KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc. (KSLD) has announced the release of the world’s first LaserLightTM Headlight Modules that offer dual illumination of high brightness white and infrared (IR) for night vision and sensing in order to enhance safety and visibility in automotive and mobility applications. The company plans to showcase these new laser-based headlight modules, as well as its award-winning LaserLight product line and recent advancements in efficient optical power transfer and high-speed LiFi communication, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2023.
KSLD had a successful launch of its white emitting LaserLight device for automotive high beam boost applications in 2019. The company is now introducing LaserLight Headlight Modules that provide high brightness, high efficiency regulated low beam and high beam functionality with dual white and IR emission. The white illumination offers a sharp cutoff, high contrast, and precise beam patterns while minimizing glare to improve driver visibility and optimize IIHS scores. The IR illumination improves night vision camera visibility of pedestrians and roadways during fog or smoke, and enables new forward lighting functions including ranging and 3D flash LiDAR sensing. The LaserLight Headlight Modules are arranged with 4 per headlight, 2 modules for low beam and 2 modules for high beam, with either SAE or ECE/CCC regulated emission pattern. The modules are ultra-compact, with a slim profile of less than 12.7mm lens height, and can be configured in a horizontal, 2×2, vertical, or offset layout, offering design and styling freedom for Tier 1 headlight makers and OEM vehicle manufacturers.
The LaserLight Headlight Modules incorporate KSLD’s innovative LaserLight SMD White/IR dual emission devices, Winner of the prestigious 2021 Prism Award for Photonics Innovation, Transportation Category. These LaserLight SMD device products will be on display at CES, delivering high brightness, high visibility, eye-safe illumination for mobility applications including avionics, drones, railway, and marine. In the automotive aftermarket, KSLD’s LaserLight SMDs have illuminated podium finisher vehicles since 2018 at the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000, the world’s most prestigious off-road motorsport race. In the consumer and professional product space, the dual emission sources are finding application in portable lighting products, night vision illuminators, and rangefinders for recreation and outdoor, search & rescue, and security applications. Until now, dual emission white/IR sources have not been possible because LEDs and legacy lamp-based light sources are unable to deliver high brightness white and IR emission from the same point source, and they are incapable of being modulated at the high speeds required for accurate sensing and fast data rates.
To support the future of wireless connectivity, KSLD will display DataLightTM, the world’s first laser LiFi commercial development kit featuring a high-speed 1 Gbps, secure, RF free, eye-safe bidirectional link. Laser LiFi is being adopted in mobility applications including car-to-x exterior, vehicle interiors, airplane cabins, undersea and space, defense and security, as well as future smart cities, healthcare, and smart factories. KSLD is pioneering LiFi innovations for future products as well and recently demonstrated world record performance of 100 Gbps.
Beyond lighting, sensing, and communication, KSLD will demonstrate its innovative optical power transmission over fiber using its high efficiency GaN laser diode and photodiode semiconductor chip technology at CES 2023. This significant advancement in the field of power transfer has the potential to replace heavy and sensitive metal wire harnesses in mobility applications with a lightweight, noise-free optical solution, increasing the efficiency and extending the range of electric vehicles, airplanes, or satellites, while making them more secure and safe. This power-over-light solution can be configured to include optical data communications to deliver data and power to sensors in a distributed system in a vehicle or even in space, where radiation hardened GaN based semiconductors are ideally suited.
KSLD’s fiber light source products will also be on display delivering white emissive fiber illumination with more than 10,000 cd/m2 for ultra-bright lighting for vehicle exterior grills, logos, daytime running lights (DRLs) and interiors. These sources deliver 10 times the brightness of LED solutions, producing brilliant and efficient illumination from thin, low cost fiber optics and a remote light source.
