NovoViz releases variable frame rate SPAD sensor

Link: https://novoviz.com/variable-frame-rate-spad-camera/

The NVx5VFR-HW variable frame rate camera was developed for applications requiring high sensitivity and/or frame rate but with reduced output bandwidth. The camera combines the benefits of a SPAD camera, namely the single-photon resolution and fast operating speeds, with those of an event camera—low output data rates. 

Features: 

• 480 x 320 or 256 x 192 SPAD pixels
• Event-based readout
• Adjustable event threshold
• 20ns global shutter
• On-chip pixel binning
• USB 3.0  

Event camera emulation
[...] because there is a single sensor and a single acquisition, the two modalities are inherently synchronized in time and space, without genlocking, cross-sensor calibration, or timestamp drift. The SPAD sensor thus functions as a flexible substrate that can be reprocessed into multiple imaging modalities entirely in software. 

HDR Imaging
[...] photon-counting approach lets each pixel build its own exposure curve, avoiding the clipping and noise floor issues that limit standard CMOS or CCD imaging. 

Instantaneous adaptation to lighting variation
[...] photon-counting approach lets the sensor adapt instantly to drastic lighting shifts, with no exposure recalibration, no motion blur, and no saturation, capturing both the bright and near-dark scenes with equal clarity in the same brief 2ms window.