system voltage low such that the slave devices will not be performing tasks that would cause the current draw on the system to have an undesirable level of background noise, or, in an electronic blasting system, by preventing all other detonators from performing tasks that would create an undesirable background current draw when a particular detonator is talking back.

Current modulation-based communication for slave device

Current modulation-based communication from slave device

Regulated charging of an energy storage module in a pyrotechnic device such as a firing capacitor in an electronic detonator, preferably in the form of constant-current charging limited at a 'rail voltage,' and optionally limited to a sufficiently low current to provide additional benefits to the pyrotechnic device such as in the case of a short-circuit.

Constant-current, rail-voltage regulated charging electronic detonator

An electronic blasting system in which the electronic detonator, when attached to a blasting machine or logger, automatically senses and determines whether it is attached to a blasting machine or a logger, preferably by utilizing a different operating voltage for the blasting machine versus that of the logger, with the detonator being capable of distinguishing the respective operating voltages.

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Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

David T Jennings, Iii