Patents Assigned to Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
  • Patent number: 8614576
    Abstract: An electronic metal detector having, a transmit coil arranged and adapted to transmit an alternating magnetic field associated with a reactive transmit coil voltage, the transmit coil being connected to transmit electronics arranged and adapted to generate a transmit signal, the transmit electronics having at least two power sources, a first power source and a second power source, wherein the first power source is adapted and arranged to connect to the transmit coil for at least a first period, and the second power source is adapted and arranged to connect to tie transmit coil for at least a second period, the said transmit electronics including at least one servo control negative feedback loop, a first servo control negative feedback loop, which is adapted and arranged to monitor a transmit coil current for at least part of the said first period, and to control at least part of the said transmit signal, the transmit electronics being adapted and arranged to control the transmit signal to produce the reactive
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Patent number: 8159225
    Abstract: A method for generating a transmit signal for transmission including the steps of a) generating at least two selected rectangular wave signals, each having a different fundamental frequency; b) mixing the selected rectangular wave signals to produce a driving signal; and c) driving a switching circuit using the driving signal for generating a transmit signal for transmission, wherein the Fourier transform of the transmit signal contains frequency components of relatively high magnitude, at frequencies corresponding to the convolution of the fundamental frequencies of the said at least two selected rectangular wave signals, as compared to other frequency components across the frequency spectrum of the Fourier transform, and wherein the rectangular wave signals are selected such that the frequency components of relatively high magnitude are substantially the same in magnitude, and spaced from each other in the frequency spectrum in a predetermined manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Laurentiu Stamatescu, Oliver Nesper
  • Publication number: 20120025815
    Abstract: A highly flexible real-time metal detector platform which has a detection capability for different targets and applications, where the operator is able to alter synchronous demodulation multiplication functions to select different types or mixtures of different types to be applied to different synchronous demodulators, and also different waveforms of the said synchronous demodulation multiplication functions; examples of the different types being time-domain, square-wave, sine-wave or receive signal weighted synchronous demodulation multiplication functions. The operator can alter the fundamental frequency of the repeating switched rectangular-wave voltage sequence, and an operator may alter the waveform of the repeating switched rectangular-wave voltage sequence and corresponding synchronous demodulation multiplication functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: MINELAB ELECTRONICS PTY LTD
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Patent number: 8106770
    Abstract: A method for detecting a target in a soil, including the step of generating a transmit signal, the transmit signal including at least three different frequency components, a relatively high frequency component, a relatively medium frequency component and a relatively low frequency component; and processing a receive signal, the processing including selecting coefficients for, in effect, linearly combining the relatively high frequency components, the relatively low frequency components and the relatively medium frequency components of the receive signal to produce an indicator output signal, the indicator output signal including a signal indicative of the presence of the target in the soil, and wherein the coefficients are selected such that the indicator output signal is approximately independent of log-linear frequency-dependent resistive signal components and log-uniform resistive signal components from the soil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Patent number: 8063777
    Abstract: A highly flexible real-time metal detector platform which has a detection capability for different targets and applications, where the operator is able to alter synchronous demodulation multiplication functions to select different types or mixtures of different types to be applied to different synchronous demodulators, and also different waveforms of the said synchronous demodulation multiplication functions; examples of the different types being time-domain, square-wave, sine-wave or receive signal weighted synchronous demodulation multiplication functions. The operator can alter the fundamental frequency of the repeating switched rectangular-wave voltage sequence, and an operator may alter the waveform of the repeating switched rectangular-wave voltage sequence and corresponding synchronous demodulation multiplication functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Publication number: 20110210740
    Abstract: An electronic metal detector having, a transmit coil arranged and adapted to transmit an alternating magnetic field associated with a reactive transmit coil voltage, the transmit coil being connected to transmit electronics arranged and adapted to generate a transmit signal, the transmit electronics having at least two power sources, a first power source and a second power source, wherein the first power source is adapted and arranged to connect to the transmit coil for at least a first period, and the second power source is adapted and arranged to connect to tie transmit coil for at least a second period, the said transmit electronics including at least one servo control negative feedback loop, a first servo control negative feedback loop, which is adapted and arranged to monitor a transmit coil current for at least part of the said first period, and to control at least part of the said transmit signal, the transmit electronics being adapted and arranged to control the transmit signal to produce the reactive
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: MINELAB ELECTRONICS PTY LTD
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro CANDY
  • Patent number: 7924012
    Abstract: An electronic metal detector having, a transmit coil arranged and adapted to transmit an alternating magnetic field associated with a reactive transmit coil voltage, the transmit coil being connected to transmit electronics arranged and adapted to generate a transmit signal, the transmit electronics having at least two power sources, a first power source and a second power source, wherein the first power source is adapted and arranged to connect to the transmit coil for at least a first period, and the second power source is adapted and arranged to connect to tie transmit coil for at least a second period, the said transmit electronics including at least one servo control negative feedback loop, a first servo control negative feedback loop, which is adapted and arranged to monitor a transmit coil current for at least part of the said first period, and to control at least part of the said transmit signal, the transmit electronics being adapted and arranged to control the transmit signal to produce the reactive
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Publication number: 20100026485
    Abstract: A metal detector with improved magnetic soil response cancellation is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: MINELAB ELECTRONICS PTY LTD.
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Publication number: 20100019769
    Abstract: An electronic metal detector having, a transmit coil arranged and adapted to transmit an alternating magnetic field associated with a reactive transmit coil voltage, the transmit coil being connected to transmit electronics arranged and adapted to generate a transmit signal, the transmit electronics having at least two power sources, a first power source and a second power source, wherein the first power source is adapted and arranged to connect to the transmit coil for at least a first period, and the second power source is adapted and arranged to connect to tie transmit coil for at least a second period, the said transmit electronics including at least one servo control negative feedback loop, a first servo control negative feedback loop, which is adapted and arranged to monitor a transmit coil current for at least part of the said first period, and to control at least part of the said transmit signal, the transmit electronics being adapted and arranged to control the transmit signal to produce the reactive
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicant: MINELAB ELECTRONICS PTY LTD
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Patent number: 7652477
    Abstract: An electronic metal detector having a transmit coil (1) adapted to transmit an alternating magnetic field associated with a reactive transmit voltage, wherein the transmit voltage signal is selected such that the reactive transmit voltage is approximately constant for at least a time period during which a magnetic field signal to be processed is received by the detector for processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Patent number: 7474102
    Abstract: An electronic metal detector having transmit electronics includes switching electronics arranged and adapted to generate a transmit signal. The transmit electronics includes at least two power sources, and is connected to a transmit coil arranged and adapted to transmit an alternating magnetic field. The switching electronics are adapted and arranged to switch a first voltage of one power source to the transmit coil for at least a first period and also a third period, and to switch a second voltage of the other power source to the transmit coil for at least a second period. Receive electronics are arranged to receive and process a receive magnetic field during at least some of the second period and fourth period to produce an indicator output, at least indicating the presence and a characteristic of some metal targets under the influence of the magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Bruce Halcro Candy
  • Patent number: 7310586
    Abstract: A metal detector adapted to generate a transmit search signal and to receive a receive search signal, and to analyse such received search signal, wherein the detector is adapted to allow a selection of operating parameters for each of these functions, said selection being effected by the storage as data in a memory of such selection, characterised in that the detector is adapted to allow such stored data to be modified in accordance with data in an external store, further characterised in that there is a digital data communication transmission program, adapted to effect a transmission of some or all of the stored data through a data transmission means to enable a further metal detector to receive and store for use in such further detector the said data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Laurentiu Stamatescu, Alexander Lewis Jones