The following patent list is extracted from the list on the Geotech homepage (Click on Patents in the left column. The original comments have not been modified). These patents are either outside our main focus (humanitarian demining) or have been superseded by the ones we collected in the specified classes.


Frequency Shift (BFO, VCO, etc.)
Induction Balance
Magnetometers
Other Geophysical
Misc. (coils, etc.)
Frequency Shift
3355658 Differentiating Metal Detector for Detecting Metal Objects and Distinguishing Between Detected Diamagnetic and Non-Diamagnetic Objects Gardiner, VLF BFO
3467855 Object Detector and Method for Distinguishing Between Objects Detected Including a Pair of Radio Oscillators Basic BFO
3546628 Oscillating Metal Object Detector Simplest detector on earth
3601691 Metal Detector Responsive to Small Metallic Objects for Differentiating Between Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Objects Gardiner, Z-response
3662255 Apparatus for Locating Concealed or Buried Metal Bodies and a Stable Inductor Usable in Such Detectors Garrett Zero-Drift BFO
3823365 Metal Detecting Apparatus Having Improved Ground-Effect Immunity Uses induction balance
3875498 Metal Detector for Distinquishing Between Precious Metal Objects and Other Metals D-Tex patent, your real basic BFO.
3896371 Metal Detector With a Resonating Circuit Being Driven by a Frequency Higher Than Its Natural Resonance Frequency A.H. Electronics, off-resonance type (AH Pro)
3961238 Selective Metal Detector Circuit Having Dual Tuned Resonant Circuits Gardiner, very basic Z-response
3986104 Dual Frequency Metal Detector System Gardiner
4130792 Metal Detector With Feedback Tuning Z-response with feedback
4196391 Metal Locator with Stereotonic Indication of Translateral Position Stereo BFO.
4204160 Metal Detector With Automatic Optimum Sensitivity Adjustment
4255710 Plural Search Frequency Directional Metal Detector Apparatus Having Enhanced Sensitivity Uses two gated oscillator frequencies (I think).
4263553 Discriminating Metal Detector With Compensation for Ground Minerals A.H. Electronics, off-resonance detector
4321539 Digital BFO Metal Detecting Device with Improved Sensitivities at Near-Zero Beat Frequencies
4439734 Metal Object Locator Including Frequency Shift Detector Induction balance and ground balance.
4678992 Electronic Metal Detector A.H. Electronics, off-resonance type (Super Pro?)
Induction Balance
3405354 Apparatus for Limiting Phase-Angle Response Range, Particularly in Eddy Current Testing Apparatus Uses syncronous demodulation to determine target phase, see 3848182.
3471772 Instrument for Measuring the Range and Approximate Size of Buried or Hidden Metal Objects Synchronous detectors, lots of fundamental theory & equations.
3471773 Metal Detecting Device with Inductively Coupled Coaxial Transmitter and Receiver Coils Basic TR with 4B-style coil (NOT coaxial!).
3826973 Electronic Gradiometer Actually, a metal detector.
3848182 Apparatus for Limiting Phase-Angle Response Range, Particularly in Eddy Current Testing Apparatus See 3405354.
3872380 Metal Detector Distinguishing Between Different Metals by Using a Bias Circuit Actuated by the Phase Shifts Caused by the Metals Gardiner, basic phase response IB.
4030026 Sampling Metal Detector White's, the basis of most of their early-80's analog detectors.
4053828 Metal Detector with First and Second Nested Rectangular Coils Not too practical for a handheld.
4096432 Metal Detector for Discriminatory Detection of Buried Metal Objects Basic phase response IB.
4099116 Metal Detector With Phase Related Selective Discrimination Circuit Nautilus, feedback method for ground balance and discrimination.
4110679 Ferrous/Non-ferrous Metal Detector Using Sampling White's
4128803 Metal Detector System With Ground Effect Rejection PNI (the old Bounty Hunter), probably the Red Baron series (RB3/5/7).
4249128 Wide Pulse Gated Metal Detector With Improved Noise Rejection White's
4300097 Induction Balance Metal Detector with Ferrous and Non-ferrous Metal Identification Techna, now First Texas Mfg. (Bounty Hunter)
4303879 Metal Detector Circuit with Mode Selection and Automatic Tuning 1979 Garrett patent (ADS?)
4325027 Metal Detector for Locating Objects with Full Sensitivity in the Presence of Distributed Mineral Material Compass
4334192 Metal Detector Circuit Having Automatic Tuning With Multiple Rates Garrett, probably their Master Hunter VLF.
4334191 Metal Detector Circuit Having Momentary Disabled Output Garrett
4344034 Selective Ground Neutralizing Metal Detector Gardiner patent for phase discriminator.
4348639 Transmitter-Receiver Loop Buried Metal Object Locator with Switch Controlled Reference Vooltage Discovery Electronics' two-box detector.
4423377 Compact Metal Detector of the Balanced Induction Type Garrett, handheld with integrated double-D coil. See also 4488115.
4470015 Metal Detector System With Undesirable Target and Mineralized Ground Discrimination Teknetics, lots of diagrams and waveforms.
4486712 Frequency Dependent Pulsed Gain Modulated Metallic Object Detector
4488115 Low Battery Voltage Indicator Circuit for a Metal Detector Garrett, see also 4423377
4677384 Target-Identifying Metal Detector Teknetics
4700139 Metal Detector Circuit Having Selectable Exclusion Range For Unwanted Objects Garrett patent with a pretty good explanation of I&Q signal processing.
4709213 Metal Detector Having Digital Signal Processing White's
4868910 Metal Detector with Microprocessor Control and Analysis White's, ton's of info on their target ID.
4894618 Metal Detector Using Cross-Correlation Between Components of Received Signals Minelab, good explanatory text.
5506506 Metal Detector for Detecting and Discriminating Between Ferrous and Non-ferrous Targets in Ground Minelab, combines synchronous demodulators with PI, calls it multi-frequency. Compare with US5576624
5523690 Metal Detector with Bivariate Display White's patent detailing VDI, includes 6805 assembly code. (see also 5596277)
Magnetometers
3919630 Flux Detection Device Using a Parametrically Excited Second Harmonic Oscillator
4068164 Harmonic Flux Gate Magnetometers and Gradiometers and Windings
4277751 Low-Power Magnetometer Circuit with Constant Current Drive
4293815 Fluxgate Magnetometer Circuit with Earth's Field Elimination
4439732 Electrically Balanced Fluxgate Gradiometers
4677381 Flux-gate Electrical Drive Method and Circuit
4887033 Magnetometer Having Coil Formed by Two Spiral Shaped Conductors
5168223 High Sensitivity Saturable Core Magnetic Field Sensor with Symmetrical Structure
5670882 Ferrous Target Identification System with Magnetic Field Polarity and Gradient Indication
5939881 High Dynamic Range Digital Fluxgate Magnetometer
Other Geophysical
3500175 Electromagnetic Prospecting Apparatus Utilizing VLF Radio Field VLF Receiver.
3614600 Electromagnetic Prospecting Apparatus for Detecting Electrically or Magnetically Responsive Ore Bodies VLF Receiver.
3617866 Geophysical Surveying with Audio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields and Orthogonal Receiver Coils
3636435 Method of Electromagnetic Prospecting by Measuring Relative Gradient of a Resultant Electromagnetic Field VLF Receiver.
3763419 Geophysical Using the Vertical Electric Component of a VLF Field as a Reference
3852659 Geophysical Prospecting Method and Apparatus Utilizing Correlation of Received Waveforms with Stored Reference Waveforms
3950695 Geophysical Prospecting Method Utilizing Correlation of Received Waveforms with Stored Reference Waveforms
3967190 Method Using Induced Polarization for Ore Discrimination in Dissiminated Earth Deposits
4070612 Method and Apparatus for Measuring Terrain Resistivity
4114086 Inductive Source Method of Induced Polarization Prospecting Prospecting method.
4258321 Radio Geophysical Surveying Method and Apparatus
Misc.
3882374 Transmitting-Receiving Coil Configuration IB
3941690 Portable Sluice Pan
4255711 Coil Arrangement for Search Head of a Metal Detector Compass, concentric IB
4293816 Balanced Search Loop for Metal Detector White's concentric loop
4345208 Anti-falsing and Zer Nulling Search Head for a Metal Detector Daytona search coil
4472269 Sluice Box Classifier for Gold Mining Dredge
4862316 Static Charge Dissipating Housing for Metal Detector Search Loop Assembly White's concentric loop
5247257 Electronic Metal Detector Return Signal Phase Changer A nail and two coils, weird. I don't know what to make of this one.
5696490 FM (VHF) Infrared Wireless Digital Metal Detector Places the control box near the coil and uses IR to transfer info to the meter, pretty useless.
5863445 Etched Coil Unibody Digital Detector Handheld wand.