Law360: A California court on Friday shot down patent claims brought by Panavision Imaging against Canon USA, Micron and Aptina, ruling that the companies did not infringe a patent covering video imaging technology.
In two separate orders, U.S. District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer granted a pair of motions for summary judgment of noninfringement brought by Canon as well as Micron and Aptina, finding that Panavision failed to prove the companies infringed its patent covering an invention.
The original lawsuit included Omnivision as well. It's not clear what has happened with this part of the lawsuit.
Update: Weil: The recent news on patent dismissal relate to US Patent 6,818,877. Panavision originally brought the suit in 2009, alleging infringement of four of its imaging technology patents. In April 2011, Judge Pfaelzer dismissed three of the patents-in-suit.
Monday, February 06, 2012
TSMC and Omnivision Build Walls Between Pixels
TSMC proposes to use deep trench isolation to reduce crosstalk between BSI pixels. Its patent application US20120025199 covers two cases of deep trench isolation in BSI sensor. One goes through the whole BSI wafer thickness, thus completely isolating pixels one from another:
In the other version the deep trench starts from the backside, but stops before reaching the front surface:
Omnivision patent application US20120019695 proposes a process to create dark sidewalls 445 between color filters to reduce optical crosstalk:
In the other version the deep trench starts from the backside, but stops before reaching the front surface:
Omnivision patent application US20120019695 proposes a process to create dark sidewalls 445 between color filters to reduce optical crosstalk:
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Steve Appleton, Micron's CEO, Dies in a Plane Crash
Micron announced that Steve Appleton, Micron Chairman and CEO, passed away this morning in a small plane accident in Boise. He was 51.
Steve was the person who decided on Photobit acquisition in 2001, entered image sensor business and, in 2009, spun off this business as Aptina, selling majority stake in it to private equities. Although Micron is not image sensor vendor anymore, its Italian Fab continues to manufacture image sensors for Aptina.
This Youtube video gives more details about the life and death of Steve Appleton:
Reuters: Micron's board named Mark Durcan, the president and COO, as temporary CEO of the company.
Steve was the person who decided on Photobit acquisition in 2001, entered image sensor business and, in 2009, spun off this business as Aptina, selling majority stake in it to private equities. Although Micron is not image sensor vendor anymore, its Italian Fab continues to manufacture image sensors for Aptina.
This Youtube video gives more details about the life and death of Steve Appleton:
Reuters: Micron's board named Mark Durcan, the president and COO, as temporary CEO of the company.
OSA on Next Generation Mobile Phone Cameras
OSA Optics and Photonics News features an article "Next-Generation Cell Phone Cameras" by Tim Hayes, currently in open access. The 3-page long article overviews optical developments, such as Varioptic lens, Tessera wafer level cameras, LED flashes, etc. One of the insets includes Gartner forecast of the camera market:
Once we talk about mobile phone camera modules, there is a market share slide in the January 2012 Tessera presentation:
Once we talk about mobile phone camera modules, there is a market share slide in the January 2012 Tessera presentation:
Saturday, February 04, 2012
RAL, FBK, Harvest on Imaging Trends
Image Sensors 2012 continues the series of interviews of the presenters. Mostly the same questions are asked and answered.
Albert Theuwissen, Harvest Imaging:
Q: Are there any disruptive technologies on the horizon that you feel will have a big impact in the coming years?
A: Maybe there are, but I am not in a position to talk about it because I am working with some people on these type of technologies!
Renato Turchetta, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL):
Q: Can you outline the emerging technologies in this field? [imagers for non-visible parts of spectrum]
A: I have been working for a long time in medical imaging. In large area applications, like mammography or chest radiography, TFT technology has been the major player for many years now. CMOS technology is starting to emerge and it could become the major player in the next few years.
David Stoppa of Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK):
Q: What are the main barriers to more widespread uptake of [Time-of-Flight] technology and what are the main focuses and technical challenges?
A: It has been recently demonstrated that other 3D imaging technologies (Kinect) having a similar level of system complexity entered mass markets at incredibly low cost. In the past, Time-of-Flight cameras were intended for industrial control applications where a reliable measurement system was needed and system cost was not the main concern. Nowadays, ToF technology holds all the key features to enter consumer electronics markets although some important challenges are still open, above all the reduction of the system power consumption in order to successfully implement 3D on portable devices.
Albert Theuwissen, Harvest Imaging:
Q: Are there any disruptive technologies on the horizon that you feel will have a big impact in the coming years?
A: Maybe there are, but I am not in a position to talk about it because I am working with some people on these type of technologies!
Renato Turchetta, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL):
Q: Can you outline the emerging technologies in this field? [imagers for non-visible parts of spectrum]
A: I have been working for a long time in medical imaging. In large area applications, like mammography or chest radiography, TFT technology has been the major player for many years now. CMOS technology is starting to emerge and it could become the major player in the next few years.
David Stoppa of Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK):
Q: What are the main barriers to more widespread uptake of [Time-of-Flight] technology and what are the main focuses and technical challenges?
A: It has been recently demonstrated that other 3D imaging technologies (Kinect) having a similar level of system complexity entered mass markets at incredibly low cost. In the past, Time-of-Flight cameras were intended for industrial control applications where a reliable measurement system was needed and system cost was not the main concern. Nowadays, ToF technology holds all the key features to enter consumer electronics markets although some important challenges are still open, above all the reduction of the system power consumption in order to successfully implement 3D on portable devices.
iSuppli: CCD Market Share Dropped to 8% in 2011
IHS iSupply Image Sensor Market Q1 2012 report states that CMOS sensors took 73% of the revenue and 92% of the units shipped in 2011. "CMOS technology is expected to climb even higher in future years, to 90 percent of revenues for sensors and 97 percent of shipments.
CMOS sensors already dominate cameras in notebook PCs cameras with 100% penetration as a result of their lower power and cost advantages.
While CCD manufacturers are attempting to compete with price reductions due to yield improvements, we believe this will not help in the long run as CMOS continues to improve with offering technologies such as back side illumination (BSI) improving low light conditions.
Even in one of CCDs largest segments – digital still cameras – the technology is waning projected to drop to 25 percent of CCD revenues and 27 percent of all CCD units by 2015."
CMOS sensors already dominate cameras in notebook PCs cameras with 100% penetration as a result of their lower power and cost advantages.
While CCD manufacturers are attempting to compete with price reductions due to yield improvements, we believe this will not help in the long run as CMOS continues to improve with offering technologies such as back side illumination (BSI) improving low light conditions.
Even in one of CCDs largest segments – digital still cameras – the technology is waning projected to drop to 25 percent of CCD revenues and 27 percent of all CCD units by 2015."
Friday, February 03, 2012
Nethra Announces Ultra-Low Power H.264 1080p60 SoC
Business Wire: Nethra Imaging announces the first member of its NI-5 family of visual platform SoC, the NI-5035. Targeting applications such as action/sports/activity camcorders, network IP security and surveillance cameras and IP encoders, the NI-5035 delivers a new level of low power with BOM flexibility previously unavailable to system designers. The NI-5035 features an ISP, a H.264 Codec and Video Processor capable of supporting multiple encoding streams up to 1080p60, a noise reduction including 3D temporal de-noise, a video electronic image stabilization and a Motion Compensated Temporal Filtering (MCTF).
"Unlike DSP based solutions available today, the NI-5035’s unique true hardware-accelerated architecture enables a much lower power profile and far greater control over the visual pipeline with the lowest-possible latency possible," said Ramesh Singh, Nethra Imaging’s CEO. "Nethra’s approach contrasts with other SoCs that utilize more power-hungry embedded DSP cores for the imaging and video ‘heavy-lifting’, thereby limiting user control and application power optimization."
Since the NI-5035 is fully hardware accelerated, the on-chip applications processor is fully available to the system software designer for performing analytics, full OS implementation and a host of image and video compute applications.
The NI-5035 is currently being designed into multiple applications and will be available for volume production in Q2 of 2012.
"Unlike DSP based solutions available today, the NI-5035’s unique true hardware-accelerated architecture enables a much lower power profile and far greater control over the visual pipeline with the lowest-possible latency possible," said Ramesh Singh, Nethra Imaging’s CEO. "Nethra’s approach contrasts with other SoCs that utilize more power-hungry embedded DSP cores for the imaging and video ‘heavy-lifting’, thereby limiting user control and application power optimization."
Since the NI-5035 is fully hardware accelerated, the on-chip applications processor is fully available to the system software designer for performing analytics, full OS implementation and a host of image and video compute applications.
The NI-5035 is currently being designed into multiple applications and will be available for volume production in Q2 of 2012.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Scallop's Novel Color Filters Improve Low-Light Imaging
Scallop Imaging, a division of Tenebraex, presents "Gemini Technology: Color imaging under all lighting conditions, including extreme low light". The company says "we have developed a new system of producing color video imagery in low light that offers an order of magnitude better low light performance compared to standard RGB sensors.
Instead of the standard RGB three-filter set, our Gemini system uses unique high transmission color filters to produce a full color image from two channels under all lighting conditions, including extreme low light".
Scallop says that from its research over the years in human color vision it has developed a system that human observer perceives at full color despite only 2 colors are being used.
Not much more info is given. A 112MB video file from 1.2MP monochrome CMOS sensor (3.75 µm pixel) equipped with Gemini color filters compares to the color version of the same image sensor.
Thanks to EC for the link!
Update: Added another snapshot of Gemini technology demo from the video - the picture below was created out of one monochrome and one filtered channel:
Instead of the standard RGB three-filter set, our Gemini system uses unique high transmission color filters to produce a full color image from two channels under all lighting conditions, including extreme low light".
Scallop says that from its research over the years in human color vision it has developed a system that human observer perceives at full color despite only 2 colors are being used.
Not much more info is given. A 112MB video file from 1.2MP monochrome CMOS sensor (3.75 µm pixel) equipped with Gemini color filters compares to the color version of the same image sensor.
 |
A video frame recorded at 0.18 lux (equivalent to 3/4 moon), 15 fps taken with a color 1.2 megapixel image sensor. |
 |
| Capture from video - same image as above post-processed to add brightness |
 |
A Gemini prototype video frame taken with the same exposure and frame rate as above, with monochrome 1.2 Mpixel image sensors equipped with Gemini color filters. |
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| 0.06 Lux (equivalent to crescent moon), 15fps Capture from Gemini video |
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| Magnified image shows there are only two color channels. |
Update: Added another snapshot of Gemini technology demo from the video - the picture below was created out of one monochrome and one filtered channel:
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
More Info on Samsung 16MP 1.34um-Pixel Sensor
Samsung published flyer of its 1.34um BSI pixel-based 16MP sensor, the S5K2P1, announced in Sept. 2011. The flyer has Macbeth pictures in normal and low-light modes (lens is not specified):
Having SNR of 35dB at 40% gray level means that this 40% signal is at least 3100e-. Then the 100% signal can reach 7.7Ke-. If true, it's quite an achievement for that small pixel.
Correction: As written in comments, the gray level is closer to 20% (19.8%, according to Poynton). Then the full well should be beyond 15Ke-, hard to believe. The flyer only mentions on-chip bad pixel and lens shading corrections, says nothing about noise reduction.
The production schedule seems to be delayed as compared with the September announcement. The flyer says that the S5K2P1 is sampling now with volume production scheduled for Q1 2012.
Having SNR of 35dB at 40% gray level means that this 40% signal is at least 3100e-. Then the 100% signal can reach 7.7Ke-. If true, it's quite an achievement for that small pixel.
Correction: As written in comments, the gray level is closer to 20% (19.8%, according to Poynton). Then the full well should be beyond 15Ke-, hard to believe. The flyer only mentions on-chip bad pixel and lens shading corrections, says nothing about noise reduction.
The production schedule seems to be delayed as compared with the September announcement. The flyer says that the S5K2P1 is sampling now with volume production scheduled for Q1 2012.
Movidius and Toshiba Present 3D Imaging Platform
EETimes: Movidius announces it has partnered with Toshiba to develop a 3D system solution for the smartphone market. Movidius' MA1178 3D processor has been combined with Toshiba's 8MP EDOF cameras to enable 3D camera module manufacturers to deliver a 3D imaging solution for top of the range smartphones. EDOF cameras offer distinct advantages over traditional autofocus in terms of 3D synchronisation.
The Movidius MA1178 Dual ISP and video processor compensates for sub‐optimal vertical alignment of the camera sensors and for differences between pitch, yaw and roll of the sensors. Also variations in sensor colors are balanced. The system solution offers flexibility for customers to implement a symmetric or asymmetric set up of either two 8MP EDOF cameras or a combination of 8MP and 3MP EDOF cameras:
The Movidius MA1178 ISP features:
The Movidius MA1178 Dual ISP and video processor compensates for sub‐optimal vertical alignment of the camera sensors and for differences between pitch, yaw and roll of the sensors. Also variations in sensor colors are balanced. The system solution offers flexibility for customers to implement a symmetric or asymmetric set up of either two 8MP EDOF cameras or a combination of 8MP and 3MP EDOF cameras:
The Movidius MA1178 ISP features:
- 2D&3D Video Capture up to HD 720p
- 2D Image Capture up to 8MP
- 3D Image Capture up to 8MP
- Dual ISP Pipelines
- Half Side-by-Side 3D Capture Format
- Dual Camera Rectification Algorithms
- Auto-synchronization of AE, AWB, AF or EDOF
- Automatic Convergence
<0.75m – to – far object distances
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