Fast, accurate radiant intensity measurement solution for evaluation of near-infrared (NIR) light sources and distributions

Near-Infrared Sensing

Three-dimensional sensing technology is the foundation of multiple new applications, such as:

• Facial and gesture recognition
• Eye tracking and iris detection
• Automotive LiDAR for autonomous vehicle sensing
• Multimodal sensing for vehicle gesture and motion control
• Other near-infrared 3D sensing applications

To ensure performance, accuracy, and safety of devices and systems that use NIR sensing, an effective test and measurement solution is needed.
 

Near Infrared Intensity Lens Solution

The Radiant Vision Systems Near-Infrared (NIR) Intensity Lens system is an integrated camera/lens solution that measures the angular distribution and radiant intensity of 850 or 940 nm near-infrared (NIR or near-IR) emitters. The NIR Intensity Lens system utilizes Fourier optics to capture a full distribution of NIR light in a single measurement up to ±70 degrees, giving you extremely fast, accurate results ideal for in-line quality control.

Manufacturers of three-dimensional sensing technology can apply the NIR Intensity Lens solution for angular measurement of NIR LEDs, lasers, and diffractive optical elements (DOE). The lens mounts directly to a Radiant Vision Systems ProMetric® Imaging Radiometer, and features ProMetric or TrueTest™ Software for intuitive system setup and customizable automated measurement sequences. Additional tests specific to NIR emission measurement are available.

High-Resolution Angular Measurement

The NIR Intensity Lens captures the complete angular distribution of a NIR light source (up to ±70 degrees) in a single image, and achieves an angular resolution of up to 0.05 degrees per image sensor pixel. Paired with the ProMetric® Imaging Radiometer, the NIR Intensity Lens has the capability to measure radiant intensity, power, and radiant flux with a high degree of accuracy at each view angle. This ensures both accurate distribution and intensity of NIR emissions for object sensing, and safe levels of NIR output for use in human-machine interface applications such as eye and facial sensing.
 

Safety Considerations

The human eye does not respond to invisible wavelengths of NIR light the same way it does to bright visible light, and therefore can be damaged by NIR emissions. The NIR Intensity Lens enables you to ensure device safety and comply with industry standards such as:

• IEC 62471 standard for all light sources, required in America, Asia, and Europe
• IEC 60825-1 standard for lasers, including any NIR lasers
• American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for Physical Agents (including “lasers, light and near-infrared radiation”

Structured Light Dot Pattern Analysis

Diffractive optical elements (DOE) distribute NIR laser emissions in a dot pattern (often tens of thousands of dots) over a wide spatial area. This array provides NIR sensors with a grid map used to detect 3D surfaces with varying shapes, curvatures, and depths, such as the human face. A single beam of NIR laser light is emitted through a DOE “screen”, which splits it into multiple emission points, creating a complex pattern of dots. This pattern is cast on the 3D surface of a target object, such as a face. As the laser light interacts with the object, each of the dots in the array is reflected back to the device’s NIR sensor at a different angular location, size, and intensity, indicating depth and curvature. Calculating the deviation of distributed light versus received reflected light, the sensing device can construct a 3D “map” of the object.

Each dot in a facial recognition DOE array must be accurately positioned (correct angle, inclination, azimuth) to ensure it is properly reflected back and “understood” by the emitting device’s infrared sensor. Manufacturers need to control the position and output of each dot for the device to correctly map the contours of the target object. It is also important to control the radiant intensity (W/sr) intensity of each point to ensure safe levels of NIR output in applications—such as facial recognition and iris tracking—where the human eye is exposed to NIR emissions.

Radiant’s NIR Intensity Lens can identify points of interest across the image, measuring point-by-point values for maximum peak (strongest emitter), location at x,y, maximum peak inclination/azimuth, maximum peak averages, maximum peak solid angle, number of pixels as maximum peak point, spot power uniformity (between dots), total flux, and DOE flux (subtracting the background peak).
 

Complete Measurement Solution 

The NIR Intensity Lens provides an application-specific solution for complete NIR source characterization and emission measurement. Paired and calibrated with a ProMetric Y Imaging Radiometer, the NIR Intensity Lens provides a turnkey radiometric imaging solution that meets the form factor, measurement efficiency, and cost requirements for multiple applications.

The Radiant NIR solution software provides tests specific to the evaluation of NIR beam spread and radiant intensity. You can sequence tests for rapid evaluation of all relevant display characteristics in a matter of seconds, applying selected tests to a single image captured by the camera. Unique tests for NIR analysis include:

Radiant solutions are complete hardware/software systems configured for exact application needs, which enable manufacturers to achieve more efficient measurement processes using a single provider with end-to-end support.
 

NIR Intensity Lens Key Features and Highlights:

• Accurate and reliable measurement of radiant intensity up to ±70° angle.
• High angular resolution (up to 0.05 degrees per sensor pixel).
• Efficient operation, capturing data for all angles simultaneously. Faster than goniometric systems for analyzing angular data.
• Compact form factor.
• Combination of low cost, high performance, and flexibility.
• Easy-to-use measurement control and analysis software.
   

Typical Applications:

The NIR Intensity Lens provides an efficient measurement solution for near-infrared (NIR) sources and DOE or angular emissions. This camera/lens solution offers high-resolution imaging to address both off-line and in-line applications:

• Angular measurement for devices used for 3D sensing applications including facial recognition, gesture recognition, eye tracking, multimodal human machine interface (HMI), and automotive LiDAR.
• Evaluation of 850 or 940 nm light sources for accurate radiant intensity output at all angles.
• Measurement of NIR LEDs, lasers, and patterns produced by diffractive optical elements (DOE).
• Fast operation for in-line measurement for quality control during production.

Awards and Recognition:

The Radiant NIR Intensity Lens has been honored with three awards for innovation:

• Vision Systems Design – 2019 Innovators Awards; Silver-level
• GLOBAL SMT & Packaging – 2019 GLOBAL Technology Awards; “Metrology” category
• Laser Focus World – 2019 Innovators Awards; Gold-level