Osram's ultra-compact infrared LED enables gesture control inside the car

     At present, the interior design of cars is undergoing drastic changes. The display is getting bigger, the number of manual controls is decreasing, and the custom lighting scheme creates a comfortable interior atmosphere. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and technologies previously designed for mobile devices, such as facial recognition, eye tracking or gesture sensing, are increasingly being used in the automotive sector. These technologies are based on infrared light. The smaller and more powerful the components required, the easier it is to integrate into complex designs. Oslon Piccolo Infrared leds (IRED) are extremely compact and packed with power in a small package, making them the ideal choice for customers.

     Just as mobility will change in the coming years, so will the use of the vehicles themselves. Under the development trend of autonomous driving, cars will be equipped with more and more convenient features to facilitate the interaction between passengers and vehicles. The interior design of self-driving cars will be vastly different from current models. The classic dashboard design will be replaced by other user interface and communication options. Today, drivers can use voice assistants to navigate and use gesture controls to control simple functions.

     Gesture recognition opens up a whole new way to use the display. For example, when navigating to a destination, the vehicle displays a map with the corresponding route. At the edge of the image, the different menu items used to operate the display are usually presented in a standardized manner, and these menus take up a portion of the map display space. With the help of gesture recognition, menu items are only displayed when the driver moves his or her hand towards the display, enabling a full-screen display of the route.

     Walter Rothmund, Sensing Market Manager at OSram Opto Semiconductors, explains: "When used in conjunction with automotive interior displays, the Oslon Piccolo benefits are fully realized. "The ultra-compact IRED measures just 1.6mm x 1.6mm and has a package height of just 0.81mm, making it easy to fit into tight Spaces." With A DC power of 1.15 W at 1 A current and a switching time of 10 ns, the element is suitable both as a constant light source for camera-based applications and for 3D image acquisition using modulated or fast pulsed light. The component (AEC-Q102) is of automotive quality and is available in two wavelength versions: 850 nm (SFH 4170S A01) and 940 nm (SFH 4180S A01).