CSEM Develops Low Power Image Sensor for IoT

CSEM developed a fully autonomous portable camera that can be deployed quickly and easily via an adhesive patch or magnet, a world first. The Witness IOT camera consumes less than 1mW of power in active mode, fully covered by a flexible, high-efficiency photovoltaic cell with an adhesive surface. An HDR (120dB) CMOS sensor consuming less than 700uW @ 10 fps for 320x320 pixels allows triggering by scene–activity detection. The camera records fixed images at 1fps and stores them in flash memory for later USB readout.

Witness prototype measures 80 x 80 mm. Diameter of the camera button is 30 mm, its thickness is 4 mm. Forthcoming versions will thus include VGA resolution as well as embedded face recognition.

“Enabling a range of applications from unattended surveillance and camera traps to wildlife observation, Witness perfectly embodies CSEM’s technological strategy,” enthuses Alain-Serge Porret, VP Integrated and Wireless Systems at the Swiss Research and Technology Organization. “We aim to deliver autonomous, low-energy-consuming devices combining both intelligence and efficiency.”

CSEM publishes unusually high resolution pictures of the camera showing the sensor's fine layout details: