28 October 2016

Osram launches infrared LED for night-vision systems assistance

Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany is now offering a compact high-power Synios infrared light-emitting diode (IRED) for automotive applications

The new IRED reduces the size of lighting units for camera-based assistance systems in cars. Compared with the Platinum Dragon previously used, new Synios SFH 4770S A01 offers a 25% higher optical output with nearly one tenth of the footprint, making the infrared light sources for night-vision assistance more cost-effective.

Osram presented its first Synios IRED for the consumer market (SFH 4770S) just last year. Now the component is also suitable as a infrared lighting unit for camera systems that monitor the outside environment of the car. These systems include night-vision assistance and forward collision detection systems such as pedestrian protection solutions that work with camera images. Flooding the scene in front of the vehicle with infrared light enables the vehicle's environment to be reliably detected, even in the dark or in poor weather conditions. Unlike laser-based assistance systems that work with pulsed light, night-vision assistance and forward collision detection systems tend to use fixed light sources.

The Synios SFH 4770S A01 will replace the established Dragon product family in these applications. The main requirement is high optical output in continuous operation (DC), and the new IRED delivers an optical output of nearly 1200mW from a current of 1A and is therefore roughly 25% brighter than the Platinum Dragon SFH 4235.

"SFH 4770S A01 offers the best efficiency and ratio between component size and optical output on the market for the automotive sector," claims Dr Walter Rothmund, head of marketing Infrared Automotive at Osram Opto.

Like its predecessor, the SFH 4770S A01 contains a highly efficient chip with nanostack technology featuring two light-emitting p-n junctions. The typical forward voltage is 3.2V.

Similar to the Dragon LED SFH 4235, the Synios is also a Lambertian radiator and is suitable for reflector-based systems. The Synios package is considerably smaller than the Dragon package, measuring 2.75mm x 2.0mm x 0.6mm. In particular, it requires nearly one tenth of the footprint and, given that its thermal conductivity has not changed, designers can create much smaller systems with the same thermal management. Also, due to the higher optical output, fewer components are needed to produce the same brightness levels, which in turn further reduces system costs.

"We have managed to create a compact product for the automotive sector with Synios, which we intend on expanding into a family of products including additional wavelengths in the future," says Rothmund.

See related items:

Osram launches IRED in low-profile Synios package for eye tracking in mobile devices

Tags: Osram Automotive LED lighting IR LED

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