Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik IOF
Booth number: 4205-31
www.iof.fraunhofer.de
About us
Ranging from array projectors in the automotive sector to 3D real-time scanners in production and quantum technologies for tap-proof communication, the Fraunhofer - Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF develops innovative solutions with light for a wide variety of applications. To cover the entire photonic process chain, we use our comprehensive competencies in the areas of optical and mechanical system design, micro- and nanostructured optics, opto-mechatronical as well as precision optical components and systems, functional surfaces and coatings, laser and fiber technology, imaging and sensing technology, and future technologies, such as optical quantum technologies. Innovative solutions arise that open up new fields of application for photonics in science and industry. As part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, our research is based on a passion for taking on significant challenges and breaking new ground.
Address
Albert-Einstein-Str. 7
07745 Jena
Germany
E-mail: events@iof.fraunhofer.de
Phone: +49 3641 8070
Internet: www.iof.fraunhofer.de
Contact person:
Dr. Erik Beckert
Head of Department | Opto-mechatronical Components and Systems
E-mail: eric.beckert@iof.fraunhofer.de
Dr. Robert Kammel
Head of Department | Strategy, Organisation, Communication
E-mail: robert.kammel@iof.fraunhofer.de
Dr. Thomas Schreiber
Head of Department | Laser and Fiber Technology
E-mail: thomas.schreiber@iof.fraunhofer.de
Dr. Martin Landmann
Department Imaging and Sensing
E-mail: martin.landmann@iof.fraunhofer.de
Products & Services
goCRAHS3D - Robust and compact high-speed 3D sensor
For more than ten years, Fraunhofer IOF in Jena has been working on capturing 3D data with high-speed cameras. Essentially, such a system consists of two cameras, a projector and a computer. “The crux of the matter is not actually the camera, but the lighting,” explains project manager Kevin Srokos. The researchers in Jena further developed the GOBO technology from stage technology for their purposes years ago.
With the GOBO technology, a disk with an irregular fringe pattern rotates in front of a high-power light source. This produces a non-periodic sinusoidal pattern on the object to be measured. This allows points in the images from the cameras looking at the object from different angles to be matched. The 3D coordinates for the points in the images are calculated from the position of the cameras and the offset of the image points.
Application in the automotive sector
The Jena team tested their system in the automotive industry very early on. “Back then, the system was used to track the deployment of an airbag with time resolution,” reports Srokos. “But back in 2017, we also had the idea of moving the system into the interior of the vehicle.” In a joint project with a major German car manufacturer, the Jena team set up a demonstrator for this purpose, which has been used for tests by the project partner since 2023.
With goCRASH3D, it is possible to observe processes in the footwell, for example, that were previously inaccessible or only accessible to a very limited extent. Areas obscured by the deploying airbag can also be tracked in this way.
The technology in detail
The Jena team tested their system in the automotive industry very early on. “Back then, the system was used to track the deployment of an airbag with time resolution,” reports Srokos. “But back in 2017, we also had the idea of moving the system into the interior of the vehicle.” In a joint project with a major German car manufacturer, the Jena team set up a demonstrator for this purpose, which has been used for tests by the project partner since 2023.
With goCRASH3D, it is possible to observe processes in the footwell, for example, that were previously inaccessible or only accessible to a very limited extent. Areas obscured by the deploying airbag can also be tracked in this way.
High-speed recordings today and tomorrow
The goCRASH3D system is currently being used by the project partner and further developed at Fraunhofer IOF. At the institute in Jena, the high-speed recordings have already been coupled with other cameras so that the 3D images can be combined with additional spectral information.
The goCRASH3D system was developed for and with the automotive industry. “However, we can also imagine other applications in the safety sector or in sports medicine,” explains Kevin Srokos. In the medium term, the technology for 3D high-speed recordings is an excellent solution for the growing safety requirements in the automotive sector.
i-FPS Waveguide Oven
A glass chip with laser-written waveguide channels combines eight light signals into one via integrated couplers. The chip forms the central signal combiner in a quantum key distribution source, that creates indistinguishable polarization-encrypted signal and decoy photons. The waveguide chip is actively thermally controlled inside a Kovar frame with temperature probes and thermo-electric elements. It is situated between a stack of precision-machined heatsinks to integrate the chip without voids with the help of a thermally conductive intermediate layer. Optical input is achieved with lithographic microlenses, that couple light into the waveguide channels, whereas the output is attained via a coupled fiber.
