1、 What is Class 1 certification
Class 1 (Class 1 laser) is the highest safety level for laser products in the International Electrotechnical Commission's IEC 60825-1 standard, defined as the level that will not cause harm to the human eye under all reasonably foreseeable conditions of use, including direct visual inspection with the naked eye, observation within the beam through optical instruments such as binoculars, and even in the event of a single malfunction. In the laser product grading system (Class 1, 1M, 2, 2M, 3R, 3B, 4), Class 1 has the lowest risk and is the "safety red line" and de facto mandatory entry threshold for vehicle and consumer grade LiDAR entering the market. It can be said that Class 1 is the "ID card" for vehicle mounted LiDAR, and all compliant products of energy production must meet this level.
2、 Core based standard system
IEC 60825-1 (International/EU): A widely adopted benchmark standard in over 100 countries and regions worldwide, with the latest version being IEC 60825-1:2014 (3rd edition) and its amendments. It is also a mandatory technical basis for EU CE certification (based on EN 60825-1), and without corresponding test reports, CE marking cannot be affixed to enter the European market.
FDA 21 CFR 1040.10 (USA): The regulatory requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration for laser products, with a high degree of interoperability between the technical core and IEC 60825-1, require FDA laser product registration and certification for export to the United States.
GB 7247.1 (China): Equivalent to the national mandatory standard IEC 60825-1:2014, GB/T 7247.1-2024 version has been officially implemented in April 2025 and is a mandatory requirement for domestic market sales.
3、 The technical core of certification: AEL can reach the emission limit
The essence of Class 1 certification is to verify that the achievable emission limit (AEL) of the product is lower than the maximum allowable exposure level (MPE). AEL is not a fixed value, but is determined by multiple parameters: laser wavelength (905nm or 1550nm), pulse width, pulse repetition frequency, beam divergence angle, apparent size of the light source, etc. Pulse products need to be calculated according to the pulse train rules in the standard. Special attention should be paid to the fact that the judgment condition includes the worst-case scenario of "direct view through optical instruments", which is often the key to limiting the actual transmission power limit. For engineers, the correct approach is to obtain the original standard text from the IEC website and complete the AEL calculation item by item for specific pulse waveforms - the second-hand interpretation on blogs is not effective engineering evidence under the European and American product liability framework.
4、 The impact of wavelength selection on safety design
At present, the mainstream wavelengths for in vehicle LiDAR are 905nm and 1550nm. The 1550nm laser absorbs most of its energy by the cornea and lens, with a lower proportion reaching the retina. Therefore, the upper limit of safe power is naturally higher, and the detection distance is more advantageous; Although 905nm has a lower upper limit, it can still achieve sufficient ranging performance within the Class 1 framework through design methods such as high-speed scanning (shortening single point dwell time) and VCSEL array light sources (sharing energy with larger apparent light source sizes).
5、 Key projects and common difficulties in certification testing
The testing core revolves around radiation safety: measuring the achievable laser power and energy under various conditions (normal state, single fault state, different distances, and observation conditions), and calculating whether it falls within the AEL. Common "bottlenecks" in practice include: laser power drift in the full temperature range of high and low temperatures (-40 ℃~85 ℃) leading to exceeding limits - for example, power abnormalities caused by insufficient temperature compensation in the driving circuit at low temperatures often require dual locking of the power upper limit through real-time power feedback circuits and control algorithms; And the effects of pulse train averaging and scanning timing on AEL accounting. Environmental reliability testing (high and low temperature cycling, vibration, salt spray) is usually conducted in conjunction with laser safety testing to meet vehicle regulatory requirements.
6、 Overview of Certification Process
The process is roughly divided into four stages: firstly, pre evaluation and scheme design, where the certification body evaluates the Class 1 feasibility of wavelength, power, scanning method, and fault safety mechanism and proposes corrective suggestions; Next is formal application and document review, submitting a complete set of materials such as technical documents, design specifications, risk management reports, etc; The third is sample testing, providing 1-2 mass-produced specification prototypes, and the laboratory will perform radiation measurement and accounting according to IEC 60825-1; Finally, certificates will be issued and continuous compliance will be achieved. After passing the tests, a test report and a Declaration of Conformity (DoC) will be issued. Regular sampling will be conducted to ensure that the batch products continue to meet the limit values.
7、 Important reminder: Class 1 does not mean harmless to all devices
It should be clarified that the object protected by Class 1 is the human eye, not the camera. The cornea, crystalline lens, and water of the human eye can absorb and disperse laser energy, while sensors such as mobile phone CMOS and surveillance cameras do not have this natural protection, especially devices lacking infrared filters, which may burn out due to local energy concentration when facing the laser beam at close range. The multiple incidents of "laser radar burning out underground monitoring cameras" were triggered by this. Therefore, the laser energy of mass-produced compliant products is safe for the human eye, but it is not recommended to stare directly for a long time, nor to use a mobile phone to take close-up shots of laser radar during work.
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