A Simplified Method to Test the Safety of the Optical Radiations Emitted by 3D Scanning-LiDARs

Since LiDARs usually exploit near-infrared (NIR) radiation, we often do not even notice them. Nonetheless, they have become an almost constant presence that accompanies us most of the day. If, on the one hand, this has brought us advantages and simplifications, on the other hand, it will require ever greater attention to all aspects related to safety. Indeed, the LASER sources exploited by LiDARs can potentially pose risks to people. Since the received power decreases as the distance to the target increases, the farther away the objects to detect can be, the more powerful, and thus dangerous, the LASER source/s may need to be. In this scenario, 3D scanning-LiDARs for automotive applications are probably among the most powerful LASER sources that any of us can come across in our daily lives. For our safety, compliance with the limits imposed by the safety standards must be guaranteed not only when the LiDAR, or the product including it, leaves the production line but throughout the entire operational life. Unfortunately, measuring the energy of each beam emitted by a 3D scanning-LiDAR to verify its compliance with the limits imposed by the safety standards can be far from trivial. In this study, we exploit the peculiarities of 3D scanning-LiDARs to propose a simplified method for testing the compliance of the emitted radiation with the limits for class 1 LASERs imposed by International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60825 standards. The method is primarily intended for automotive LiDARs but can be applied to most 3D scanning-LiDARs.