Patent ID: 7470883

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting the detonation of explosive material, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of light sensors consecutively arranged and spaced apart by a predetermined distance wherein each pair of consecutive light sensors defines a light sensor pair, said light sensors capable of being sequentially activated by light produced by the detonation of explosive material and inactivated by the absence of light with said light sensors providing sensor data that represents an amount of time elapsed between activation of a first light sensor in said light sensor pair and activation of a second light sensor in said sensor pair and a length of time in which one or more of said light sensors are activated; and a processor for processing the sensor data to determine detonation velocity values and chemical reaction time values associated with the detonation of the explosive material and indicating whether the determined detonation velocity values and chemical reaction time values are a valid detonation indication of said explosive material, wherein said valid detonation indication is based on a plurality of determinations comprising a first and second determination, said first determination is a determination that detonation velocity values and chemical reaction time values are within a range of detonation velocity values and a range of chemical reaction time values associated with said explosive material which has detonated as designed, said second determination is based on a sensed match and/or no-match of a predetermined activation sequence of said light sensor pairs.