IR laser diode used in 3D camera

25 July 2012 Opto-Electronics

A fast laser diode from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has been used to provide light for a new 3D camera from Swedish manufacturer Fotonic. The component was developed especially for 3D cameras and facilitates range finding for moving objects with good depth resolution at video rate.

The infrared laser diode provides high optical power of about 0,5 W, even when in continuous wave operation. With a wavelength of about 845 nm the light is hardly visible to the human eye, and yet it is well within the sensibility range of the camera chip.

Three-dimensional cameras superimpose a two-dimensional picture with information on the range and surface profile of an object. Industrial applications for such systems are, for example, the gauging of fluid levels or the grading of objects according to size or shape. Three-dimensional sensors also provide reliable stereoscopic information, e.g. for the control of robot arms.

The Fotonic C70 camera is based on a CMOS sensor and makes use of the principle of time-of-flight measurement. A laser diode, which is integrated into the camera, transmits a light pulse which the target reflects back. Each of the 120x160 pixels of the camera chip records the distance to the object by measuring a respective phase shift compared to the emitted light pulse.

The precision of this distance measurement and the range of the sensor increases with the modulating frequency of the light source. Due to their fast switching times of only a few nanoseconds, laser diodes are particularly well suited for this application.

Within the range of 0,1 to 7 metres, the camera measures distances with an accuracy of 3 up 30 millimetres.

For more information contact Ryan Hunt, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, +27 (0)79 525 1779, [email protected], www.osram.co.za

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