BLAST SENSOR PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

1 . A system for detecting impulse noise or shock wave events, comprising:

a housing comprising an upper surface and an interior;

a blast sensor proximate the upper surface of the housing; and

a light attenuation material covering at least a portion of an upper surface of the blast sensor, the light attenuation material comprising a pigmented gel.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the blast sensor is located at the upper surface of the housing.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the housing defines an opening,

wherein the upper surface of the blast sensor faces the opening of the upper surface of the housing.

4 . The system of claim 3 , comprising:

a mesh material covering the opening of the upper surface of the housing.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the blast sensor is configured to detect impulse noise or shock wave events, and

wherein the light attenuation material is configured to reduce light transmission to the blast sensor to reduce false detection of impulse noise or shock wave events from changes in light by the blast sensor.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the blast sensor comprises a microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) pressure sensor configured to receive mechanical pressure changes and provide an electrical output representative of the received mechanical pressure changes.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the blast sensor comprises a sensing element proximate an opening in the upper surface of the blast sensor, and

wherein the light attenuation material comprises a thickness between 0.1 mm and 2 mm over the sensing element.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the light attenuation material is a mixture of gel and pigment, wherein a required minimum concentration of the pigment in the gel is a function of the thickness over the sensing element.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the pigment includes a carbon or copper chromite particle.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the light attenuation material comprises a thickness of 0.25 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 6 parts pigment

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the light attenuation material comprises one of:

a thickness of 0.125 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 12 parts pigment; or

a thickness of 0.5 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 3 parts pigment.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the light attenuation material comprises one of:

a thickness of approximately 0.25 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 5 to 7 parts pigment;

a thickness of approximately 0.125 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 10 to 14 parts pigment; or

a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 2 to 5 parts pigment.

13 . A system for detecting impulse noise or shock wave events, comprising:

a blast sensor comprising a sensing element configured to detect impulse noise or shock wave events; and

a light attenuation material over at least a portion of the blast sensor configured to reduce light transmission to the sensing element to reduce false detection of impulse noise or shock wave events from changes in light by the sensing element of the blast sensor, the light attenuation material comprising a pigmented gel having a thickness between 0.1 mm and 1 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 2 to 14 parts pigment.

14 . The system of claim 13 , comprising:

a housing comprising an upper surface and an interior,

wherein the blast sensor is located proximate the upper surface of the housing

wherein the upper surface of the housing defines an opening, and

wherein the upper surface of the blast sensor faces the opening of the upper surface of the housing.

15 . The system of claim 14 , comprising:

a mesh material covering the opening of the upper surface of the housing,

wherein the blast sensor comprises a microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) pressure sensor configured to receive mechanical pressure changes and provide an electrical output representative of the received mechanical pressure changes.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the blast sensor comprises a sensing element proximate an opening in the upper surface of the blast sensor, and

wherein the pigment includes a carbon or copper chromite pigment.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the light attenuation material comprises one of:

a thickness of approximately 0.25 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 5 to 7 parts pigment;

a thickness of approximately 0.125 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 10 to 14 parts pigment; or

a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 2 to 5 parts pigment.

18 . A method for detecting impulse noise or shock wave events, comprising:

sensing impulse noise or shock wave events using a blast sensor proximate an upper surface of a housing comprising an upper surface and an interior; and

reducing light transmission to a sensing element of the blast sensor using a light attenuation material over at least a portion of the blast sensor, the light attenuation material comprising a pigmented gel.

19 . The method of claim 18 ,

wherein the light attenuation material comprising a pigmented gel having a thickness between 0.1 mm and 1 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 6 parts pigment.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the light attenuation material comprises one of:

a thickness of approximately 0.25 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 5 to 7 parts pigment;

a thickness of approximately 0.125 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 10 to 14 parts pigment; or

a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm over the sensing element and a concentration of 40 parts gel to 2 to 5 parts pigment.