The new optical radiator is a micro chip that can fit into the standard case of a light-emitting diode or a laser.
Scientists of the Physics, Nanotechnologies and Telecommunications Institute at the St. Petersburg Polytechnical University (SPPU) jointly with the Moscow Institute of Electronic Equipment (MIEE) have developed an optical radiator capable of making the work of optical radars 10 times more accurate. Such a result is achieved due to using shorter optical impulses for scanning than in modern radiators, the media center of the SPPU reported.
The optical radar is a distance measuring device consisting of three main parts: a radiator sending an optical signal (it is often a laser beam), a receiver catching the signal reflected by various objects around the radar, and a data processing system that gives the picture of the surrounding area according to peculiar differences and delays between the signals sent and received.
At the same time, the shorter the scanning impulse and the bigger its capacity, the higher radar's range and accuracy is. Thus, work on the optical radiator only made it possible to improve the characteristics of the radar as a whole. "We have reduced the impulse duration and at the same time preserved the impulse capacity. That considerably increased the range and accuracy of the radar, - the head of the Physical Electronics department of the SPPU, Alexey Filimonov explained. - It required  development of both a new element base, and essentially new architecture of the electronic device".
The new optical radiator is a micro chip that fits into the standard case of a light-emitting diode or a laser. Its impulses are up to 5 times shorter than in the currently used analogs. The chip was manufactured in the territory of Russia.
The results of work were presented at the 16th International Conference "Internet of Things, Smart Spaces and Next Generation Networks and Systems (NEW2AN 2016) held in September of this year, whereas the basic fundamental principles of the device are stated in a scientific article in the magazine IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.
Now scientists are looking for partners in domestic business and science for bringing the laboratory prototype up to an industrial design. According to them, the development can be of wide use in the car - and aircraft industry, shipbuilding, and optical location, as well as various automatic surveilance systems. Thus, optical radars are among the main components of self-driving cars' electronics, and any improvement of their characteristics or reduction in their cost can lead to significant progress in the field of autonomous transport.