Patent ID: 6941870
Filing Date: 2005-09-13
Classification: F42D

Abstract:
1. A method for discharging a plurality of charges in a desired blasting pattern at a blasting site, the charges located in boreholes at the blasting site and operatively connected to a detonator associated therewith, comprising: associating an identifier with each of the detonators; locating and moving a programmable unit to each of detonators, until all of the detonators have been located and moved to, and while at each detonator: downloading, at each detonator, the determined delay time and the respective identifier correlated therewith; communicating from the handheld unit to a blasting controller, the downloaded delay times and the identifiers for the detonators; transmitting, from the blasting controller to each of the detonators, a firing signal thereby to cause each of the detonators to detonate after the lapse of the respective stored delay times to achieve a desired blasting pattern.