Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany reckons that its new infrared (IRED) Oslon black SFH 4716S is one of the most powerful IREDs on the market, with an optical output of 1030mW. With a beam angle of 150°, it provides illumination at a range of a few yards/meters and is hence suitable for gesture detection systems linked to computer games or for optical safety systems in the automotive sector. Also, with external optics and tight focusing, even distant objects can be illuminated with infrared light.
Picture: The SFH 4716S infrared Oslon black LED has a wide beam angle that provides efficient near-range illumination and can also be tightly focused with the aid of a reflector and lens.
The compact (3.85mm x 3.85mm x 1.51mm) high-power IRED illuminates the relevant area so that a camera sensor can detect movement, which can then be used to control a computer or enter text. The wide beam angle of 150° ensures that the near-field area is uniformly illuminated and gestures are reliably detected. Text can therefore be entered, for example, even if the hand is a few centimeters away from the keyboard. The SFH 4716S is also certified in accordance with the automotive standard AEC-Q101, so it can be used in safety-related applications such as driver monitoring or seat occupancy detection systems in vehicles.
Picture: One application for SFH 4716S is gesture detection: text entry or image processing without touching the keyboard.
The high optical output of 1030mW is achieved at an operating current of 1A with an efficiency of about 35%. This increased performance is based on the stack technology used by Osram that provides each chip with two emission centers, doubling its output. Oslon black achieves a radiant intensity of up to 225mW/sr. Emitted light with a wavelength of 850nm is suitable for camera sensors but is barely visible to the human eye, so it is not considered an annoyance.
The high optical output of the Oslon black also makes it suitable for combining with external reflectors. It may initially seem contradictory to create a narrow beam from a wide-angle light source, says Osram Opto, but this is a very efficient way to achieve high radiant intensity and long range. the firm claims that light from the SFH 4716S injects very well into an external reflector, which shapes the beam so that it can be tightly focused by an additional lens, making the LED suitable for surveillance and monitoring systems that operate with additional infrared illumination. “With the aid of external reflectors it is possible to produce very narrow beam angles and illuminate at distances of several hundred yards, or meters,” comments Dr Amine Taleb-Bendiab, senior product marketing manager- IR Products, for Osram Opto.