Full Function Initiator with Planar Switch for Compact Detonators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional detonators with exploding foil initiators are limited to single operational modes, making them larger and heavier, which complicates their integration into compact, lightweight devices that require non-destructive verification of integrity, especially in applications where size and weight are critical.
Innovation Solution
A detonator design featuring a base made of electrically insulating material with strategically formed metallic layers and gaps, allowing for multiple operational modes (standard, breakdown, and trigger) while minimizing the number of contacts and leads, thereby reducing size and weight, and enabling non-destructive verification through electrical continuity testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a detonator is designed with multiple operational modes (standard, breakdown, trigger), then operational versatility is improved, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detonator is designed with a single integrated structure that supports three operational modes (standard, breakdown, and trigger modes) through different electrical connection configurations. The same physical components (battery, switch, bridge, contacts) serve multiple functions depending on how they are electrically connected, eliminating the need for separate detonator designs for each mode and thereby reducing overall size and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the switch mechanism and electrical contacts into an integrated assembly where the switch movable contact and fixed contacts work together across all three operational modes. The battery, switch, and initiating element are merged into a compact unit where components serve dual or triple purposes depending on the operational mode, reducing the total number of separate parts needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a detonator is designed with multiple operational modes, then operational versatility is improved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detonator uses the same physical components (battery, switch, bridge, contacts) to achieve three different operational modes through varying electrical connection states. This universal design approach allows a single compact device to replace what would traditionally require three separate detonator designs, thereby reducing overall device size and length.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the electrical connection dimension (conducting vs. non-conducting states of switch contacts) to create operational mode differentiation without adding physical dimensions. By changing the electrical topology rather than adding physical components, the design achieves multi-mode functionality within a compact form factor.
3Reliability
If additional electrical leads are added for non-destructive testing, then verification capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The existing electrical contacts (movable contact and fixed contacts) serve dual purposes: they control the operational modes of the detonator and simultaneously provide test access points for non-destructive verification. By making the contacts multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate dedicated test leads, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining verification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The detonator's own electrical contact structure provides the test access points needed for non-destructive verification. The contacts that are essential for operation also serve as test points, allowing the device to be tested using its inherent structure without requiring additional external test components or leads.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The detonator achieves multi-mode operational capability in a compact and lightweight form, enhancing reliability and operational integrity with fewer contacts, allowing for efficient verification and reduced size and weight, addressing the limitations of conventional designs.
Implementation Method 1
the power source can typically be a capacitor whose discharge is governed by a high voltage switch. When the switch closes, the capacitor provides sufficient electric current to convert the bridge from a solid state to a plasma.
Implementation Method 2
the capacitor provides sufficient electric current to convert the bridge from a solid state to a plasma
Implementation Method 3
If a sufficiently large electric potential is applied to the conductive pad and the first electrical conductor, electrical energy will jump the gap between the conductive pad and the first electrical conductor to thereby supply electrical energy to the bridge.
Implementation Method 4
A detonator design featuring a base made of electrically insulating material with strategically formed metallic layers and gaps
Data Source
AI summary
A switch device having a base, a first electrically conductive pad coupled to the base, a second electrically conductive pad coupled to the base, a first electrically conductive projection and a second electrically conductive projection. The second electrically conductive pad is spaced apart from the first electrically conductive pad by a first predetermined distance. The first electrically conductive projection is coupled to the first electrically conductive pad and extends into the first gap. The second electrically conductive projection is coupled to the second electrically conductive pad and extends into the first gap. The second electrically conductive projection is spaced apart from the first electrically conductive projection by a second predetermined distance. The first and second electrically conductive projections form an electrical interface.