GOLETA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc. (KSLD), a world leader in commercialization of laser light sources, has announced the introduction of the world’s first LaserLightTM engines that deliver dynamic white and infrared (IR) night vision illumination along with sensing and LiFi communication functionality for automotive and consumer applications. The company will demonstrate its award winning products, new LaserLight engines, and recent innovations in optical power transfer and lighting disinfection at the Consumer Electronics Show January 5 – 8, 2022.
Following KSLD’s highly successful white LaserLight product launch into automotive headlights in 2019, the company is now introducing LaserLight engines that feature dual white/IR emission to fuse multiple critical functionalities including dynamic white lighting and infrared night vision illumination that can be combined with sensing and LiFi communications. The high brightness collimated white light provides 1 km beam distance while independently delivering IR illumination for night vision cameras to enable maximum machine vision visibility and safety. White/IR dual emission sources are critical for all mobility applications including automotive, avionics, drones, railway, and marine. In the consumer and professional product space, the dual emission sources will find 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.
The illumination pattern of KSLD’s LaserLight engines can be electronically adjusted on-demand for efficient and high precision dynamic beam shaping. In sensing and imaging, the fast temporal response of KSLD’s LaserLight enables high-resolution ranging at distances over 250 meters for automotive ADAS systems as well as consumer rangefinding applications. Beyond single-point depth sensing, the LaserLight engines can be combined with imaging sensors to facilitate full 3D LiDAR systems. To support the future of wireless connectivity, the LaserLight engines deliver high-speed, secure, efficient, RF-free LiFi communication with data rates exceeding 1 gigabit per second for mobility applications including car-to-x exterior, vehicle interiors, airplane cabins, as well as future smart cities, healthcare, secure facilities, and smart factories. By providing both white and IR from the same source and combining dynamic lighting, accurate sensing, and high speed communication, KSLD’s LaserLight engines enable customers to commercialize potent intelligent illumination systems. These LaserLight engines can be configured for customer specific applications and have exciting potential to be performance optimized using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Beyond lighting, sensing, and communication, KSLD will demonstrate the world’s first optical power transmission over fiber using its innovative, high efficiency GaN laser and photocell semiconductor chip technology at CES 2022. This innovation 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 and airplanes, 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 such as a vehicle.
Using the same GaN laser technology, KSLD will be demonstrating the world’s first LaserLight optical disinfection module, which delivers dual white and violet light emission to provide ambient white lighting while neutralizing bacterial growth for applications in ride sharing vehicles, airliners and healthcare facilities. The LaserLight optical disinfection modules are configurable to deliver light through optical fiber in remote lighting applications where optical disinfection is needed, such as in refrigerators, spas, pools, and fountains.
KSLD will exhibit its existing LaserLight white light products which were first adopted in car headlights on the road in 2019, delivering high brightness, high visibility, eye-safe illumination by generating precise beam patterns with minimum glare from miniature modules that save critical space in the car and provide unmatched styling and design freedom. For the automotive aftermarket, KSLD will display LaserLight sources deployed in off-road applications including in podium finisher vehicles since 2018 at the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000, the world’s most prestigious off-road motorsport race. KSLD’s fiber light sources will be on display delivering white emissive fiber illumination with up to 10,000 cd/m2 for ultra-bright lighting for vehicle exterior grills, logos, and interiors. These sources deliver 10 times the brightness of LED solutions, producing brilliant and efficient illumination from thin, low cost plug-and-play fiber optics and a modular light source.
KYOCERA SLD Laser will host meetings in person at CES 2022 in West Hall Exhibition Booth 3423 and virtually by appointment. To schedule an appointment, please contact Kristen Hanna at KHanna@SLDlaser.com.
About KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc.
KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc. (KSLD) is a wholly owned subsidiary and group company of KYOCERA Corporation, commercializing a new generation of gallium nitride based laser light sources for automotive, mobility, specialty lighting, and consumer applications. The company is ISO 9001 certified and automotive compliant to IATF 16949, and operates facilities in Santa Barbara, CA and in Fremont, CA. KSLD’s high luminance LaserLightTM sources are UL and IEC safety certified and are utilized in a myriad of applications including automotive & mobility, specialty & portable lighting, entertainment & outdoor, projection & AR/VR displays, biomedical instrumentation & therapeutics, and industrial imaging & material processing. The company was recently ranked in Fortune magazine’s “2021 Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & ProductionTM,” having promoted an employee-centric corporate culture since its founding. To learn more about KSLD, visit www.kyocera-sldlaser.com or contact the company at info@kyocera-sldlaser.com or 1-866-753-5273.
About KYOCERA
Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2021, the company’s consolidated sales revenue totaled 1.5 trillion yen (approx. US$13.8 billion). Kyocera is ranked #603 on Forbes magazine’s 2021 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, and has appeared on The Wall Street Journal’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies.”
