Canon Unveils 5 Sensors for Security Applications

Canon News site refers to Canon Japan web page showing that the company expands its CMOS sensor lineup by 5 new products for security applications:

With these new sensors addition, Canon portfolio looks somewhat more full with products:

12MP 1-inch CMOS 4K Sensor

• Filter Type - RGB
• Sensitivity - 22,000 e/lx/sec @Analog gain x1 (TBD)
• Number of Effective Pixels - 4000 x 3000
• Pixel Size - 3.2 um x 3.2 um
• Shutter - Rolling shutter 12 bit, 24 fps (All Pixels)
• Maximum Frame Rate - 10 bit, 60 fps (4K2K)
• Saturation 22,000 e (TBD) @ Analog gain x 1
• Dark Random Noise - 2.8 e rms @Analog gain x16 (TBD)
• Dark Current - 17 e/sec (TBD) @package reverse side 60℃
• Power Consumption - 540 mW (Typ.) @All pixels readout 24fps (12bit)

12MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS Sensor

• Filter Type - RGB
• Sensitivity - 8,900 e/lx/sec @Analog gain x1 (TBD)
• Number of Effective Pixels 4000x 3000
• Pixel Size - 1.86 um x 1.86 um
• Shutter - Rolling shutter 12 bit, 15 fps (All Pixels)
• Maximum Frame Rate - 11 bit, 30 fps (4K2K)
• Saturation - 12,000 e (TBD) @Analog gain x1
• Dark Random Noise - 1.3 e rms @Analog gain x16 (TBD)
• Dark Current - 7 e/sec (TBD) @package reverse side 60℃
• Power Consumption - 520 mW (Typ.) @All pixels readout 15 fps (12bit)

2.8MP 1/2.32-inch HDR CMOS Sensor - 3U3MRXSAAC

• Filter Type - RGB
• Sensitivity (e/lx/sec) 25,000 (Green) @Analog gain x1 (TBD)
• Number of Effective Pixels 1936 x 1456
• Pixel Size - 3.2 um x 3.2 um
• Shutter - Rolling shutter 120 dB, HDR
• Dynamic Range - 75dB, Normal
• Maximum Frame Rate (All Pixels) - 60 fps, Normal, 30 fps, HDR
• Operating Temperature - -40℃ ~ 105℃（-40°F ~ 221°F）
• Saturation - 23,000 e @Analog gain x1 (TBD)
• Dark Random Noise - 2.7 e rms @Analog gain x4 (TBD)
• Dark Current - 13 e/sec @Analog gain x 1, 60℃ (TBD), TBD @room temperature
• Output Format - @in all-pixel operating mode 12bit, 60fps
• Power Consumption - 300mW (Typ.) @using all pixels 60 fps (TBD)

Super 35mm 4K 9.34MP CMOS Sensor with 60 fps all-pixel readout

• Filter Type - RGB
• Sensitivity - 72,000 e/lx/sec @Analog gain x1 (TBD)
• Number of Effective Pixels 4112 x 2248
• Pixel Size - 6.4 um x 6.4 um
• Shutter - Rolling shutter
• Maximum Frame Rate 12bit, 60 fps (All Pixels)
• Saturation - 39,000 e(TBD) @Analog gain x1
• Dark Random Noise - 2.7 e rms @Analog gain x 8 (TBD)
• Dark Current - 54 e/sec(TBD) @package reverse side 60℃
• Power Consumption - 2 W (Typ.) @All pixels readout 60 fps

Full Frame 50MP CMOS Sensor

• Filter Type - RGB
• Sensitivity - 32,000 e/lx/sec @Analog gain x16 (TBD)
• Number of Effective Pixels 8688x 5792 (Horizontal x Vertical)
• Pixel Size - 4.14 um x 4.14 um
• Shutter - Rolling shutter
• Maximum Frame Rate - 6.8 fps (All Pixels)
• Saturation - 38,000 e (TBD)
• Dark Random Noise - 2.5 e rms @Analog gain x16 (TBD)
• Dark Current - 9.6 e/sec (TBD) @package reverse side 60℃
• Output Format - 16 ch analog outputs
• Power Consumption - 1.5 W (Typ.) @All pixels readout 6.8 fps

A couple of new videos showing the resolution power of Canon's older 120MP sensor:





Thanks to TG for the link!

ST Promotes In-cabin Monitoring Sensor

ST publishes a couple of videos promoting its VG5761 sensor for in-cabin monitoring. Interestingly, the sensor is marked as obsolete at ST site:

Omnivision Sensor Added to Guinness Book of World Records

Omnivision announces on Twitter: "Our OV6948 imager was just named by @GWR as “The Smallest #ImageSensor Commercially Available” at just 0.575 x 0.575mm. The sensor brings #FutureInSight to medical applications."

1T Pixels in China

Fudan University, Shanghai, PISD "successfully combines all functionalities in one transistor. This can largely simplify the pixel design and improve its efficiency. Considering the huge market of image sensor, the development of PISD is very helpful for China to break the monopoly in the global market."

Fudan University's IEEE EDL paper "A Novel One-Transistor Active Pixel Sensor With In-Situ Photoelectron Sensing in 22 nm FD-SOI Technology" by Yong-Feng Cao, M. Arsalan, J. Liu, Yu-Long Jiang, and J. Wan "is commented as “revolutionary” by its reviewer." From the abstract:

"For the first time, a novel active pixel sensor (APS) with 22 nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology is experimentally demonstrated. The APS in-situ integrates photo sensing, charge integration, buffer amplification, and random access in one transistor without charge transfer and assistance of additional transistors. The deep depletion effect in the substrate of the SOI MOSFET is used to collect photoelectrons which are then sensed by the top Si channel. A sensor array is proposed and high sensitivity is experimentally verified in a simplified circuit."

IEEE JEDS publishes Peking University, Beijing, open-access paper "UTBB-Based Single Transistor Image Sensor of Submicron Pixel Using Back Gate Modulation" by Liqiao Liu, Xiaoyan Liu, and Gang Du:

"Image sensor has developed for decades. Now, submicron photo sensor device with high performance is required. In this work, a UTBB (ultra-thin body and box) based single transistor image sensor has been investigated. The light collection and signal readout are accomplished by a single transistor, so the pixel of the UTBB image sensor can shrink down to the submicron. The main parameters impacting the performance of the UTBB image sensor such as back voltage, the thickness of the BOX, well doping concentration and well depth are investigated. Besides, the UTBB image sensor can achieve multi-resolution to adapt to different requirements. The performance of the UTBB image sensor is evaluated by TCAD simulations."

AAA Tests Pedestrian Detection

AAA report on pedestrian detection in modern cars ADAS emphasizes a limited efficiency of the camera-based systems. The night time tests (with headlights) were especially disappointing:

Sony and Yamaha Launch Cart for Night Journeys

Sony announces that the Sociable Cart SC-1, jointly developed with Yamaha Motor, will begin service on November 1, 2019. The first phase of this service launch will take place in Okinawa Prefecture's Kanucha Bay Resort in Nago City, and the Southeast Botanical Garden in Okinawa City.

Sociable Cart SC-1 features image sensors capable of vision beyond that of human capacity on all sides of the vehicle, allowing it to sense the surrounding environment using images that are in-focus in all directions. Moreover, the ultra-high sensitivity characteristics of the image sensors and the high-resolution display installed inside the vehicle allow the passengers to see their surroundings at night even without any headlights. The SC-1 also incorporates mixed reality (MR) technology developed by Sony that can superimpose computer graphics onto the surroundings being displayed on the monitor. This turns the area that used to be taken up by windows, where passengers could only see the scenery, into an entertainment area, thereby enabling a more enjoyable mobility experience.

The initial service, Moonlight Cruise, is a night-time showcase where passengers ride on SC-1 after dark. Rather than being controlled by the passengers, SC-1's ultra-high sensitivity image sensors and high-resolution display start by showing the night-time scenery and overlaying entertainment content generated by the MR technology, while passengers are free to sit back and enjoy the experience.

AnandTech on Huawei 7680fps Slow Motion

AnandTech attempts to figure out the technology behind Huawei Mate 30 Pro smartphone 7680fps slow motion:

One of the headline features of the Mate 30 Pro is its super slow motion capabilities. Most smartphones available on the market today, if they offer slow motion, do it at either 120 fps, 240 fps, or up to 960 fps. This typically comes in the form of a sensor and system that can take 120 frames per second video and do clever interpolation to appear as if it is a higher frame rate. We’ve seen some good and bad solutions here.

The way that traditional slow motion cameras work is on a sliding scale – the trade-off between frame rate is resolution. If you reduce the area of the sensor that needs to take the image by one quarter, then technically the fast memory storing the video data can store 4x as much – as long as you can poll data from the sensor at 4x the speed, it should be good to go.

It seems that Huawei is doing a mix of things here to get 7680 fps. The camera offers several settings, which comes with a slider from 2x to 256x. Any setting 32x or lower gives a 1080p video, while 64x and higher gives a 720p video:

• 1080p at 120 fps = 4x speedup
• 1080p at 240 fps = 8x speedup
• 1080p at 960 fps = 32x speedup
• 720p at 1920 fps = 64x speedup
• 720p at 7680 fps = 256x speedup

Samsung Doubles its Efforts to Overtake Sony

BusinessKorea: Samsung is trying to leverage its advantage in advanced processes to overtake Sony on image sensor market. "Samsung Electronics' System LSI Business Division is expected to boost its image sensor sales and market share as it secured LG Electronics as one of its corporate customers. Major smartphone makers including China's Xiaomi and Oppo also reportedly adopted Samsung's image sensors for their latest products. Therefore, Samsung's share in the image sensor market is expected to grow."

FLIR Launches Deep Learning Camera, Lattice Demos SensAI

FLIR Firefly DL combines Sony image sensor with Intel-Movidius AI processor in a compact body for relatively low price of $299:

Charbax publishes a demo of similar compact AI camera based on Lattice SensAI FPGA framework:

IPVM Tests Laser Impact on Security Cameras

IPVM publishes the results of its testing of lasers impact on surveillance cameras:

"Our testing showed it is difficult to permanently damage surveillance cameras because:

• Close range required: Permanent damage did not occur from distance of ~50 feet or further from the camera, regardless of the strength of the laser we tested.
• Aiming by hand difficult: Targeting a laser towards a camera is difficult from more than ~10' away. Attaching the laser to a stationary object for aiming makes sensor damage much more likely.

Striking or shooting a camera is far more likely to damage a camera than using a laser.

Finally, at close range (5-10'), even small, less than 5 mW laser pointers using AAA batteries (e.g., the ones used to play with pets) were able to damage sensors, albeit only a few pixels at a time. High powered 30,000 mW lasers more quickly damaged sensors and in larger "chunks" of pixels, but were also able to effectively "cook" the camera, creating smoke within a few seconds of steady aiming."