Method for locating an electronic detonator in a wireless network, method for programming a blasting plan, and corresponding ignition system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for locating an electronic detonator (101) in a wireless network (10) of electronic detonators, comprising the steps of: transmitting a signal by a detonator called a transmitting detonator; receiving the signal by at least one other detonator called a receiving detonator in the network; and calculating the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator based on the power of the signal received by the receiving detonator. The present invention also relates to a method for programming a blasting plan, the method comprising the step of a method for locating a detonator. The present invention also relates to a system (1) configured to perform a method for locating a detonator. The present invention also relates to the use of signal power loss for locating an electronic detonator (101).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for identifying the position of detonators in a wireless network of electronic detonators.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a method for programming a blasting plan.

[0003] The present invention also relates to an ignition system comprising a wireless network of electronic detonators.

Background Art

[0004] Here, the detonator comprises, for example, a charge, in particular an explosive charge, and a communication module, for example a two-way communication module.

[0005] Here, a wireless network of electronic detonators means a set of detonators that are not connected to each other by electrical wiring or not connected to an external device such as a network hub by electrical wiring.

[0006] A network hub refers to an electronic device configured to coordinate wireless communication between various communication modules. The network hub manages protocols.

[0007] The present invention is used in any field in the field of explosive ignition where it is necessary to conventionally implement a network of at least one electronic detonator.

[0008] Typical applications are related to the mining, quarrying, seismic exploration or construction and public works fields.

[0009] During the installation of a blasting system at a workplace or site, each electronic detonator of a network of at least one electronic detonator is installed at a location arranged to receive it.

[0010] Such locations are, for example, particularly holes drilled in the floor or wall.

[0011] In practice, the operator places the electronic detonator in a designated location. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] Knowing the location of each electronic detonator is useful for igniting a network of multiple detonators. Knowing the location of each detonator is primarily necessary for programming the ignition delay associated with at least one detonator, thereby establishing the ignition sequence.

[0013] To determine the location of electronic detonators at a work site, the geographic coordinates of each electronic detonator can be collected, for example, by a GPS receiver. The GPS device can be integrated into the detonator itself and / or the programming tool (e.g., the programming console). When the GPS device is integrated into the programming tool, the effective location is the location of the operator holding the programming tool, which is identified with the location of the detonator. However, the presence of a GPS receiver associated with each electronic detonator and / or programming tool to collect the geographic coordinates of the electronic detonators can incur significant costs and / or can greatly increase the time the operator has to stay on-site to perform this collection.

[0014] Furthermore, for blasting operations, absolute positioning is not always necessary; the relative placement of the detonators is often sufficient.

[0015] Furthermore, such ignition systems with GPS are difficult or impossible to use in certain terrains, such as underground terrain.

[0016] The precise operation of this type of ignition system also depends on the availability (reception) of satellites dedicated to the positioning system being used.

[0017] The object of the present invention is to eliminate, at least partially, the aforementioned drawbacks and to bring about other advantages. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] For this purpose, according to the first aspect, a method is proposed for locating an electronic detonator in a wireless network, and the method is: The steps include transmitting a signal using a detonator called a transmitting detonator, The step of receiving a signal by at least one other detonator called a network receiving detonator, A step of calculating the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator based on the power of the signal received by the receiving detonator, It is equipped with.

[0019] Therefore, a detonator, for example, at least one communication module of a detonator, communicates with at least one other detonator in the network, for example, a communication module of another detonator, regardless of whether it is on the surface or underground.

[0020] The signals emitted from the transmitting detonator include, for example, electromagnetic signals, such as optical or radio signals, mechanical signals, or acoustic signals such as ultrasonic signals.

[0021] If all detonators in the set are equipped with ground-level modules, the signal emitted from the transmitting detonator can be converted into an optical signal.

[0022] The step of calculating the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator may include a step of estimating the distance or a step of estimating an indicator of the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator.

[0023] Depending on the situation, precise distance measurements, that is, measurements down to the centimeter, may not be necessary.

[0024] By implementing such a method, it becomes unnecessary for an operator to move between the detonators of the network to identify the position of the detonator, enabling programming.

[0025] In practice, the operator who installs the detonator and the operator who performs the programming are usually different.

[0026] By such a method, when the detonators are deployed and installed, programming can be made transparent to the operator who needs to execute it, regardless of whether at least one detonator has a surface module or a module at the bottom of the hole.

[0027] In practice, a transmitting detonator transmits a signal such as a radio wave. At least one other detonator, i.e., a receiving detonator, receives the signal.

[0028] According to the intensity of the signal received by the receiving detonator, the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator can be measured.

[0029] Signal attenuation is used to measure the distance of each detonator of the network to other detonators.

[0030] For example, the steps of the method are executed for each of the detonators of the wireless detonator network.

[0031] That is, each of the detonators of the network is also a receiving detonator.

[0032] Therefore, the same detonator can perform both transmission and reception according to the state of the method.

[0033] By triangulation, the position of each detonator of the detonator network relative to adjacent detonators can be known.

[0034] For example, the network includes at least three detonators, two of which are transmitting detonators, each configured to transmit a signal, and one other detonator, separate from these two transmitting detonators, is a receiving detonator, each configured to receive signals transmitted from each transmitting detonator.

[0035] In one embodiment, the method comprises the step of comparing a received signal with a theoretical signal.

[0036] In a particular embodiment, the theoretical signal compared to the received signal is the transmitted signal.

[0037] For example, the method may include the step of comparing at least one power value of the signal received by the receiving detonator with the theoretical power value of the signal transmitted by the transmitting detonator.

[0038] For example, given the power loss rate per meter of distance between the transmitter and receiver in the surrounding environment (e.g., dB / m (decibels per meter)), the relative position between the transmitter and receiver can be determined.

[0039] In one embodiment, the signal transmitted by the transmitting detonator includes an identification sequence of the transmitting detonator that transmits the signal.

[0040] In particular, the signal received by the receiving detonator includes an identification sequence of the transmitting detonator that sent the signal.

[0041] This method avoids the need to add components to the detonator, because each detonator is typically already configured to communicate with a network hub via wireless or optical signals.

[0042] Once one of the network's triggers is activated, the system immediately moves on to methods for locating its position.

[0043] For example, the method comprises the step of positioning each detonator in the network at a theoretical location before the step of transmitting a signal.

[0044] For example, the method includes the step of activating each detonator, for example, the step of activating at least one communication module of each detonator, for example, the step of powering on.

[0045] For example, the method includes the step of performing communication between a transmitting detonator and a network hub.

[0046] In one embodiment of the method, the signal transmitted by the transmitting detonator includes a signal for communication between the transmitting detonator and the network hub.

[0047] For example, the step of communicating between a transmitting detonator and a network hub includes the step of transmitting a signal using the transmitting detonator.

[0048] In one embodiment, the receiving detonator receives signals for communication between the transmitting detonator and the network hub.

[0049] In one embodiment, each detonator in the network also receives information transmitted between other detonators in the network and the network hub.

[0050] In other words, each detonator in the network receives or intercepts information transmitted between other detonators in the network and the network hub.

[0051] The signals are processed and analyzed by the arithmetic unit.

[0052] In one embodiment, the calculation unit is located in the receiving detonator.

[0053] In one embodiment, the signal is processed externally, and the processing unit is located in a separate unit from the detonator, which is called an external unit. For example, the processing unit is located in a network hub or another electronic unit.

[0054] By externally identifying the location of each detonator, the detonators themselves no longer need to be equipped with additional computing power or memory, and all information can be transmitted to the external unit either all at once or in stages.

[0055] For example, the method may include the step of transmitting at least one piece of information representing a received signal to an external unit by a receiving detonator.

[0056] At least one piece of information representing a received signal may include the entire received signal.

[0057] For example, an external unit can receive at least one piece of information representing a signal received from each detonator in the network, and then perform a calculation step based on all the received information.

[0058] According to one embodiment, at least one representative piece of information includes at least one value of the power of the signal received by the receiving detonator.

[0059] According to one embodiment, at least one representative piece of information includes an identification sequence for the transmitting detonator.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the transmission step includes, for example, a substep of transmitting the identification sequence of the receiving detonator to an external unit.

[0061] In one interesting embodiment, the external unit is a network hub.

[0062] For example, an algorithm for locating the position of each detonator in the network is implemented in the receiving detonator or an external unit, such as a network hub.

[0063] Therefore, for example, the comparison step can be performed by a receiving detonator or by an external unit.

[0064] The step of calculating the distance can be performed by the receiving detonator or by an external unit.

[0065] Each receiving detonator can only transmit the received power value associated with the transmitter's identification sequence and the identification sequence of the receiving detonator that transmitted this information.

[0066] While only the received signal power is useful for calculating the distance between the transmitter and receiver, the transmitter identification sequence and the receiver identification sequence are important, especially when processing is performed by a unit outside the network, for example by a network hub, in order to identify the link between the transmitter and receiver from among all transmitter-receiver pairs of network triggers that need to be mapped.

[0067] For example, the method comprises the step of recording at least one piece of information representing a received signal using a receiving detonator.

[0068] For example, the recording is at least temporary and continues until, for example, at least one piece of information is sent to an external unit.

[0069] In a specific example, at least one recorded piece of information representing the received signal is the power of the received signal.

[0070] For example, the method includes the step of controlling the transmission to an external unit of at least one piece of information representing a signal received by a receiving detonator.

[0071] Such control steps are initiated, for example, by an external unit.

[0072] For example, if the transmission control step is performed after a request from an external unit, the method comprises the step of transmitting at least one piece of information representing a signal received by a receiving detonator, the step optionally having a substep of transmitting an identification sequence for the receiving detonator.

[0073] However, the receiving detonator can process at least one piece of information representing the received signal based on the intensity of the received signal and transmit the calculated distance value to an external device.

[0074] For example, a receiving detonator can perform the step of calculating the distance between itself and a transmitting detonator based on the power of the received signal, and then transmitting the calculated distance value to an external unit.

[0075] Optionally, an identification sequence for the transmitting detonator or the receiving detonator can be included with the transmission of the calculated values.

[0076] Therefore, the external unit receives information representing the received signal for each receiving detonator in the set (i.e., each detonator in the set acting as a receiver).

[0077] Therefore, information will be centralized.

[0078] Therefore, at least part or all of the calculation is performed by a device other than the detonator.

[0079] If the topology of the set, that is, the location of each detonator in the detonator network, is known, then the programmed operation can be easily performed by conventional methods, such as manually or automatically.

[0080] By the method described above, it is possible to determine at least the relative topology of the detonators in the detonator network.

[0081] Knowing relative topology is sometimes sufficient.

[0082] Otherwise, in order to determine the absolute topology, the method comprises, for example, the step of determining the absolute position of at least one first element of the ignition system.

[0083] Here, the ignition system comprises at least a network of detonators, and preferably an external unit, such as at least a network hub or communication relay device and / or an ignition console.

[0084] Therefore, the components of the ignition system are, for example, one of the detonators in the network or a unit located outside the network, such as a network hub, a communication relay device, or an ignition console.

[0085] By knowing the absolute position of a single element, it is possible to at least fix the network topology to a known coordinate system.

[0086] For example, the method further comprises the step of determining the absolute position of at least one second element of an ignition system, wherein the second element is different from the first element.

[0087] This allows us to determine the absolute position of the network. This is because, from the absolute position of the first element and the absolute position of the second element, we can determine, for example, the orientation of the network on the ground (rotation around the z-axis).

[0088] In another aspect, a method for programming a blasting plan is proposed, and the method is: Steps for a method of locating the detonator in a wireless network of electronic detonators, The steps include: programming the ignition delay associated with the detonator according to the detonator's position, It is equipped with.

[0089] In another embodiment, we also propose an ignition system configured to implement the method for locating the detonator described above.

[0090] For example, such an ignition system comprises a wireless network of electronic detonators, each detonator in the network comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a signal and at least one receiver configured to receive signals transmitted by other detonators in the network, and further configured to calculate distance based on the power of the signals received by the detonator.

[0091] For example, the system components are configured to calculate the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator based on the power of the signal received by the receiving detonator.

[0092] For example, the ignition system further comprises units located outside the network of detonators.

[0093] In other words, the external unit is distinct from any other trigger in the network.

[0094] Therefore, the components of the ignition system refer, for example, to one of the detonators in the network or an external unit.

[0095] For example, each detonator is further configured to transmit at least one piece of information representing the received signal to an external unit.

[0096] In another embodiment, the use of signal power loss depending on the distance between the transmitter and receiver is also proposed to pinpoint the location of an electronic detonator in a wireless network of detonators.

[0097] For example, signal polarization and / or signal phase can be used to improve positional accuracy.

[0098] Such methods can have many uses, for example, as follows: Relative positioning (topology): This is the minimum precision achieved by the methods described above. The detonator can be represented simply spatially (represented in rows / columns) without any scale. Since distance is measured during the process, the topology can be scaled, and the detonator is represented spatially (on a map). Absolute positioning: If at least two elements of the system (e.g., a detonator or an external unit) can provide absolute positioning (e.g., GPS), the complete topology can be positioned in an absolute coordinate system.

[0099] Alternatively, at least two elements of the system can each be placed in a reference position that serves as a base for the operator, and the resulting topology can then be positioned within an absolute reference frame. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0100] The following detailed description, which is illustrative and not limiting in any sense, is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will further illustrate the present invention and its advantages.

[0101] [Figure 1] Figure 1 schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of the ignition system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a method for identifying the location of a detonator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a method for programming a blasting plan according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0102] The same components shown in the above drawings are identified by the same reference numerals.

[0103] Figure 1 shows the ignition system 1 deployed on terrain 2.

[0104] The ignition system 1 mainly comprises a wireless network 10 of electronic detonators and at least one external unit 11.

[0105] Here, a wireless network of electronic detonators means a set of electronic detonators that are not connected to each other by wires or to an external unit such as a network hub by wires.

[0106] The detonator wireless network 10 comprises at least one electronic detonator 101, and generally comprises at least two electronic detonators 101, for example, 10 or several dozen electronic detonators.

[0107] Each electronic detonator 101 in the network 10 is installed in a position that is positioned to be received by the terrain 2.

[0108] Each detonator 101 includes, for example, a pyrotechnic device loader 102 and a communication module 103.

[0109] In this embodiment, the communication module 103 is connected to the load 102 by at least one electrical connection cable.

[0110] Terrain 2 includes a hole 20 at the bottom in which the load 102 is placed.

[0111] The communication module 103 is located, for example, at the exit of a hole 20 in the surface of terrain 2.

[0112] In other embodiments, the communication module is configured to communicate through a wall, and the communication module can be placed, for example, at the bottom of the hole together with the load 102. A system comprising such a detonator and “booster” (i.e., explosion amplifier) ​​can be referred to as a “primer” in contrast to a simple detonator, because the system also includes an explosion amplifier. A simple thread may be used to lower the load 102, or optionally the primer, into the hole 20 and hold it in place.

[0113] In this specification, the communication module 103 is a module that communicates by radio signals (for example, it can communicate with a network hub regardless of whether the module is on the ground or in a hole), but depending on the arrangement of the module, it may also communicate by any other kind of signal, such as any electromagnetic signal, such as an optical signal or a mechanical signal, or an acoustic signal such as an ultrasonic signal.

[0114] The ignition system 1 further comprises at least one computing unit.

[0115] In certain embodiments, the computing unit is included in the external unit 11 as shown here, i.e., separate from the detonator. However, it can also be integrated into the detonator.

[0116] When the ignition system 1's computing unit is located externally and is separate from the detonator, it may be included in, for example, a network hub. Otherwise, the ignition system 1's computing unit may be integrated into, for example, an ignition console.

[0117] The network hub is configured to transmit signals for communication with at least the detonator 101.

[0118] In this example, the communication signal is a wireless signal.

[0119] In quarries and mines, a detonation sequence is required to control the order in which detonators (rows of holes) are activated. In the case of electronic detonation, each detonator needs to be associated with a detonation sequence delay time (in milliseconds). This is a programmed operation.

[0120] For this purpose, the network hub is configured to communicate with all detonators 101.

[0121] The network hub can generate a series of ignition commands based on instructions from the ignition console.

[0122] The network hub is configured to individually associate a specific ignition delay with each electronic detonator 101, depending on its location. This common ignition command synchronizes the countdown of the ignition delays of all electronic detonators in the network. Upon receiving the ignition command, each electronic detonator manages the countdown of its own associated ignition delay and its own ignition.

[0123] The ignition console is typically installed away from network 10 and the network hub.

[0124] The ignition console is specifically configured to send ignition commands to a network hub.

[0125] To communicate with at least the network hub, each detonator 101 of the network, in particular here, the communication module 103, comprises a transmitter configured to transmit a signal and at least one receiver configured to receive a signal.

[0126] Programming is a time-consuming task that can sometimes be performed in even harsher environments (extreme temperatures, the presence of hazardous substances, etc.).

[0127] The programming operation of the electronic detonator involves allocating a delay time according to its placement in the terrain.

[0128] Therefore, once the location of each detonator (usually identified by a unique identifier) ​​is known, the programming process is complete.

[0129] When programming operations are performed manually, this process remains time-consuming and prone to errors. This is because the operator must set precise delays or connect (or activate) the detonators in the correct sequence.

[0130] To further enhance the reliability and efficiency of programmed operation, the programming device can be equipped with a positioning sensor (e.g., GNSS) to automatically assign a precise delay based on the identified location of the detonator. This method still has drawbacks, such as requiring expensive sensors (differential GNSS) to achieve the necessary accuracy, potentially resulting in long initialization times (satellite search), and always relying on external signals (satellites), which may be unavailable (or not sufficiently available) depending on the environment or may be interfered with by reflections from rock faces.

[0131] To obtain at least the relative position of each detonator 101 of the network 10, the present invention proposes a method based on measuring the power of adjacent signals, for example, the radio signals of a particular embodiment as described herein.

[0132] This method provides an autonomous solution to the problem of localization. It requires no additional external signals and no additional hardware for the detonator. Therefore, this method is easily adaptable to wireless networks of electronic detonators.

[0133] Figure 2 shows a specific embodiment of the method for locating the position of an electronic detonator in a wireless network according to the present invention.

[0134] The method includes, for example, the following step S100.

[0135] The method includes, for example, step S1, which places each detonator 101 of the network 10 in a theoretical position.

[0136] The method then includes, for example, step S10 of activating each detonator 101.

[0137] Next, the method includes, for example, step S21 of transmitting a communication signal from each detonator, and the detonator that transmits the signal is referred to as the transmitting detonator.

[0138] For example, each detonator (or more precisely, its communication module) communicates with at least one adjacent detonator.

[0139] The communication signal can be, for example, a signal for conventional communication with a network hub or a separate signal.

[0140] For example, the method comprises a step S2 of communication between a transmitting detonator and a network hub, the communication step S2 comprising a step S21 of transmitting a signal by the transmitting detonator, the transmitted signal optionally including a signal for communication with the network hub.

[0141] Each detonator measures the strength of the signal it receives from at least one other detonator in the network. Therefore, the detonator that receives the signal is referred to as the receiving detonator.

[0142] For example, each receiving detonator measures or identifies a “RSSI” (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value, which is a measure of the received power of a radio signal from at least one other detonator in the network. If the transmitted power of the signal is already known by each detonator as a receiver, this value does not need to be transmitted. Otherwise, the communication signal may include this information.

[0143] Depending on the option of interest, the method may include a step of directly calculating the distance at the receiving detonator, and if necessary, the calculation step may use, for example, the strength of the received signal (RSSI measurement) and combine it with a theoretical attenuation model.

[0144] The estimated distance between detonators in the network (or alternatively, some or all of the information, such as measured RSSI values) is transmitted to an external unit (e.g., a network hub that controls the network), which then identifies the location of each detonator in the network by cross-validating the measurements.

[0145] A well-known location-finding algorithm can be applied.

[0146] Therefore, the location of each detonator can be identified.

[0147] Location can sometimes be merely relative (network topology).

[0148] The location can be given along with a confidence index (probability).

[0149] Therefore, a map of the detonator 10 network is available.

[0150] An external unit 11, for example, a network hub, can be used as an "adjacent element" of all detonators 101 in a manner that is located near the network of detonators. This allows the relative topology to be fixed using a reference point, with respect to identifying a topology that is considered an absolute topology.

[0151] This is repeated using at least one second element to determine the absolute position of the detonator network.

[0152] Therefore, the method is, Step S3 involves receiving a signal by at least one other detonator called a network receiving detonator, Step S5 calculates the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator based on the power of the signal received by the receiving detonator, It is equipped with.

[0153] In one embodiment, the method may include step S4, in which the receiving detonator transmits at least one piece of information representing a signal received by the receiving detonator to an external unit 11, for example, a network hub.

[0154] The transmission step S4 may include a substep S41 for transmitting the identification sequence of the received detonator to the external unit 11.

[0155] The method may include step S6 of identifying the absolute position of at least one first element of an ignition system comprising at least a network of detonators, preferably also identifying the absolute position of at least one second element of an ignition system comprising at least a network of detonators.

[0156] Figure 3 shows a specific embodiment of the method for programming a blasting plan according to the present invention.

[0157] For example, As explained in relation to Figure 2, at least a portion of step S100 of the method for locating the detonator in the wireless network of the electronic detonator, Step S101 involves programming the ignition delay associated with the detonator according to its position, It is equipped with.

Claims

1. A method for determining the location of an electronic detonator (101) in a wireless network (10) of electronic detonators, The steps include: transmitting a signal using the detonator, which is called a transmitting detonator (S21); The steps include receiving a signal by at least one other detonator called a receiving detonator of the network (S3), Step (S5) of calculating the distance between the transmitting detonator and the receiving detonator based on the power of the signal received by the receiving detonator, A method for providing this.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step (S6) of determining the absolute position of at least one first element and at least one second element of an ignition system (1), wherein the ignition system (1) comprises at least the network of detonators (10).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: (S1) positioning each detonator (101) of the network (10) in a theoretical position before the step of transmitting the signal; and (S10) activating each detonator.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the step (S2) of performing communication between the transmitting detonator and a network hub, wherein the step (S2) of performing communication comprises the step (S21) of transmitting a signal by the transmitting detonator, and the signal transmitted by the transmitting detonator includes a signal for communication between the transmitting detonator and the network hub.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the signal transmitted by the transmitting detonator includes an identification sequence for the transmitting detonator that transmits the signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the signal received by the receiving detonator includes an identification sequence of the transmitting detonator that transmitted the signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step (S4) of transmitting at least one piece of information representing a signal received by the receiving detonator to an external unit (11) by the receiving detonator.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the external unit (11) is a network hub.

9. The method according to any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the transmitting step (S4) comprises a substep (S41) of transmitting the identification sequence of the receiving detonator to the external unit (11).

10. A method for programming a blasting plan, A step (S100) of a method for determining the location of an electronic detonator in a wireless network according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The steps include: (S101) programming the ignition delay associated with the detonator according to the position of the detonator, A method for providing this.

11. An ignition system (1) comprising a wireless network (10) of electronic detonators, wherein each detonator (101) in the network (10) comprises a transmitter configured to transmit a signal and at least one receiver configured to receive signals transmitted by other detonators in the network (10), and is configured to calculate distance based on the power of the signals received by the detonators.

12. The system (1) according to claim 11, further comprising an external unit to the detonator network (10), wherein each detonator (101) is further configured to transmit information representing a received signal to the external unit (11).

13. Utilization of signal power loss depending on the distance between the transmitter and receiver to locate the detonator (101) in a network (10) of wireless electronic detonators.

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