PSD-based intersection method for photoelectric detection of explosion position in field environments

Accurate explosion localization is critical in defense research and civil blasting engineering, serving as a core technology in weapon development and controlled demolition. However, existing measurement methods often lack adaptability to complex field environments and suffer from limited system mobility, hindering reliable explosion position detection. This paper proposes a novel photoelectric detection technique based on position-sensitive detector (PSD) intersection for real-time explosion localization in field conditions. First, a mathematical model of PSD-explosion point intersection is established, enabling coordinate determination through matrix transformation. Next, a long-distance calibration method integrating optical aiming and real-time kinematic positioning is introduced to obtain angular and displacement parameters required for calibration. Furthermore, an error distribution model is derived to analyze measurement accuracy, revealing an error range of 126.13–248.84 mm in typical deployment scenarios. Field tests involving ammunition explosions demonstrate that the proposed system effectively captures transient firelight signals and computes three-dimensional explosion coordinates with a maximum positional error below 300 mm compared to reference data. The method enables low-cost, rapid deployment for explosion localization, offering significant advantages over conventional techniques. This work presents a robust, field-deployable solution with notable engineering value for high-precision explosion detection in real-world scenarios.