Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany says that, with its new infrared Dragon Dome LED, security surveillance over large distances is now possible, as the focused beam of the high-power IRED achieves a range of more than 100m. The emission wavelength of 850nm makes the LED suitable as a light source for security surveillance tasks such as closed-circuit television (CCTV).
Picture: Osram Opto's Dragon Dome SFH 4783 infrared LED.
With a compact design (measuring 11mm x 6mm x 5.7mm), the SFH 4783 Dragon Dome is claimed to be the first high-power infrared LED that emits its light within a narrow angle of ±12°. From a current of 1A it achieves a total radiated power of 430mW and hence a radiant intensity of 2.3 watts per steradian (W/sr), allowing a usable range of more than 100m (depending on the sensitivity and field of view of the camera). Osram Opto says that the high total radiated power of the IRED is due to thin-film technology that enables the light to be extracted extremely efficiently from the chip.
This high radiant intensity benefits applications that need strong focused light to provide reliable illumination over large distances, says the firm. These include outdoor CCTV surveillance systems at border crossings or airports. With a wavelength of 850nm, the emitted light is well suited to camera sensors but is barely perceptible to the human eye, so surveillance can be very discreet.
The narrow light beam is produced by the deep metallic reflector and lens of the Dragon Dome. "The integrated lens translates into less time and expense for our customers because they do not need an external lens to focus the light," says Dr J?rg Heerlein, Osram Opto's head of product marketing for Industrial Infrared Components. "This not only reduces installation time and system costs in the relevant application, but also enables the overall design to be made extremely compact," he adds. Also, the surface-mount technology (SMT) package, which is compatible with other Dragon designs, is suitable for reflow soldering processes and helps to make handling even easier and further reduces production costs, says the firm.
