Impact-Locator Sensor Panels

Electronic sensor systems for detecting and locating impacts of rapidly moving particles on spacecraft have been invented. Systems of this type could also be useful on Earth in settings in which the occurrence of impacts and/or the locations of impacts are not immediately obvious and there are requirements to detect and quickly locate impacts to prevent or minimize damage. For example, occupants of a military vehicle could know immediately that someone was shooting at it and which side of the vehicle was taking fire. For another example, commercial transportation companies using these systems for remote monitoring of valuable cargo could know when and from what direction impacts were jeopardizing the cargo, whether the impacts were from hailstones, burglary tools, vehicular collisions, or firearms.