Integrated into modern systems, the distance to the car ahead, for example, can be monitored, which significantly increases driving safety and comfort. This adaptive cruise control (ACC) is implemented using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR)-based sensor that calculates the position and speed of the car ahead via runtime measurements of the frequency shift.
The same technology is used by the police in speed traps that are carried out using a laser pistol.
The sensor consists of an emitter (pulsed laser diode (PLD)) and a receiver (avalanche photodiode (APD)).
To make the beam invisible to the human eye, the sender utilizes powerful 905 nm pulsed laser diodes (near infrared). With the 905 series, LASER COMPONENTS Canada produces diodes with a peak power of up to 650 W: for dis-tance and speed measurements in sports applications, we have low-cost versions available with an output of a few tens of watts, which is completely sufficient. PLDs are used in combination with Si PIN or Si avalanche photodiodes. The Si APD of the SARF500Fx series is particularly advantageous here because the very sensitive APDs integrate a suitable 905 nm bandpass filter: this filter suppresses all scattered light and sunlight. Sports are definitely much more fun in day-light than rain or in a dark gym.
