Anti-falsing and zero nulling search head for a metal detector

Claim 1

In a metal detector including a search head for sensing the presence of a metal object when the head is brought into proximity with said object, said head having mounted therein a transmitter coil adapted to receive a current and receiver coil adapted to sense the magnetic field produced about said transmitter coil by said current, said transmitter coil having first and second coil sections, said receiver coil having first and second coil sections, the first coil section of each transmitter and receiver coil being displaced from the second coil section of each coil, said first coil section of the transmitter coil lying in substantially the same plane as and spaced apart from the first coil section of the receiver coil with the receiver coil first coil section being located within the magnetic field produced about said transmitter first coil section by said current, whereby the presence of said metal object in proximity of said transmitter coil first coil section will cause a reduction in the magnetic field induced voltage in the receiver coil first coil section, the improvement wherein said second coil sections of the transmitter and receiver coils are juxtaposed and in a spaced relationship from the plane of location of said first coil sections of the transmitter and receiver coils with each second coil section overlying the space between said first coil sections of the receiver and transmitter coils and lying in a plane generally perpendicularly oriented to the plane of location of said first coil sections of the transmitter and receiver coils, said receiver coil second coil section being located within the magnetic field produced about said transmitter coil second section by said current, whereby the voltage in said receiver coil second coil section induced therein by the magnetic field of said transmitter coil second coil section is substantially unaffected by said presence of said metal object.