Signalling / communication system and method for devices

Abstract

A magnetic induction (MI) wireless communications device including: an electrical power source; an electronic control unit powered by the power source; an electrical boost converter powered by the power source and controlled by the control unit for boosting an output voltage of the power source to a boosted voltage that is higher than the output voltage; an electrical energy storage powered by the boost converter and separate from the power source, and configured for storing energy from the boost converter at the boosted voltage; a transmit antenna element configured to transmit wireless signals through the earth using MI from in the hole using the stored energy from the electrical energy storage; and a switching element controlled by the control unit and configured to release the stored energy from the energy storage into the transmit antenna element when controlled by the control unit.

Description

SIGNALLING / COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEVICESRELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application is related to Singaporean Patent Application No.10202301716Y, entitled "Signalling / communication system and method for devices", filed in the name of Orica International Pte Ltd on 16 June 2023, the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to magnetic induction (MI) wireless communications devices, systems and methods for communication from in- ground / carth / carthcn matcnal / construction material or in-holc devices (for instance, which are buried in ground / earth or holes, e g., boreholes or blastholes, which may extend in any direction, including down / up / across), including in / for commercial blasting or monitoring operations. Such blasting systems may include wireless electronic blasting (WEB) systems with remotely controlled detonators / initiators. Such commercial blasting operations may include surface mining operations, underground mining operations, quarrying operations, demolition operations, and / or seismic surveying.BACKGROUND

[0003] Existing signalling / communication systems and methods for in- hole / ground / earth / earthen material / construction material devices, including wireless electronic blasting (WEB) systems, e g., the ORICA (TM) WEBGEN (TM) blasting system, may provide signalling and communication to such devices through the material in which the devices are buried, including earth, rock, ground, soil, stemming material, sand, bulk explosive material, concrete and / or brick, depending on the type of operation, e.g., surface mining operations, underground mining operations, quarrying operations, demolition operations, and / or seismic surveying operations. Such signalling and communication andcommunication may be referred to as “through -the -earth” (TTE) communication, and is generally only in one direction, thus providing only one-way or “downlink” communication from out-of-hole equipment, including out-of-hole transmit antennae. Such “through -the- earth” (TTE) communication refers to wireless communication signals carrying information through (e g., substantially non-conductive, in at least some situations) geological materials without using wires, and thus the term “earth” in this context can include material in which the devices are buried, including earth, rock, ground, soil, stemming material, bulk explosive material, concrete and / or brick, depending on the type of operation.

[0004] Generally, TTE signalling / communication to such devices requires undesirably high- power or very high-power transmitters for TTE signal transmission out of the holes, and highly sensitive receivers in such devices, because TTE signal attenuation is generally very high.

[0005] Although it may be considered desirable to provide “uplink” communication (i.e., from in-hole devices to the out-of-hole equipment in some operations), pre-existing available systems (e.g., WEB systems currently in use) have significant size constraints (including antenna size constraints), limited energy storage capacity (e.g., limited battery capacity), accessibility constraints (as they are self-contained units which are not readily accessible once deployed in-hole), and may have insufficient signal-to-noise ratios, data rates, signal power, and / or range for practical wireless uplink communication — at least in some rock / ground / earth types and / or when using some mining methods or blasthole configurations — so existing systems tend to rely on the one-way TTE signalling / communication to the in-hole / ground / earth devices, and / or communication by way of one or more physical links from such deGees to the out-of-hole equipment (for instance, by way of a set of wires, e g., a conductive cable, or twisted pair of conductors; or optical fibres) extending from the in-holc device to the out-of-holc equipment.

[0006] It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more disadvantages or limitations associated with the prior art, or to at least provide a useful alternative.

[0007] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknow ledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.SUMMARY

[0008] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a magnetic induction (Ml) wireless communications device for communication from in a hole or from in the ground / earth or from in earthen / construction material(s), the wireless communications device including: an electrical power source; an electronic control unit powered by the power source; an electrical boost converter powered by the power source and controlled by the control unit for boosting an output voltage of the power source to a boosted voltage that is higher than the output voltage; an electrical energy storage powered by the boost converter and separate from the power source, and configured for storing energy from the boost converter at the boosted voltage; a transmit antenna element configured to transmit wireless signals through the earth (TTE) using magnetic induction (MI) from in the hole using the stored energy from the electrical energy storage; and a switching element controlled by the control unit and configured to release the stored energy from the energy storage into the transmit antenna element when controlled by the control unit.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the transmit antenna element and the switching element provide the wireless MI signals with at least one carrier frequency.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the transmit antenna element includes at least one antenna coil and at least one capacitive element timed to provide at least one resonant tank frequency band that includes the or each carrier frequency.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the switching element releases the stored energy at at least one release frequency within the resonant tank frequency band. In one or more embodiments, the or each release frequency is selected to be substantially equal to the or each carrier frequency.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the at least one capacitive element has a tuneable capacitance. In one or more embodiments, the tuneable capacitance is controlled by the control unit.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the electrical boost converter is configured to operate at a selected boosting frequency that is selected to substantially not overlap with the release frequency or the carrier frequency.

[0014] Tn one or more embodiments, the electronic control unit is configured to provide the wireless MI signals with a message. In one or more embodiments, the message carries status information of the device.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the device includes a protective housing around any one or more of: the electncal power source; the electronic control unit: the electrical boost converter; the electrical energy storage; the transmit antenna element; and the switching element.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the device is configured to receive wireless MI signals, including TTE MI signals. (The TTE MI signals can include downlink signals and / or sidelink signals).

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the device includes a magnetometer to form a wireless monitoring device.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the device includes an initiation unit to form a wireless blasting device.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the boost converter is configurablc / controllablc to select / control the boosted voltage. In one or more embodiments, a charging duration of the boost converter is controlled by the electronic control unit. In one or more embodiments, the boosted voltage selected / controlled by the boost converter is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the electrical energy storage is configurable / controllable to select / control the boosted voltage, including by having a variable capacitor component and / or a set of switchable capacitors. In one or more embodiments, the boosted voltageselected / controlled by the electrical energy storage is controlled by the electronic control unit. In one or more embodiments, the boosted voltage selected / controlled by the electrical energy storage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the switching element is configurable / controllable to select / control a release voltage applied to the transmit antenna element. In one or more embodiments, the switching element has a variable duty cycle controlled by the electronic control unit. Tn one or more embodiments, the release voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter.

[0022] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system for wireless electronic blasting (WEB) including the device of any one of the preceding statements.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, the system includes a separate receiving system configurable or configured for receiving the wireless Ml signals from the device, and the separate receiving system is physically separate from the device. In one or more embodiments, the separate receiving system includes any one or more of: at least one magnetometer (which can be an MI RX antenna) configured for receiving the wireless MI signals by converting the wireless MI signals to electrical signals; a low noise amplifier configured to amplify the electrical signals from the or each magnetometer; a signal processor configured to extract electronic signals from the amplified electrical signals; and a dual TX / RX MI antenna (which may also comprise the at least one magnetometer). In one or more embodiments, the separate receiving system is in or on another MI wireless communications device. In one or more embodiments, the separate receiving system is in an out-of-hole system (wherein the out-of-hole system is out of the hole, ground / earth and / or earthen / construction material(s)). In one or more embodiments, the out-of-hole system includes an aircraft or vehicle, and / or an MT broadcast antenna.

[0024] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a magnetic induction (Ml) wireless communications method for communication from in a hole or from in the ground / earth or from in earthen / construction material(s), the method including: boosting an output voltage of a power source in the hole to a boosted voltage that is higher than the output voltage; storing energy at the boosted voltage;releasing the stored energy into a transmit antenna element in the hole under control of a control unit in the hole; and transmitting wireless signals out of the hole, from the transmit antenna element in the hole, using magnetic induction (MI) from the transmit antenna element using the stored energy.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the method includes modulating the wireless MI signals with at least one a carrier frequency and a message.

[0026] In one or more embodiments, the method includes releasing the stored energy at at least one release frequency selected to be substantially equal to the or each carrier frequency.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Some embodiments are described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: a. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram, in which broken lines with arrows represent control / signals paths and unbroken lines with arrows represent power deli very / liigli current paths, of an in-hole / ground / earth device with a booster converter, an energy storage, a switching element, and a transmit (TX) antenna element; b. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an in-holc / ground / carth / matcrial device with a booster converter, an energy storage, a switching element, a transmit (TX) antenna element, a receive (RX) front end, and a TX / RX switch; c. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an in-hole / ground / earth / material device with a booster converter, an energy storage, a switching element, a transmit (TX) antenna element, a receive (RX) front end, and a magnetometer; d. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an in-hole / ground / earth / material device with a TX / RX switch and an initiation module; e. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an in-hole / ground / earth / material device with a magnetometer and an initiation module; f. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of an in-hole / ground / earth / material device;g. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a separate receiving system, which may be in the form of an out-of-hole system; h. FIG. 8 is a state diagram of an in-hole / ground / earth / material device; i. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an operational system, e.g., a wireless electronic blasting (WEB) system, with a plurality of in- hole / ground / earth / material devices and an aircraft; j. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an operational system with a plurality of in-holc devices in vertical holes; and k. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an operational system with a plurality of in-holc devices in horizontal holes.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONOverview

[0028] Disclosed herein is a wireless communication system that includes a wireless communication device 200 that includes: a. at least one protective housing for protecting the device 200 when deployed in a hole or buried in the ground / earth or in earthen / construction material(s); and b. a transmitter component 202 in the housing.

[0029] For purpose of brevity and simplicity, in the description that follows the terms “in hole”, “down-hole”, “in the ground / earth”, “in ground / earth”, and “in ground” can be construed to encompass at least partially surrounded by or in a hole, the earth or ground, and / or earthen / construction material(s).

[0030] The hole may be a blasthole or a borehole or other hole in substantially solid matcnal, including geologic material, earth, rock, ground, soil, stemming material, sand, etc. found in mining and exploration environments, and / or solid constructions materials, e.g., brick and concrete, found in construction environments. The hole may extend in any direction, including down / up / across, to allow for various monitoring and / or blasting techniques, e.g., tunnelling, stoping or ore-movement monitoring.

[0031] The device 200 (which may also be referred to as an “in-ground device / apparatus”, “in-hole apparatus”, “down-hole device”, or “down-hole apparatus”) is configured to operate(e.g., be capable of, or configurable / configured for, full or fully-enabled operation) when deployed in the hole or in the ground / earth, where “earth” in this context can include material in which the device 200 is buried, including earth, rock, ground, soil, stemming material, bulk explosive material, concrete and / or brick, depending on the type of operation. The device 200 is configured to operate in the ground / earth, e.g., in a borehole or blasthole in a mining / quarrying / seismic site, thus separated from line-of-sight communications and from wired electrical power and communications that may be available on the surface, e g , of a mining / quarrying / seismic site.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter component 202 includes the following clcctrical / clcctronic elements: a. at least one electrical power source 204 for powdering the device 200 when in the hole; b. at least one electronic control unit 206 powered by the power source 204 for controlling operation of the device 200 when in the hole; c. an electrical boost converter 208 powered by the power source 204 and controlled by the control unit 206 for boosting an output voltage of the power source 204 to a boosted voltage that is higher than the output voltage; d. an electrical energy storage element 210 (also referred to as an “energy storage”) that is powered by the electrical boost converter 208 and is separate from the power source 204, and is configured for storing energy (referred to as “boosted energy”) from the boost converter 208 at the boosted voltage; e. at least one transmit antenna element 212 (with at least 1 , 2 or 3 antennae, also referred to as a “magnetic induction (Ml) transmit (TX) antenna element”) configured to transmit wireless MI signals through the earth (TTE) using magnetic induction (MI) from in the hole using the stored boosted energy from the energy storage element 210; and f. an electrical switching element 214 (also referred to as a “switch / pulser”) controlled by the control unit 206 (by way of control signals from the control unit 206) and configured to release the stored boosted energy fromthe energy storage element 210 into the transmit antenna element 212 when controlled by the control unit 206.

[0033] The switching element 214 is configured to release the stored boosted energy from tire energy storage element 210 into the transmit antenna element 212, when controlled by the control unit 206, such that the transmit antenna element 212 can transmit efficiently at a higher power (and, in use, does transmit at the higher power) than would be provided by the (un-boosted) output voltage of the power source 204, or a DC component of the boosted voltage, including because the switching clement 214 is configured to release the stored boosted energy substantially at a resonant frequency of the transmit antenna element 212. The switching clement 214 effectively provides a release voltage to the transmit antenna element 212, and the release voltage in certain embodiments may be as high or approximately or essentially as high as the boosted voltage, or less than the boosted voltage in some embodiments (e.g., depending upon switching element structural and / or functional characteristics, in a manner individuals having ordinary skill in the relevant art will readily comprehend).The transmitter component 202 may be configured such that the boosted voltage and / or the release voltage (applied to the transmit antenna element 212) can be predetermined or selectively / programmably controlled by configuration / control, including of the boost converter 208, the electrical energy storage element 210 and the electrical switching element 214. The boost converter 208 is configurable / controllable to select / control the boosted voltage, including by having a charging duration controlled by the electronic control unit 206, optionally wherein the boosted voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter. The electrical energy' storage element 210 is configurable / controllable to select / control the boosted voltage, including by' having a variable capacitor component and / or a set of switchable capacitors, optionally wherein the boosted voltage is controlled by the control unit 206, optionally wherein the boosted voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter. The switching element 214 is configurable / controllable to select / control the release voltage, including by having a variable duty cycle controlled by' the control unit 206, optionally' wherein the release voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter, and / or optionally wherein the release voltage is selected by based on a data table and / or rules stored in the control unit 206 that select a relatively higher release voltage for certain commands ormessages (e.g., ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of receiving a FIRE command) and / or that select a relatively higher release voltage for one or more expected or intended receivers (e.g., another of the devices 200 might require a higher release voltage to receive a sidelink signal if it is further or deeper into the earth / rock or in portions of the earth / rock having material or geologic properties associated with magnetizability / magnetization and / or very high MI signal attenuation properties, or a set of H E distances and / or signal strengths corresponding to a set of neighbouring devices 200 can stored in the control unit 206 and used to calculate / select an appropriate release voltage). As mentioned hereinafter, the control unit 206 can store a device ID for at least one other device 200 in the communication system, and tire control unit 206 can select the release voltage based on the device ID and the stored relative direction / location of tire corresponding device 200. The selection / control of the boosted voltage (which is defined by a value / amount / level), which may be the maximum boosted voltage, and the release voltage (which is defined by a value / amount / level), may allow for improved safety and / or efficiency of power usage for the expected required maximum boosted transmitted signal. For example, a higher boosted voltage may be selected for an example device 200 that is to be located further from the separate receiving system 800, and / or which is to be at least partially surrounded by or located in one or more types of media expected to attenuate MI signals below or significantly below a typical, ordinarily- encountered, or preferred MI signal strength / attenuation target level, relative to a set of intended location(s) at which MT signals would or will be received, and thus is to require a higher power MI signal, despite the additional battery usage. The levcl / voltagc of the boosted voltage is controlled by the controller unit 206.

[0034] Operation of a given set of devices 200 under consideration can output or deliver improved outbound uplink or sidelink wireless MT communication signals from devices 200 in the form of in-holc / ground / carth devices (e.g, including components of WEBGEN (TM) units) to one or more destinations such as at least one system, apparatus, or another device (e.g., another device 200) remote from the device(s) 200. The device(s) 200 can transmit toward, to, and / or beyond collar(s) of a set of respective boreholes / blastholes in a blasting operation including the dcvicc(s) 200. Additionally or alternatively, the device(s) 200 can include or be in the form of in-hole or in-ground / earth monitoring devices that transmit corresponding monitoring signals to one or more destinations. The outbound signals can be received by others of the set of device(s) 200, which may each include substantially separatereceiving systems 800 (described hereinafter). Alternatively, the substantially separate receiving system(s) 800 can be in one or more out-of-hole systems, e.g., above ground, for instance connected to a central blasting control system or a central monitoring system by a conventional wired or wireless link, e.g., a mine-site data network or a line-of-sight link. The wireless MI signals provide the communication because the receiver can extract or decode information from the signals, including simple signals (e.g., status bits) and / or complicated signals (encrypted data). The wireless MI signals can be communicated or travel along the hole, in a direction tow ard the collar of the hole, or TTE perpendicular to the hole or deeper into the hole, to reach a sensitive or highly sensitive MI receiver in the separate receiving system 800 (e.g., including a magnetometer as described hereinafter). The wireless MI signals can be communicated or travel through one or more types of naturally-occurring and / or human-produced media such as air, explosive compositions (including fluid compositions, e.g., emulsion explosive compositions), and / or earthen / construction material(s). For instance, the wireless MI signals can be communicated or travel through the air (“TTA”) before the hole is filled / stemmed, and / or through the earth or rock ("TTE") after the hole is filled / stemmed. The transmit antenna element 212 and the switching element 214 provide the wireless MI signals with a carrier frequency (fc), and the highly sensitive MI receiver 800 (e.g., substantially out of the hole) can be tuned to substantially the same carrier frequency (fc) for optimized or substantially optimum signal reception. The control unit 206 provides the wireless MI signals with a message (e.g., at least one or one type of message), via the control signals, by encoding the wireless MI signals with the message, and the sensitive MT receiver (e.g., substantially out of the hole) amplifies the signals and decrypts the message for use in the system, e.g., for monitoring the device 200. The message may carry' status information of a wireless blasting device, e.g., an encoded wireless blasting device, after it has been encoded and loaded into a blasthole.

[0035] When the wireless MI signals travel in a direction toward the collar of the hole or toward the surface, the wireless MI signals can be referred to as "uplink signals", e.g., the example wireless uplink signals 950 in FIGs. 9 to 11.

[0036] When the wireless MI signals travel in a direction TTE perpendicular to the hole or deeper into the hole, toward another of the devices 200, the wireless MI signals can be referred to as "sidelink signals", “node-to-node signals”, or “mesh-link signals”, e.g., the example wireless sidelink signals 952 in FIGs. 9 to 11. Such sidelink signals can be used formultihop communication from the transmitting device 200 to others of the set of devices 200, including to communicate to the surface via a shallower device 200 (which can more readily communicate with surface equipment, e.g., of a blasting system) to communicate to a deeper device 200 that is further from the surface (which cannot readily communicate with surface equipment, e.g., of a blasting system). The shallower and deeper devices 200 can be in different decks of a blast from the transmitting device. By using the sidelink signals, a plurality of the devices 200 can form an in-ground ad hoc network based upon or using methods described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO / 2006 / 076777 (to Orica Explosives Technology Pty Ltd, inventors Dirk Hummel and John McCann) entitled "Wireless detonator assemblies, and corresponding networks".

[0037] Tire system and method described herein may provide improvements to the signal-to- noise ratios, data rates, signal power, and / or range such that wireless uplink / sidelmk communication is practically useful — at least in some rock / ground / earth types and / or when using some mining methods or blasthole configurations — despite the practical size / power limitations of the in-hole / ground / earth devices, e.g., the power fall-off with distance that can scale with the cube of distance, the in-device antennae have limited size, and the device has limited on-board power.Protective Housing

[0038] Tire at least one protective housing is configured and formed to protect the device 200 when deployed in the hole, including to protect the clcctrical / clcctronic elements of the device 200 (including the transmitter component 202) from impacts during deployment, and / or pressure and chemical damage while waiting in the hole (e.g., until after a FIRE command has been received and processed).

[0039] The at least one protective housing may include polymer shell pieces, e.g., injection moulded, that encase one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) of the electrical / electronic elements of the device 200. The protective housing may include potting material to insulate and protect the electrical / electronic elements. The at least one protective housing can be substantially sealed against moisture to protect the electrical / electronic elements, e.g., the polymer shell pieces may mutually connect and seal, e.g., by adhesives.

[0040] Inside the protective housing, the transmit antenna element 212 may include potting material around and encapsulating some or all of the electrical / electronic elements in order tomechanically protect, hermetically seal (e.g., quasi-hermetically seal) and / or magnetically shield the transmit antenna coil 706 away from other electronics component, and thus: a. protect the other electronics components, including signal reception circuitry, from the strong MI field of the wireless uplink / sidelink signals from the antenna coil 706, and / or b. mitigate the transmit antenna coil 706 being impacted by nearby electronics / conductive material that could weaken its transmit power, e.g., by absorption or changing the resonant frequency.Transmit Antenna Element

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, in at least some embodiments, the transmit antenna element 212 can include two electrical terminals 702,704 with an electrical circuit (or “a resonant tank circuit”) therebetw een including the or each antenna coil 706 and the or each capacitive element 708 (e.g., including a capacitor, which has a high voltage rating). As shown in FIG. 6, the or each capacitive element 708 may be in series with the or each antenna coil 706, and between the electrical terminals 702,704, to form the resonant tank circuit.

[0042] In the tank circuit, the antenna coil 706 and the capacitive element 708 are tuned together to resonate and to emit at substantially the or each selected carrier frequency (fc).

[0043] The antenna coil 706 and the capacitive element 708 are selected and arranged to form a “resonant tank”, which is a resonant electrical circuit in the transmit antenna element 212. The resonant tank has a resonant tank frequency band equal to the resonant frequencies of the transmit antenna element 212. The resonant tank frequency band is defined by the inductive and capacitive values of the components of the transmit antenna element 212, substantially comprising the inductance of the antenna coil 706 and the capacitance of the capacitive tuning element 708. The tank frequency band is selected to include or be substantially equal to the carrier frequency (fc). By operating resonantly at the carrier frequency (fc), the device 200 can substantially optimise the current circulating in the transmit antenna coil 706 to strengthen the wireless uplink / sidelink signal generation. As described hereinafter with reference to the switching element 214, the switching element 214 releases the stored energy by switching at or with respect to at least one release frequency, and the or each release frequency is selected to match the tank frequency band of the transmitantenna element 212, and thus to maximise the current that can be delivered to the transmit antenna coil 706, and thus to maximise the wireless uplink / sidelink signal strength.

[0044] For a resonant tank with very' high quality factor (“Q-factor”, “Q factor”, or “Q”), provided by a very' low resistance and a high inductance, a passband (or “tank frequency' band”) of the resonant tank is correspondingly very narrow, and hence it may be preferred to drive the tank circuit very close to, if not exactly at, the carrier frequency', thus the release frequency is selected to be very substantially equal to a central frequency of the tank frequency band; however, for a resonant tank with a lower Q, the tank frequency' band is correspondingly broader, so the release frequency may be selected to be only approximately or substantially equal to the central frequency of the tank frequency band.

[0045] Tire switching element 214 releases the stored energy at the or each release frequency within the resonant tank frequency band. The or each release frequency may be selected to be substantially equal to the or each carrier frequency.

[0046] With a high-Q resonant tank (with a high Q factor), the transmit passband (“tank frequency band”) is very narrow (or the selectivity is very high), therefore the or each release frequency is selected to be very close, if not essentially or exactly matching the resonant frequency of the resonant LC tank. This is the case when the inner resistance of the inductor coil (of the transmit antenna element 212) is very small (as the Q factor equals the impedance of the inductance divided by the resistance of the resonant tank). An example of such a high- Q resonant tank may be provided by dedicated uplink / sidelink antenna coil 706 (one with low resistance) of the transmit antenna clement 212 used for uplink / sidelink transmission only, e.g., not a dual receive-and-transmit antenna element 212A that can receive MI TTE signals as well as transmit the MI TTE signals (described hereinafter).

[0047] With a low-Q resonant tank (with a relatively low Q factor), such as one with the dual rcccivc-and-transmit antenna clement 212A (e.g., using a commercially available WEBGEN DRX (TM) antenna as the transmit antenna coil 706), the resonant passband (“tank frequency band”) is very wide, allowing many frequencies in the vicinity of the resonant central frequency to be used without compromising transmit power (transmit power is equally low- ish within such a wide passband). With a low-Q resonant tank, the set of release frequencies preferably include the carrier frequency (fc), but optionally the central resonant frequency.

[0048] The capacitive element may include two or more capacitors, having substantially mutually different capacitance values, thus providing two or more respective resonant tankcircuits that respectively provide two or more substantially mutually different carrier frequencies defined by the different capacitance values.

[0049] Additionally or alternatively, the capacitive element may have a tuneable capacitance. The tuneable capacitance may be controlled by the control unit 206.

[0050] The tuneable capacitance (controlled by the control unit 206) may be provided by the capacitive element having two or more capacitive elements 708 in the form of a set of switchable capacitors that provide two or more respective resonant frequencies (generally in a high-Q LC tank with one antenna coil 706). In this resonant tank circuit, the control unit 206 is configured to switch the set of switchable capacitors between the two or more capacitive elements 708 with mutually different capacitances to provide the mutually different resonant frequencies, and thus corresponding carrier frequencies (fc). In use, tire control unit 206 may select between two mutually substantially separate frequencies, fl and fO, by selecting between two capacitors. Cl and CO in the set of switchable capacitors, representing digital "0" and " 1": accordingly, the control unit 206 can send digital "0" by selecting the tuning capacitor CO, and send digital " 1" by selecting the tuning capacitor Cl. The data rate of such frequency modulation depends on the switching speeds of the tuning capacitor banks, and the number of resonant / carrier frequencies (fc) corresponds to the number of tuning caps in the set of switchable capacitors.

[0051] The or each carrier frequency (fc), and thus the tank frequency band and the or each release frequency, can be selected based on one or more of a target range of transmission for the application, and a skin depth of the geology of the hole.

[0052] The selected carrier frequency (fc) and / or the value of the tuneable capacitance can be provided to the device 200 at manufacture or in a programming / encoding procedure. The programming / encoding, and thus selection of the carrier frequency (fc) may be effected by encoding signals from a programming system, apparatus, or device, such as portable encoder, e.g., a hand-held or machine -mounted encoder unit used to encode the device 200 in a mining / quarrying operation and / or by encoding signals from an MI transmitter, e.g., an MI broadcast transmitter, e.g., with the carrier frequency (fc) / capacity / capacitance as well as other values used by the device 200, e.g., delay time for initiation of a detonation event, etc.

[0053] Depending on the operation, the carrier frequency (fc) can be selected to be betw een 1 or few kHz to a few tens of kHz, including from 1 kHz to 100 kHz, or from any one of 1 kHz, 2 kHz, or 3 kHz, or 4 kHz or 5kHz to any one of 20 kHz, 30 kHz, 40 kHz, and 50 kHz. Inexamples, depending on the required range, hole depth and properties of the geology around the hole (e.g., skin depth or “passband” of the earth), the ratio of the range to the skin depth may be selected to be substantially 2.7 to 2.9, e.g., 2.83, and the tank frequency band max' be selected to include the carrier frequency, and the carrier frequency may be selected to be substantially between 1 kHz and 1 MHz, or from 50 kHz to 500 kHz, or from 100 kHz to 200 kHz, e.g., substantially 50 kHz, 80 kHz, 90 kHz, 100 kHz, 110 kHz, 120 kHz, 130 kHz, 140 kHz, 150 kHz, 160 kHz, 170 kHz, 1 0 kHz or 190 kHz (+ / - 10%), depending on the application and the environment (e.g., frequency noise sources and spectrum restrictions). In embodiments, the carrier frequency may be between 1 kHz and 2 kHz, or between 1 kHz and 5 kHz.

[0054] For uplink implementations, the required uplink range may be approximately equal to the hole depth, e.g., substantially 20 m to 30 m, and / or substantially up to 100 m, 150 m or 200 m, depending on material — e.g., stemming, bulk explosive material, etc., depending on the ty pe of operation — in the hole. In use, the transmit antenna element 212 transmits the wireless uplink signals out of the hole, from the transmit antenna element 212 in the hole — using magnetic induction (MI) from the transmit antenna element transmit antenna element 212 using the stored energy — after the hole is filled / stemmed with material, thus TTE: and / or before the hole is filled / stemmed with material, thus TTA.

[0055] The capacitor (also referred to as a “tank capacitor”) in the capacitive tuning element 708 may have a high voltage rating, e.g., a DC peak rating of hundreds of volts such as up to substantially 630 V. In some examples, the carrier frequency (fc) can be substantially 1.82 kHz, the antenna coil 706 inductance can be substantially 825 mH, and the tank capacitor can have substantially 10 nF, thus requiring a capacitor rating of 630 V for about 59 mArms of current running through the antenna coil 706.

[0056] The transmit antenna element 212 can include two or more antenna coils 706 in scries with one or respective capacitive tuning elements 708 to form respective resonant tanks, each configured for the resonant tank frequency band. The transmit antenna element 212 can include two or more tuning capacitors, with mutually different selected capacitances, paired with one antenna coil 706 to provide two or more non-overlapping different respective resonant tank frequency bands, and thus two or more mutually different respective carrier frequencies (fcl, fc2, ...), e.g., within a single transmit antenna element thus configured to provide multiple carrier frequency transmission. The switching element 214 can beselectively connected, by the control unit 206, to select just one of the two or more antenna coils at any one time using an electrical switch with a corresponding number of states controlled by the control unit 206, e.g., a 2-way switch for two antenna coils, a 3-way switch for 3 antenna coils, etc. The transmit antenna element 212 may include 2 or 3 antenna coils arranged to be mutually orthogonal to allow a direction of the wireless uplink / sidelink signals to be substantially selected by the control unit 206 selecting to direct the stored boosted energy through a selected one of the two or more antenna coils. In general, the preferred transmit coil is intended or selected to align substantially with the hole axis (e.g., the expected long, lengthwise, or longitudinal axis of a borehole / blasthole) for the uplink signals and for sidclink signals directed to a deeper or shallower device 200 in the same hole; and the preferred transmit coil is intended or selected to align substantially perpendicular to the hole axis for the sidelink signals directed to a device 200 in an adjacent or different hole. The control unit 206 may store machine-readable relative directions or relative locations for the other devices 200 in the set of devices 200, and can thus select, e.g., based on a stored device ID and the stored relative direction / location of the corresponding device 200, which of the antenna coils to select. The transmit coil or coils are mounted fixedly relative to the external housing, and a selected transmit coil may be mounted with its antenna axis aligned along a long axis of the housing, e g., substantially in parallel or coaxially, because the device 200 is generally dispensed / placed in the hole with the long axis of the housing aligned along the long axis of the hole, and thus pointing towards the open / top end of the hole where the separate receiving system 800 is located during use. In this case, a most sensitive axis of the magnetometer of the separate receiving system 800 can be aligned along a long axis of the hole, e.g., substantially in parallel or coaxially, because this is generally the expected maximum orientation of the signal from the selected transmit coil. Alternatively, the selected transmit coil may be mounted with its antenna axis aligned across to the long axis of the housing, e.g., substantially perpendicular to, for transmitting the sidelink signals to another of the devices 200.

[0057] In one implementation, the antenna coil 706 may be provided by one or more of the three orthogonal antenna coils in the commercially available WEBGEN DRX, and the boosted voltage may be selected to be substantially 75 V (or another predetermined or selectable / programmable voltage), thus substantially 60 mAms of current may circulate inside the antenna coil 706 (of substantially 20 mm diameter and 4,800 turns) to generatesubstantially 0.1 Am2of magnetic moment, which can be sufficient to detected by a sensitive MI receiver around 20 m away from the antenna coil 706 through non-conductive, nonmagnetised rocks. The selected one of the three orthogonal antenna coils may be the z-axis antenna as it likely approximately or essentially lines up coaxially with the long axis of the blasthole, giving it better chance to be aligned with the out-of-hole receiver orientation.Boost Converter

[0058] As shown in FIG. 6, in at least some embodiments, the boost converter 208 (also referred to as a “voltage step up converter”) can include a boost converter circuit 718 (also referred to as a “voltage step up converter circuit”) with two output electrical terminals 714,716.

[0059] The boost converter circuit 718 includes a rectified component and a regulator component to generate a smooth output voltage from the boost converter 208. The regulator component may include a voltage clamping component such as a Zener diode, and / or a closed control loop which is based on feedback of the output voltage of the boost regulator.

[0060] The boost converter circuit 718 is configured to have a selected output current rating and a selected output voltage rating sufficient to provide sufficient current through the inductive load of the antenna coil 706, e.g., substantially 60 mA.

[0061] The boost converter circuit 718 is configured operate at (i.e., to be switched at) a selected boosting frequency that is selected to substantially not overlap with the release frequency or the or each carrier frequency (fc) in order to mitigatc / minimisc electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the boost converter circuit 178 in the wireless uplink / sidelink signals.

[0062] In some embodiments, the boost converter circuit 718 may include a boost converter circuit from a commercially available WEBGEN (TM) device with the clamping Zener diode configured to provide the selected DC voltage output defined by the transmit antenna element 212, e.g., 24 VDC output.

[0063] The boosted voltage can be predetermined, or selectively / programmably controlled, by selecting / controlling a duration of the operation of the boost converter circuit 718 while it charges the energy storage element 210. The boosted voltage can thus be selectively / programmably controlled by selecting the extent of the charging of the charging element 724 to be a selected fraction of its maximum capacity, including less than 100%, i.e.,less than the maximum rated / operational capacity of the charging element 724, by controlling the charging duration of the boost converter circuit 718. The selected value of the boosted voltage, being less than the maximum of the charging element 724, can be selected / controlled by the control unit 206 during operation of the device 200, e.g., to provide a selected boosted voltage value, e g., from the encoder in the programming / encoding procedure. The selected boosted voltage (value / level) can be provided to the device 200 at manufacture or in a programming / encoding procedure, and this programming / encoding may be effected by encoding signals from a programming system, apparatus, or device, such as portable encoder, e.g., a hand-held or machine -mounted encoder unit used to encode the device 200 in a mining / quarrying operation, and / or by encoding signals from an MI transmitter, e.g., an MI broadcast transmitter.Energy Storage

[0064] As shown in FIG. 6, in at least some embodiments, the energy storage element 210 can include: a. two input electrical terminals 710,712 coupled to corresponding the output electrical terminals 714,716 of the boost converter circuit 718; b. a charging element 724 (e g., including a charging capacitor, e.g., a high voltage, high capacitance capacitor) electrically connected between the two input electrical terminals 710,712 such that the charging element 724 can be charged by the boost converter 208 during operation; and c. two output electrical terminals 720,722 to which the charging element 724 is electrically connected to discharge the stored boost energy therethrough, at least one of which is electrically connected to the switching element 214 such that the switching element 214 can selectively electrically connect the energy' storage element 210 to the transmit antenna element 212 during operation.

[0065] The energy storage element 210 is separated from the power source 204 electrically. In examples, the power source 204 is a battery, e.g., a removable / replaceable battery, and the energy storage element 210 is a capacitive charge-storage element. The energy storage element 210 may be located on a PCB that is separate from a PCB of the power source 204 and may be separated by potting material and other insulation.

[0066] The uplink / sidelink control signals are transmitted for a selected transmission duration that is controlled by the control unit 206, and which is defined in the control signals, and which is selected based on tire storage capacity of the energy storage element 210. The selected transmission duration may be substantially or at least 1.5 milliseconds (ms).

[0067] The charging capacitor is required to be large in capacitance, e.g., having a capacitance of at least 3.6 uF. For example, if the capacitor is charged to 75 V, and it requires at least 50 V to send enough current to the transmit coil, the duration required to send the uplink / sidelink message may be at least 1.5 ms, and assuming an average current of 60 mA consumed during transmission of the message, then the capacitor needs to have at least 90 uC to dispense during such 1.5 ms of transmission, thus requiring a capacitance of at least 3.6 uF.

[0068] The boosted voltage can be predetermined, or selectively / programmably controlled, by selecting the capacity / capacitance of the charging element 724 (and thus the electrical energy storage element 210), including in some embodiments by the charging element 724 including: a variable capacitor component; and / or a set of switchable capacitors that can be selectively connected into the charging element 724 (such that one of the set can be selectively connected for a first capacitance, and another of the set can be selectively connected for a second capacitance that is larger than the first capacitance). The variable capacitor component may have a tuneable capacitance, which may be controlled by the control unit 206. Tire tuneable capacitance in the energy storage element may be provided by a set of switchable capacitors and the control unit 206 may be configured to switch the set of switchable capacitors between the respective capacitive elements with mutually different capacitances to provide mutually different boosted voltages (or boosted voltage levels or capacities). The capacitance / capacity of the charging element 724 can be selected / controlled prior to operation of the device 200 (e.g., at manufacture), and / or by the control unit 206 during operation of the device 200, e.g., to provide a selected boosted voltage value and a selected release voltage value, wherein these values can be provided to the device 200 in the programming / encoding procedure. The capacity / capacitance of the charging element 724 (and thus the maximum available boosted voltage value / level), can be provided to the device 200 at manufacture or in a programming / encoding procedure, and this programming / encoding may be effected by encoding signals from a programming system, apparatus, or device, such as portable encoder, e.g., a hand-held or machine-mounted encoderunit used to encode the device 200 in a mining / quarrying operation, and / or by encoding signals from an MI transmitter, e.g., an MI broadcast transmitter.Switching Element

[0069] As shown in FIG. 6, in at least some embodiments, the switching element 214 can include: a. a switch 726, b. a power input terminal 728 electrically connected to one of the output terminals 720,722 of the energy storage element 210, c. a power output terminal 730 electrically connected to one of the input terminals 704,702 of the transmit antenna element 212, and d. a control input terminal 732 electronically connected to the control unit 206 to receive the uplink / sidelink control signals.

[0070] The control input terminal 732 of the switching element 214 provides a port to accept small-voltage, low-current control signals from the control input terminal 732. The power input terminal 728 and the power output terminal 730 provide a path for switching of the high current load (betw een the power input terminal 728 and the power output terminal 730). The control unit 206 sends the control signals to the control input terminal 732.

[0071] The switching element 214 has two functions: (1) releasing the stored energy from energy storage element 210; and (2) controlling / modulating the release of the stored energy at the or each selected release frequency, and optionally at a selected release voltage (value / level), with the modulation representing the uplink / sidelink message (also referred to as “the uplink / sidelink data package”), e.g., representing status information from a wireless blasting device and / or sensor information from a wireless monitoring deGee. The control of the release of the stored energy at the selected release frequency causes the transmit antenna element 212 to transmit the wireless uplink / sidelink signals with the or each carrier frequency corresponding to or substantially within to the tank frequency band.

[0072] The control unit 206 is configured to generate the control signals with the selected modulation (to represent the message), e.g., using Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation, or Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), or Phase Shift Keying (PSK), or other available modulation.

[0073] The control unit 206 generally generates the control signals as a switching waveform 734, e.g., as shown in FIG. 6.

[0074] The control signals are transmitted for the selected transmission duration, as mentioned hereinbefore, thus the switching waveform 734 can have a duration substantially equal to tire selected transmission duration.

[0075] The switching element 214 has a fast response compared to a mechanical relay so that it can make / break contact at the selected release frequency.

[0076] The switching clement 214 may include a half H-bridgc driver circuit or a full Elbridge driver circuit, driven by logic levels from a first port. The half bridge driver circuit may include MOSFETs, or BJTs to minimise voltage drop.

[0077] Tire release voltage (applied to the transmit antenna element 212) can be predetermined or in some embodiments selectively / programmably controlled by configuration of the electrical switching element 214, including by selecting / controlling a duty cycle of the switching waveform 734 of the switching element 214. The duty cycle can be selected / controlled prior to operation of the device 200 (e.g., at manufacture), or by the control unit 206 during operation of the device 200, e.g., to provide a selected release voltage value, e.g., wherein this value can be provided to the device 200 in the programming / encoding procedure, e.g., effected by the portable encoder described hereinbefore. The selected release voltage (value / level), e.g., the duty cycle of the switching waveform 734, can be provided to the device 200 at manufacture or in a programming / encoding procedure, and this programming / encoding may be effected by encoding signals from a programming system, apparatus, or device, such as portable encoder, e.g., a hand-held or machine -mounted encoder unit used to encode the device 200 in a mining / quarrying operation, and / or by encoding signals from an MI transmitter, e.g., an MT broadcast transmitter.Control Unit

[0078] The control unit 206 includes at least one microcontroller unit (MCU) including a memory with machine readable instructions and a processor configured to read and execute the machine readable instructions to operate the herein-disclosed signalling / communication system according to a signalling / communication method that includes the following steps, as shown in the state diagram of FIG. 8:a. the MCU starts in a low power state 902, which may be an off state; b. the MCU transitions from the low power state 902 to a Power On Self Test (POST) state 904 in response to a WAKEUP command, which may include an encrypted WAKEUP sequence; c. after passing tire power-on self-test, in the POST state 904, the MCU transitions to a wait state 906 to wait for commands, e.g., including MI Codes from a commercially available WEBGEN (TM) Downlink Transmitter; d the commands, e g , operational commands or blasting codes, may be dcmodulatcd / dccodcd by the MCU or independently of the MCU; e. the MCU transitions to an operational state corresponding to the command, e.g., a monitoring state 910 (in a wireless monitoring device), or an ARM / FIRE state 908 (in a wireless blasting device); f. if the command is an Uplink / Sidelink Mode command (representing a request to send the uplink / sidelink message), the MCU transitions from the wait state 906 to an uplink / sidelink state 912 (also referred to an “uplink / sidelink mode”), in which the MCU activates the boost converter 208 to step up the voltage of the power source 204 to the required boosted voltage (also referred to herein as the “uplink / sidelink voltage”) to charge the energy storage element 210; g. in the uplink / sidelink state 912, the MCU may also activate receive circuit protection (e.g., voltage limiting protection for any receiving circuit of the device 200, and / or isolation of receive circuitry) in order to mitigate / avoid the device 200 detecting / receiving a very' wireless strong signal caused by the wireless uplink / sidelink signal; h. once the energy' storage element 210 has been charged (optionally to the selected fraction of its maximum capacity), and any receive circuit protection has been activated, the MCU transitions to an uplink / sidelink transmit state 914, in which the control unit 206 sends control signals to the switching element 214 to control release of the stored energy (at the selected release frequency, optionally7with the selected duty cycle) from the energy7storage element 210 to the transmit antenna element 212, and inwhich the MCU modulates the uplink / sidelink control signals to encode data into the wireless uplink / sidelink signals at the carrier frequency; and i. after the uplink / sidelink signals have been transmitted, the MCU returns to a low power state 916 waiting for a WAKEUP command.

[0079] As shown in the state diagram of FIG. 8, any critical error 918 or timeout 920 will lead the MCU to transition from any operational state 922 to a disable state 924.

[0080] The WAKEUP command may be generated from a second MCU of the control unit 206 that is additional to the first MCU. The second microcontroller unit (“MCU A”) may be configured to control the sleep / wake pattern of the device 200, and initial detection of a wireless (c.g., MI) signal broadcast from a downlink transmitter, c.g., a WAKEUP command from a WEBGEN (TM) MI downlink transmitter. Tire second MCU of the control unit 206 may altematively / additionally wait for the commands in the wait state 906, and may communicate with each other so that only when both MCUs have agreed that the command they have received is the same do they transition to the next state.Device Configuration Alternatives

[0081] The device 200 may be configured to form and operate as: a. a receive and transmit device configured to receive wireless MI signals, including TTE MI signals, including sidelink signals from another device 200, in addition to transmitting the wireless uplink / sidelink signals; b. a wireless blasting device, c.g., used for quarrying / mining, including in the form of a wireless electronic detonator or a wireless electronic primer; and / or c. a wireless monitoring device, e.g., used for mining / surveying, including in the form of a wireless movement monitor, a wireless environmental monitor, and / or a wireless magnetic-field monitor.Receive and Transmit Devices

[0082] The device 200 may be configured to form and operate as an MI wireless receive and transmit device, e.g., in addition to being configured to transmit the wireless uplink / sidelink signals, the device 200 may be configured to receive MI TTE signals, e g., wireless downlink signals and / or wireless broadcast signals.

[0083] The device 200 may be configured to receive the MI TTE signals by: a. having the transmit antenna element 212 configured as the dual receive- and-transmit antenna element 212A to receive MI TTE signals (as well as transmit the MI TTE signals); and / or b. the device 200 including a magnetometer configured to detect / receive MI TTE signals, which magnetometer is separate from the transmit antenna element 212.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 2, the device 200 may form a receive and transmit device 200A by the transmitter component 202A including, in addition to the elements described hereinbefore with reference to FIG. 1: the dual rcccivc-and-transmit antenna clement 212A configured to receive wireless MI signals (as well as transmit wireless MI signals); a transmit / receive switch 302 for selectively coupling the dual receive -and-transmit antenna element 212A to the switching element 214 (to operate the dual receive-and-transmit antenna element 212A as the transmit antenna element 212) or to a receiver front end 304, powered by the power source 204 and coupled to the transmit / receive switch 302 for receiving electronic signals from the dual receive-and-transmit antenna element 212A (operating as a receive antenna element) and amplifying the electronic signals for the control unit 206. The transmit / receive switch 302 (which may be referred to as a “TX / RX isolation switch’") is used if the device 200 shares the same antenna / antennae for transmit and receive. Such a receive and transmit device 200A may be described as configured for half-duplex operation, i.e., the device 200 would finish receiving, turn off / isolatc the receiving circuit, then switch to transmit. With reference to FIG. 8, the MCU may be described as being in a DOWNLINK mode (or DOWNLINK state) most of the time, including when in sleep mode (902) and the wait state 906, only entering an UPLTNK / SIDELTNK mode (turning off and isolating the receiving circuit, and turning on transmitting circuit, in state 912) when a SEND UPL1NK / S1DEL1NK command is received, e g., in a downlink signal requesting uplink data, or in a sidelink signal requesting sidelink data or further transmission of the sidelink data into the network of devices 200. The transmit / receive switch 302 is configured to isolate the receiver front end 304, which is sensitive and easy to damage, from the high power of the switching element 214 and the transmit antenna element 212A operating in transmission.

[0085] In the receive and transmit device 200A with the dual -use antenna element 212A, the characteristics of the dual-use antenna / antennae in the dual -use antenna element 212A maybe a compromise between preferred TX values and preferred RX values. For example, e.g., the antenna / antennae may be selected with characteristics optimised for RX, and thus not optimised for the uplink / sidelink communications, and such an RX-optimised antenna might be driven with a boost voltage having a relatively high value, e.g., 75V used to drive a 450 Ohm antenna coil, to achieve a magnetic moment of substantially 0. 1 Am2, giving an example range of substantially 20 metres in air / non-magnetite, non-conductive material.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 3, the device 200 may form a receive and transmit device 200B by the transmitter component 202B including, in addition to the elements described hereinbefore with reference to FIG. 1 : a. a magnetometer 402 in form of one or more receive antennae for receiving TTE MI wireless signals; and b. the receiver front end 304 described hereinbefore with reference to FIG. 2.

[0087] In the receive and transmit device 200B with the magnetometer 402 operating in addition to, and separately from, the transmit antenna element 212, high voltage protection and isolation can be applied to protect the receive front end 304, which as mentioned is sensitive and easy to damage, using a voltage limiter, a protective PCB lay out and physical separation (instead of the transmit / receive switch 302 used for the receive and transmit device 200A with the dual-use antenna element 212A).

[0088] In the receive and transmit device 200B with the magnetometer 402 operating in addition to, and separately from, the transmit antenna element 212, the transmit antenna clement 212 can include one or more dedicated antenna coils for transmitting, requiring a much lower drive voltage than the dual-use antennae. One example is the use of a 215-tum, 0.0225m radius coil, which has inner resistance of 3.2 Ohm as one of the dedicated antenna coils: with this dedicated antenna coil driven at 8 kHz, only 6 V driving voltage is required to achieve a magnetic moment of substantially 1.1 Am2and a range of substantially 20 meters, 30 meters or 50 meters using MI when a high sensitivity receiving antenna (a magnetometer) and a good low noise receiver front end are used in the out-of-hole reception system. It may be preferable to have the separate magnetometer 402 to allow for the lower boosted voltage as the driving voltage (e.g., 6V) which may reduce any risk of higher voltages undesirably being applied to other portions of the device, e g., if the device 200 includes an initiation unit 502.

[0089] The uplink / sidelink carrier frequency (fc) may be selected to be substantially different from a downlink carrier frequency of a w ireless downlink signals and / or a wireless broadcast signal for w hich the receive antennae (of the magnetometer 402) and / or the receive front end 304 are configured in order to mitigate interference with the uplink / sidelink wireless signals. If the magnetometer 402 can operate in addition to, and at substantially separate frequencies from, the transmit antenna element 212, the device 200B may have full duplex communication.Wireless Blasting Devices

[0090] The receive and transmit device may be configured to form and operate as a wireless blasting device used for quarrying / mining, e g.: a wireless electronic detonator, or a wireless electronic primer.

[0091] As shown in FIGs. 4 and 5, in addition to the elements described hereinbefore w ith reference to FIG. 1, the wireless blasting device includes: a. a transmitter component 202C or 202D; b. a magnetometer component including the TX / RX switch 302 or the magnetometer 402 for detecting wireless TIE MI signals; c. a receiver circuit including the RX front end 304, powdered by the power source 204 and coupled to the magnetometer component for receiving electronic signals representing the wireless TTE MI signals; and d. an initiation unit 502 in an initiation component 504 coupled or couplablc with the transmitter component 202C,202D, wherein the initiation unit 502 is configured to initiate an explosive blast when activated by the control unit 206.

[0092] The initiation component 504 includes an initiation unit 502, powered by the boost converter 208 and controlled by the control unit 206, configured to initiate a commercial blast. The initiation unit 502 may be an electronic detonator. For safety reasons, the initiation unit 502 cannot fire when powered by the output voltage of the power source 106 (which can be a battery with a battery output voltage) but can fire when powered by the boosted voltage that is substantially higher than the output voltage, e.g., 24 V. For safety reasons, the transmitter component 202C or 202D provides the firing voltage to the initiation unit 502 in preparation for initiating the explosive blast, and the firing voltage is higher thanthe output voltage of the power source 204. The firing voltage can be the boosted voltage from the boost converter 208, or a different boosted voltage from a different booster circuit of the transmitter component 202C or 202D.

[0093] In the wireless blasting device, the protective housing may include a first housing portion, around the transmitter component 202C,202D, that is substantially non-conductive to allow substantial transmission of magnetic fields, specifically the wireless uplink / sidelink signals. The protective housing may include a second housing portion around the initiation component 504 that is substantially conductive to substantially block magnetic fields, specifically electromagnetic interference (EMI) that might trigger / damage initiation circuity in the initiation unit 502.

[0094] Tire first housing portion and the second housing portion may couple together by having cooperating electrical terminals (e.g., in plugs / sockets) and by having cooperative fastening elements (e g., clips / threads), e.g., as described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO201 199620A1 of PCT / SG2015 / 050322 (“A wireless initiation device”), the originally filed specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 4, the device 200 may form a wireless blasting device 200C with the dual receive -and-transmit antenna element 212A, the TX / RX switch 302, the RX front end 304, the initiation unit 502 and the initiation component 504.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 5, the device 200 may form a wireless blasting device 200D with the magnetometer 402, the RX front end 304, the initiation unit 02 and the initiation component 504.

[0097] The wireless blasting device may include a booster explosive thus forming a wireless primer, e.g., as described in WO2015199620A1 mentioned hereinbefore.

[0098] For safety reasons, the wireless blasting device may include a protection circuit to ensure the boosted voltage cannot be transmittcd / conductcd to the initiation unit 502 until an ARM command is received by the control unit 206. The protection circuit may include a voltage limiter (which may be in the form of a Zener diode) that is active most of the time, clipping the voltage from the boost converter 208 to a sub-firing voltage (e.g., 7V), and that is deactivated / disabled by the control unit 206 only when the ARM command, or an equivalent command allowing the wireless blasting device to exit its SAFE states, is correctly received by the control unit 206. The initiation unit 502 may include a controller (e.g., an ASIC) that requires a predetermined digital firing code to allow initiation, such that the initiation unit502 cannot initiate the blast even if a high voltage, e.g., the boosted voltage, is unintentionally applied to the initiation unit 502.

[0099] Crosstalk between coil antennas while the wireless uplink / sidelink signals are being transmitted can be controlled by orthogonal orientation of the magnetometer coils in the wireless blasting device. Clamping diodes connected to the coil antennas may help limit the induced voltage from unused coils to the diode threshold voltage, e.g., 0.7V, or 0.5V, or 0.2, thus helping to ensure safe low voltages in other circuitry while the wireless uplink / sidelink signals arc being transmitted.

[0100] In an example, a commercially available WEBGEN (TM) device may be adapted to include the transmitter component 202C or 202D by utilising the existing step up converter, and storing the high voltage generated in an added energy storage element 210 (which is not present in commercially available WEBGEN (TM) devices). Such a wireless blasting device may re-use existing components of the WEBGEN (TM) device in the transmitter component 202C, e.g., the step up converter and the antenna coil, thus not adding much to the size and the cost of the device. The system / method described herein can improve on existing WEBGEN (TM) devices that suffer from one or more limitations, e.g., those disclosed in the Background hereinbefore, including an inability to transmit signals once in the hole, e.g, signals indicative of its status, so that existing devices require their statuses to be read before deployment into the hole, e.g., using the encoder described hereinbefore, and / or powerful TTE MT signals are required to be transmitted to the existing WEBGEN device 100 once in the hole in an attempt to ensure its status is reliably controlled, e.g., to enter an ARM mode or FIRE mode as part of a commercial blasting sequence.Separate receiving system 800

[0101] As shown in FIG. 7, the signalling / communication system disclosed herein includes the separate receiving system 800 that has the following receiving components: a. at least one MI signal reception device or magnetometer 802 — which can be an MI RX antenna — configured for receiving the wireless uplink / sidelink signals by converting them to electrical signals; b. a low noise amplifier 804 configured to amplify the electrical signals from the or each magnetometer 802; andc. a signal processor 806 configured to extract electronic signals from the amplified electrical signals.

[0102] The MI RX antenna could include a receiving antenna coil with a large effective area (provided by a large physical diameter and / or a large number of turns), and / or an extra ferrite rod in the centre of the coil for further magnetic flux attraction. The low noise amplifier 804 could be selected to impose minimum additional noise at the frequency of interest (which is the carrier frequency), while offering substantial signal gain.

[0103] The signal processor 806 may include analog processing elements, including a high selectivity band pass filter, and digital processing elements, including a digital signal processor (DSP). The DSP may be configured to extract the uplink / sidclink message from the uplink / sidelink signals having error control coding that offers additional digital signal processing gain to the overall SNR. The signal processor 806 may include highly selective signal filtering after the low noise amplifier 804 to reduce the noise and boost the received signal to noise ratio (SNR). The signal processor 806 may apply the error control decoding to provide an additional signal processing gain on top of the analogue gain from the signal filtering.

[0104] In an example of the separate receiving system 800: a. the MI RX antenna may include substantially 4,800 turns; b. the low noise amplifier 804 may have substantially 90nV / sqrt(Hz); and c. the signal processor 806 may include a two-section Butterworth band-pass active filter with a very narrow bandwidth (substantially 50Hz), and digital signal correlation to provide signal processing gain.

[0105] For receiving the uplink signals, the separate receiving system 800 can be located close to the collar of the hole whence the device 200 is transmitting, or at least closer to that hole compared to other holes where there arc potentially other devices 200. Such a location of the separate receiving system 800 may improve the chances of the SEND UPLINK command from the separate receiving system (transmitted to the device 200 via the wireless downlink signals) reaching the correct device 200, and may improve the chances of the wireless uplink signals from the device 200 reaching the separate receiving system 800.

[0106] For receiving the sidelink signals, in some implementations, the separate receiving system 800 may be included in the device 200, inside the protective housing and powered bythe energy store 210, such that the device 200 includes the separate receiving system 200 as well as its transmitting system.Operational Systems

[0107] The signalling / communication system disclosed herein may fonn part of a larger operational system.

[0108] An operational system 1000, 1 100, 1200 may include group of devices 200 that are deployable or ready to be deployed in-ficld (c.g., in an open cut / surface mining or a geophy sical / seismic exploration environment 1001 such as shown in FIGs. 9 and 10, or an underground mining environment 1201 such as shown in FIG. 11, c.g., in a “Christmas Tree Mining” or stoping application). Tire devices 200 can be stored in a device magazine 1002, for instance, which has been transported to a particular in-field zone or location by way of a vehicle. The devices 200 can be configured for at least uplink communication from in the holes 1016 to the separate receiving systems, including the separate receiving systems configurable or configured for receiving the uplink signals / messages from the devices 200 as described hereinbefore. The separate receiving systems may include an aircraft 1026 (e.g., a drone) or vehicle 1028 (e.g., a cart or elevator) with the separate receiving system 800 and one or more dual TX / RX antenna 1010. Additionally or alternatively, the devices 200 can be configured for sidelink communication from in the holes 1016 to the other devices 200 the holes 1016, and the example sidelink signals 952 can include: sidelink signals 952 perpendicular to the holes 1016 to other devices 200 in other holes 1016; and sidclink signal 952 parallel to the holes 1016 to other devices 200 that are shallower or deeper in the same hole 1016.

[0109] In blasting applications, the operational system can be referred to as a wireless electronic blasting (WEB) system that includes two-way wireless communication between one or more types of remote blast control equipment 1004 (also referred to as “remote blasting equipment”) coupled to a blast planning / design system 1006 — with one or more uplink / sidelink antennae 1008 and / or the one or more dual TX / RX antenna 1010, configurable or configured for receiving the signals / messages from the devices 200 as described hereinbefore. An authorized w orker or an automated loader can obtain a one device 200a (e.g., in the form of the wireless blasting device 200D) from the magazine 1002. The authorized worker can use a portable / hand-held encoder 1012 to program the obtaineddevice 200D by way of the encoding procedure, or the automated loader can use an integrated machine-mounted encoder 1012 to program the obtained device 200D by way of the encoding procedure. During the encoding procedure, the encoder 1012 can communicate, in the encoding signal: (a) blast timing information corresponding to an initiation time delay for the device 200Da (e.g., corresponding to a precise time delay that this device 200Da is programmed to wait before triggering explosive initiation of the initiation unit 502 after the device 200D receives a FIRE command); and possibly or optionally (b) a group identifier (GID) that defines a particular group of the devices 200D to which the encoded device 200D belongs. Once the device 200D has been encoded by way of the encoding procedure, the device 200D can process and carry out commands including, for instance, WAKE, ARM, and FIRE commands. After its encoding, if the device 200Da is within signal communication range of a broadcast antenna 1020, or a dual TX / RX antenna 1010, associated with the remote blast control equipment 1004, the device 200D be triggered to cause explosive initiation of the explosive composition(s) carried by its initiation unit 502, at least when any safety protocols / systems have been activated / deactivated, e.g., as described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2022 / 019841 Al of PCT / SG2021 / 050432 (“Systems, methods, and devices for commercial blasting operations”), the originally filed specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The broadcast antenna 1020 and the dual TX / RX antenna 1010 may each include a large single coil, e.g., with many turns for high current carrying capacity (e g., as used in existing WebGen systems that have larger antennas, e.g., with 40-m diameters), or a plurality of coaxial coils, e.g., 4 such coils forming a quad loop antenna. Each of the broadcast antenna 1020 and the dual TX / RX antenna 1010 can be driven by a current generator configured for that antenna configuration; the current generator (CG) is controlled by the remote blast control equipment 1004 to send the MI signals.

[0110] As shown in FIGs. 9 to 11, once the device 200a has been encoded / programmed, the device 200a can be loaded into a particular one 1014a of the boreholes 1014, in association with the loading of one or more explosive compositions 1016 and possibly stemming materials 1018 into the borehole as part of a borehole loading procedure. Explosive composition loading can occur by way of a mechanized, automated, or autonomous platform or vehicle configured for carrying and dispensing explosive compositions into boreholes 1014, for instance, a vehicle conventionally referred to as a Mobile Manufacturing Unit (MMU), e.g., based on a commercially available ORICA BM-7 (TM).

[0111] As shown in FIGs. 9 to 11, depending upon embodiment details and / or the nature of a set of commercial blasting operations under consideration, a single or multiple devices 200D can be positioned in one or each borehole 1014. The device 200D can be configured for deployment within the boreholes 1014 such that a lengthwise, longitudinal, or central axis of the device 200D is intended to be naturally aligned at least nearly coincident or parallel to a lengthwise, longitudinal, or central axis of the borehole 1014 in which it is deployed. As a nonlimiting representative example, with respect to a particular borehole array, each of multiple devices 200D along the length or depth of a given borehole 1014 in the borehole array can be positioned within a particular blasting deck 1022A, 1022B of the borehole 1014, where each blasting deck 1022A, 1022B contains an explosive material or substance 1016 (c.g., an ammonium nitrate (AN) based explosive, such as an AN based emulsion explosive) and are typically separated by stemming material 1018. A borehole array can contain more than two blasting decks 1022A, 1022B. The blasting decks 1022A, 1022B, ... can be explosively initiated at mutually different times. For instance, the devices 200D within and across a current exposed, outermost, or upper blasting deck 1022A can be configured for initiation, or can be initiated, to blast the current exposed, outermost, or upper blasting deck 1022A, while the devices 200D within and across one or more unexposed, inner, deeper, or lower blasting decks 1022B can be slept. After broken rock has been cleared following the blasting of a most-recent blasting deck 1022A, a subsequent exposed, outermost, or upper blasting deck 1022B can be blasted, and so on. Each device 200D can have, be assigned, or be programmed with a unique identifier (ID) stored in memory in the initiation device, c.g., in association with its manufacture, or after manufacture. Additionally, or alternatively, particular groups of the devices 200D can have, be assigned, or be programmed with a unique group ID (GID) stored in the memory, e g., priorto, in association with, or following deployment in a set of boreholes 1014. For instance, for a borehole array having multiple blasting decks 1022A,B therein, devices 200D in a given blasting deck 1022A can be programmed with a unique GID relative to devices 200D in other blasting deck(s) 1022B,... to facilitate the selective / selectable or sequenced activation and firing of the devices 200D in the given blasting deck 1022A relative to the devices 200D in the other blasting deck(s) 1022B.Range Extension System

[0112] The operational system 1100 may include a range extension system 1024, e.g., a range extension system as described in International Patent Application PCT / SG2022 / 050714 (“System and method / process for commercial blasting”), the originally filed specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0113] As shown in FIGs. 9 to 11, the range extension system 1024 includes an elongated element that can extend in length from a point at or close to the open end of each borehole 1016 (close on the surface), through filling (stemming / explosive) in the borehole 1016, to a location closer to the devices 200 (e.g., wireless initiating devices 200D or monitoring devices) in the borehole 1016 than the end of the elongated element close to the open end of the borehole. The range extension system 1024, which may be referred to in examples as an “inductive tether”, provides a channel to relay the wireless MI signals from the device 200 with minimum loss, and to transmit the wireless Ml signals using the range extension system 1024. The transmission range may thereby be significantly extended, from the blasthole length, to only 1-2 m to the collar, where one end of the range extension system 1024 is located, thereby reducing requirements on the boost converter 208, the amount of current through the TX antenna element 212 and / or rating of the components in the TX antenna element 212. In use, the elongated element enhances / extends the range of MI signal transmission through or over earth / rock that otherwise attenuates said MI signals, or where the distance to the intended receiver is otherwise greater than the range of the corresponding MT signal transmitter. Tn operation, a second end of the extension system 1024 may be placed where the wireless MI signals arc strongest, e.g., near or adjacent to the device 200. The second end can capture / detect / receive the (input) MT signals, and the elongated element effectively relay s the MI signals along its length to its first end, emitting / emanating the corresponding generated MT signals, and thence to the separate receiving system (e.g., separate receiving system 800). In examples, the first end is outside the collar, and / or substantially 0.5 m inside the collar, and / or substantially 1 m inside the collar, selected based on likelihood of damage of the first end if it is close to the collar. In examples, the second end is closer than 10 cm to the device 200 (specifically aligned to and / or close to the coil 706), including closer than 5 cm, closer than 3 cm, closer than 2 cm, closer than 1 cm, or closer than 0.5 cm, e.g., with the separation defined by an adaptor described in International Patent Application PCT / SG2022 / 050714 mentioned hereinbefore. The range extension systems 1024 can be used for (re-)programming the respective devices 200D prior to anyblasting, so the range extension systems 1024 can be considered to be disposable, i.e., not reused after a blast.

[0114] In some implementations, the range extension system 1024 can be arranged between ones of the devices 200, typically in the same hole 1016, to improve transmission of the sidelink signals (in an equivalent manner to the improved uplink described hereinbefore).Experimental Examples

[0115] In an experimental example, an example step up converter converted 1.5 VDC from an example D-cell battery to 12 VDC that was used to charge an example 1 mF capacitor, which, once fully charged, had its energy released by a L298N H-bridgc driver, operating in half bridge mode and driven by a 1.82 kHz square wave, to an example resonant tank formed by an example transmit coil 706 (with 4,800 turns, 825 mH of inductance, and 450 Ohm inner resistance) and an example 630 V rated, 10 nF tuning capacitor. The resonant frequency of the example resonant tank was substantially 1.82 kHz. A example MI receiver tuned to 1.82 kHz with a sensitivity of 14 pT was placed 1 m away from the example transmit coil to pick up the wireless MI signals. In the experimental results, an MI signal pulse of 262 ms with centre frequency of 1.82 kHz was emitted from the example transmit coil, the current through the coil was 5.4 mArms, and the receiver voltage was clipped at its voltage supply of 2.7 V (suggesting a saturated received signal). In this example, only a carrier frequency was sent; however, binary messages in the form of FSK, ASK and / or PSK modulated signals could be modulated onto the earner frequency. The pulse duration (262 ms) was sufficiently long to carry a status report message with identification information from the device.

[0116] In another expenmental example, the same example resonant tank was dnven by switching a 75 VDC voltage source. The current circulating through the example transmit coil was measured to be 67 m Anns. which should be capable of producing a magnetic moment of 0.1 Am2from the example transmit coil, which should be sufficient field strength to be reliably picked up from about 20 m away through non-conductive rocks. The measured received signal, picked up by an example separate receiving system, at 20 m away from the example coil 706 had a measured signal-to-noise ratio of more than 10 dB. Although this experiment was conducted over air, the results should stay the same in non-conductive rock environments, thus demonstrating TTE. The voltage rating of the tuning capacitor (630 V) may have limited the range / SNR of this experimental example.

[0117] To test cross talk between antennae in the example device, a secondary antenna coil (untuned) was placed 1 cm away from, and in an orthogonal orientation to, the transmit coil. The transmit coil was driven using the same 75 V driving source, yielding 67 mArms of current, and the coupling voltage measured from the secondary' antenna coil was only 3.3 Vpp, suggesting low crosstalk between orthogonal antenna coils, and safe low voltage to in other circuitry' of the device while the transmitting antenna is in operation.Interpretation

[0118] Tire term “antenna” used herein refers to an aerial, i.e., a transducer configured to convert between electromagnetic waves and corresponding electrical voltagcs / currcnts.

[0119] Tire term “initiation” refers to the initiation or triggering of combustion, a deflagration, a deflagration to detonation transition (DDT), or detonation in a material or substance carrying an explosive composition, and the associated formation of different chemical species, or the initiation of chemical reactions that result in combustion and the associated formation of different chemical species in the material or substance. The term “explosive initiation” refers to initiation giving rise to an explosion or detonation, the occurrence of which corresponds to or is defined by at least some of a rapid energy release, volume increase, temperature increase, and gas production or release, as well as the generation of at least a subsonic shock wave. The term “detonation” refers to the generation of a supersonic detonation 'ave or shock front in an explosive material or substance, in a manner understood by individuals having ordinary skill in the relevant art.

[0120] The term “commercial blasting operation” includes the initiation and / or detonation of explosive materials or substances disposed in the physical media, e.g., a geological formation, by 'ay of initiation devices as part of mining, quarrying, civil construction / demolition, seismic exploration, and / or another non-military blasting operation. Such initiation and / or detonation explosively blasts, e.g., fractures and / or heaves, or the physical media in which the commercial blasting operation occurs. Such initiation and / or detonation can be referred to as blasting, in a manner readily understood by individuals having ordinary' skill in the relevant art. The physical media in which the commercial blasting operation occurs is located in a commercial blasting environment, such as a mining environment, e.g., an open cut or underground mine.

[0121] As used herein, the term “set” corresponds to or is defined as a non-empty finite organization of elements that mathematically exhibits a cardinality of at least 1 (i.e ., a set as defined herein can correspond to a unit, singlet, or single element set, or a multiple element set), in accordance with known mathematical definitions (for instance, in a manner corresponding to that described in An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning: Numbers, Sets, and Functions, "Chapter 11 : Properties of Finite Sets" (e.g., as indicated on p. 140), by Peter J. Eccles, Cambridge University Press (1998)). Thus, a set includes at least one clement. In general, an element of a set can include or be one or more portions of a system, an apparatus, a device, a structure, an object, a process, a procedure, physical parameter, or a value depending upon the type of set under consideration.

[0122] Tire FIGs. included herewith show aspects of non-limiting representative embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure, and particular structural elements shown in the FIGs. may not be shown to scale or precisely to scale relative to each other. The depiction of a given element or consideration or use of a particular element number in a particular FIG. or a reference thereto in corresponding descriptive material can encompass the same, an equivalent, an analogous, categorically analogous, or similar element or element number identified in another FIG. or descriptive material associated therewith. The presence a FIG. or text herein is understood to mean "and / or" unless otherwise indicated, i.e., “A / B” is understood to mean “A” or “B” or “A and B”. The recitation of a particular numerical value or value range herein is understood to include or be a recitation of an approximate numerical value or value range, for instance, within + / - 20%, + / - 15%, + / - 10%, + / - 5%, + / - 2.5%, + / - 2%, + / - 1 %, + / - 0.5%, or + / - 0%. The term "essentially all" or "substantially" can indicate a percentage greater than or equal to 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%, for instance, 92.5%, 95%, 97.5%, 99%, or 100%.

[0123] Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Reference to one or more embodiments herein, e.g., as various embodiments, many embodiments, several embodiments, multiple embodiments, some embodiments, certain embodiments, particular embodiments, specific embodiments, or a number of embodiments, need not or does not mean or imply all embodiments.

[0124] Throughout this specification and the claims or statements which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group ofintegers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A magnetic induction (Ml) wireless communications device for communication from in a hole or from in the ground / earth or from in earthen / construction material(s), the device including: an electrical power source; an electronic control unit powered by the power source; an electrical boost converter powered by the power source and controlled by the control unit for boosting an output voltage of the power source to a boosted voltage that is higher than the output voltage; an electrical energy storage powered by the boost converter and separate from the power source, and configured for storing energy from the boost converter at the boosted voltage; a transmit antenna element configured to transmit wireless signals through the earth (TTE) using magnetic induction (MI) from in the hole using the stored energy from the electrical energy storage; and a switching element controlled by the control unit and configured to release the stored energy from the energy storage into the transmit antenna clement when controlled by the control unit.

2. The device of the preceding claim, wherein the transmit antenna element and the switching element provide the wireless MI signals with at least one carrier frequency.

3. The device of the preceding claim, wherein the transmit antenna element includes at least one antenna coil and at least one capacitive element tuned to provide at least one resonant tank frequency band that includes the or each carrier frequency.

4. The device of the preceding claim, wherein the switching element releases the stored energy at at least one release frequency within the resonant tank frequency band, optionally wherein the or each release frequency is selected to be substantially equal to the or each carrier frequency.

5. The device of the preceding claim, wherein the at least one capacitive element has a tuneable capacitance, optionally controlled by the control unit.

6. The device of the preceding claim, wherein the electrical boost converter is configured to operate at a selected boosting frequency that is selected to substantially not overlap with the release frequency or the carrier frequency.

7. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to provide the wireless MI signals with a message, wherein the message optionally carries status information of the device.

8. The device of any one of the preceding claims, including a protective housing around any one or more of: the electrical power source; the electronic control unit: the electrical boost converter: the electrical energy storage; the transmit antenna element; and the switching element.

9. The device of any one of the preceding claims configured to receive wireless MI signals, including TTE MI signals.

10. The device of any one of the preceding claims including a magnetometer to form a wireless monitoring device.

11. The device of any one of the preceding claims including an initiation unit to form a wireless blasting device.

12. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the boost converter is configurablc / controllablc to sclcct / control the boosted voltage, optionally by having a charging duration controlled by tire electronic control unit, optionally wherein the boosted voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an Ml transmitter.

13. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical energy storage is configurable / controllable to select / control the boosted voltage, including by having a variable capacitor component and / or a set of switchable capacitors, optionally wherein the boosted voltage is controlled by the electronic control unit, optionally wherein the boosted voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter.

14. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the switching element is configurable / controllable to select / control a release voltage applied to the transmitantenna element, optionally by having a variable duty cycle controlled by the electronic control unit, optionally wherein the release voltage is selected by an encoding signal from an encoder or an MI transmitter.

15. A system for wireless electronic blasting (WEB) including the device of any one of the preceding claims.

16. The sy stem of claim 15, including a separate receiving system configurable or configured for receiving the wireless MI signals from the device, wherein the separate receiving system: is physically separate from the device; optionally includes any one or more of: at least one magnetometer configured for receiving the wireless MI signals by converting the wireless MI signals to electrical signals, a low noise amplifier configured to amplify the electrical signals from the or each magnetometer, a signal processor configured to extract electronic signals from the amplified electrical signals, and a dual TX / RX MI antenna; and is optionally in or on another Ml wireless communications device, or in an out-of-holc system that optionally includes an aircraft or vehicle, and / or an MI broadcast antenna.

17. A magnetic induction (MI) wireless communications method for communication from in a hole or from in the ground / earth or from in earthen / construction material(s), the method including: boosting an output voltage of a power source in the hole to a boosted voltage that is higher than the output voltage; storing energy at the boosted voltage; releasing the stored energy into a transmit antenna element in the hole under control of a control unit in the hole; and transmitting wireless signals out of the hole, from the transmit antenna element in the hole, using magnetic induction (MI) from the transmit antenna element using the stored energy.

18. The method of the preceding claim, including modulating the wireless MI signals with at least one a carrier frequency and a message.

19. Hie method of the preceding claim, including releasing the stored energy at at least one release frequency selected to be substantially equal to the or each carrier frequency.

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