Ahmers Osram introduces new infrared VCSEL emitters for in-cabin sensing, with new reliable built-in human eye safety features
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Update time : 2023-06-08 11:47:44
Ahmers Osram, a leading global provider of optical solutions, today announced the launch of the TARA2000-AUT-SAFE family of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), enhancing its portfolio of infrared laser modules for in-cabin sensing in automobiles while providing more reliable and robust human eye safety features than existing automotive VCSEL modules.
A top 10 global automotive manufacturer has selected this new product for a new design, which will be available in volume production and supply from 2024 from Emmis Osram.
The new TARA2000-AUT-SAFE produces a tightly controlled beam of infrared light at a peak wavelength of 940nm for the same application scenarios as the existing TARA2000-AUT series: driver monitoring, gesture sensing and in-cabin monitoring. The compact package module contains an Emmis Osram VCSEL chip and a microlens array (MLA).
The TARA2000-940-W-AUT-SAFE has a wide illumination area of 116° x 87° and allows cockpit monitoring using 2D near infrared (NIR) imaging and 3D indirect time-of-flight (iToF) cameras. The forthcoming TARA2000-940-UN-AUT-SAFE has a narrow illumination area of 46° x 41° and is suitable for pilot monitoring. It is currently being prototyped for customers.
Ahmeys Osram has been supplying OEMs and large companies with advanced in-cabin sensing technology with automotive specifications. The TARA2000-AUT, the AEC-Q102 certified and ISO 26262 compliant VCSEL floodlight illuminator, was previously launched by Ahmers Osram and has been in series production and delivered to several automotive customers since the second quarter of 2021. The TARA2000-AUT-SAFE series continues to innovate, thanks to a new built-in interlock circuit method to protect the human eye, improving reliability and simplifying design for automotive manufacturers.
The new device's resistive interlock circuitry is integrated into the MLA and the TARA2000-AUT-SAFE provides a near instantaneous response (<1μs) to fault conditions, allowing direct detection of faults that could compromise human eye safety, such as a broken or sheared homogenizer.
The TARA2000-AUT-SAFE solves many of the design and implementation challenges at a lower cost than competing products on the market today. The fast and reliable response is superior to other built-in photodiode methods used for human eye safety protection in automotive VCSELs. In competitive products, the photodiode signal is prone to failures caused by non-human eye safety related factors, such as reflective objects in front of the VCSEL module, thus reducing the system's ability to protect human eye safety.
In addition, the interlock circuit of the TARA2000-AUT-SAFE is easier to integrate, as its readout circuit only requires a with gate or a field effect tube. In contrast, the complex reading circuit of a photodiode requires more and more expensive components. This means that the photodiode approach results in higher bill of materials costs and a slower response to events that compromise the safety of the human eye.
In addition, the response of photodiodes is highly dependent on temperature, making system design more complex and less reliable. This is particularly detrimental for automotive applications exposed to a wide range of operating temperatures.
We have enhanced the TARA2000 series by directly leveraging our experience in other applications," says Firat Sarialtun, Senior Global Marketing Manager at Emmis Osram. Emmis Osram has an in-depth knowledge of interlock-based human eye safety design, and our products using the interlock approach have been in volume production for many years in other end markets such as consumer and industrial."
"We were the first to start volume production of IR VCSEL in-cabin sensing modules compliant with AEC-Q102 and ISO 26262 in the second quarter of 2021, and now we are pushing VCSEL technology even further with interlocking loop functionality. With our deep engineering expertise in optical components and leveraging our in-depth knowledge of each sub-assembly and technology in the complete VCSEL module, the interlocking circuit has been integrated directly onto the lens and package."
The design of the TARA2000-AUT-SAFE builds on the high performance of the TARA2000-AUT. The new device is available in a rugged ceramic package with a maximum operating temperature of 125°C and supports AEC-Q102 Class 1 certification as well as the ISO 26262 functional safety standard. Peak optical power output is 4 W for a 100 µs pulse at 25°C/2% duty cycle/5 A. The TARA2000-940-UN-AUT-SAFE and TARA2000-940-W-AUT-SAFE VCSEL emitters are now available in prototype form.
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