PRNewswire: OmniVision announces the OV02K, a video-centric, 2.9um pixel 1080p image sensor for smartphones. The OV02K allows the secondary camera in multi-camera configurations to capture high-quality videos, even in very low ambient light conditions. This large 2.9um pixel size results in an SNR10 of less than 10 lux. The OV02K, which comes in a 1/2.8" optical format, features 1080p resolution at up to 120 fps. The sensor also supports up to three exposures of staggered timing to enable HDR, and supports frame-to-frame dual conversion gain (DCG).
"There is an increasing demand from smartphone users to capture high-quality videos, especially with social media sharing becoming more prevalent," said Arun Jayaseelan, senior marketing manager at OmniVision. "The OV02K, with its relatively large pixel size, is perfect for super-high-quality video captures, even in less-than-ideal lighting conditions."
According to TSR, the number of smartphones with two or three rear cameras will grow from 8% of the market in 2017, to over 20% by 2022, when the estimated total market size will be 5.5 billion sensors. Furthermore, the attachment rate for CMOS image sensors will be at 99.9%. Separately, Yole Developpement predicts that, on average, there will be three cameras per smartphone by 2022.
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) unveils its 4th generation P4 automated driving test vehicle featuring new image sensors:
"P4 adds two additional cameras to improve situational awareness on the sides and two new imaging sensors―one facing forward and one pointed to the rear―specifically designed for autonomous vehicles. The imaging sensors feature new chip technology with high dynamic range. The LIDAR sensing system with eight scanning heads carries over from the previous test model, Platform 3.0, and morphs into the new vehicle design."
PRNewswire: Ouster announced its 128-beam flash lidar sensor, the OS-1-128. The OS-1-128 is said to be the highest resolution lidar on the market and comes with no change in size, mass, power consumption, or ruggedness compared to the OS-1-64. The OS-1-128 has a 45° vertical FOV, the widest available of any commercially sold high-performance lidar sensor. It has 0.35° vertical angular resolution.
The OS-1-128 is priced at $18,000, six times cheaper than the competing 128-channel lidar sensor. Ouster expects the OS-1-128 to be available for volume purchases in the summer of 2019.
"Ouster continues to push the frontier of what is possible in lidar; our multi-beam flash lidar architecture gives us the ability to constantly improve our performance while keeping prices low, reliability high, minimizing the sensor's size, weight and power consumption, and producing at volume. In a market where all of these metrics matter and under-delivering on even one of them is a dealbreaker, Ouster continues to provide performance without compromise," said Ouster CEO Angus Pacala.
PRNewswire: Sense Photonics, a startup building high-performance flash LiDAR, is partnering with Infineon. Sense Photonics' core technology – protected by over 200 patents – is said to enable a high-performance, solid state system, with no moving parts with performance, reliability and cost required for automotive and industrial automation applications.
"We are excited that our technology is capable of delivering high resolution, long-range flash LiDAR in a compact and energy efficient package," said Scott Burroughs, co-founder and CEO of Sense Photonics. "For customers pushing the limits in AI and machine learning, the 3D sensor is their view of the world, so point cloud quality and density is essential for exceptional product performance."
Thomas-PR: RoboSense, a CES 2019 Innovation Award Honoree, will publicly demonstrate at CES its new RS-LiDAR-M1 with patented MEMS technology that supports Level 5 driverless automated driving. A breakthrough on the measurement range limit based on 905nm LiDAR with a detection distance to 200 meters
A major step forward from the previous version RoboSense RS-LiDAR-M1Pre, the new RS-LiDAR-M1 MEMS optomechanical LiDAR provides an increased horizontal FOV by nearly 100%, reaching an amazing 120° FOV, so that only a few RS-LiDAR-M1s are needed to cover the 360° field of view. With only five RS-LiDAR-M1s, there is no blind zone around the car with dual LiDAR sensing redundancy provided in front of the car for a L5 level of automatic driving -- full driverless driving. Based on the target production cost at $200 each, the cost of five RS-LiDAR-M1 is only 1/100th the highest mechanical LiDAR available to the market, which is more in line with the cost requirements for the mass production of autonomous vehicles.
The battle between 1550nm and 905nm LiDAR is about cost and performance. A low-cost 905nm RS-LiDAR-M1 is said to achieve a breakthrough on the measurement range limit based on the 905nm LiDAR, with a detection distance to 200 meters.
“The RoboSense RS-LiDAR-M1 LiDAR system is a giant leap forward for driverless technology,” said Mark Qiu, Co-founder, RoboSense.“We are committed to developing high-performance automotive-grade LiDAR at a low-cost to advance the LiDAR market, so that LiDAR can be used in fully unmanned vehicles, as well as assisted autonomous driving with superior environmental information detection that ensures driving safety.”
BusinessWire: Velodyne unveils the VelaDome, a compact embeddable lidar that provides an ultra-wide 180° x 180° image for near-object avoidance. Powered by Velodyne’s Micro Lidar Array (MLA) technology, the VelaDome is optimized for manufacturability and designed to meet automotive-grade standards.
BusinessWire, VentureBeat: Australian Lidar startup Baraja raises $32m in a series A round led by Sequoia China and Main Sequence Ventures’ CSIRO Innovation Fund, with participation from Blackbird Ventures. The company Spectrum-Scan lidar uses refraction in prisms to scan the scene with no mechanical moving parts. The startup only emerged from stealth in July 2018, and to date it had raised around $1.5m in seed funding.
Arm announces new ISP IP for consumer devices, such as drones, smart home assistants, security and IP cameras, etc:
"The new Arm Mali-C52 and Mali-C32 apply over twenty-five processing steps to each pixel, of which three critical ones deliver key differentiation in terms of image output quality. These include high-dynamic range (HDR), noise reduction and color management. By incorporating Arm’s market-leading Iridix technology and other industry-leading algorithms for noise and color management, Mali-C52 and Mali-C32 ISPs efficiently deliver all three at high resolution and in real-time (e.g. 4k resolution at 60fps).
The Mali-C52 can be configured for two different optimizations - image quality or area. This flexibility allows our silicon partners to use the same IP and software across a range of products and use cases. The Mali-C32 is optimized specifically for area in lower-power, cost-sensitive embedded vision devices such as entry-level access control or hobby drones."
PRNewswire, PRNewswire: Omnivision announces two new sensors for smartphone cameras:
OV13B: 1/3-inch 13MP sensor for mainstream and entry-level smartphone cameras
OV16A: a cost-effective 16MP upgrade for rear- and front-facing cameras on mainstream smartphones with thin bezels
OV13B sensor features 1.12um PureCel Plus pixel technology and is specifically designed for the enormous mainstream and entry-level smartphone markets, providing a compelling solution for rear- or front-facing cameras.
“The market for 1/3-inch optical format 13-MP image sensors has grown significantly during the last couple of years due to their optimized size, performance and cost effectiveness; we anticipate that this strong demand will continue for both rear- and front-facing cameras, in mainstream and entry-level smartphone applications,” said James Liu, product marketing manager for OmniVision. “The OV13B builds on the success of our widely deployed 13-MP sensor family with the industry’s best 1.12-micron pixel performance. This sensor will not only fulfill the tremendous demand in the mainstream market, but can also boost the performance of entry-level smartphones. It is also a perfect fit for both wide-angle and telephoto cameras in multi-camera configurations.”
In comparison with its predecessors, the OV13B has significantly lower power consumption and a smaller chip size, enabling an 8.5 x 8.5-mm autofocus module for main cameras, or a 6.4 x 7.2-mm fixed-focus module for front-facing cameras with a Z height below 4 mm. This image sensor is sampling now.
The OV16A is built on OmniVision’s PureCel Plus 1.0um pixel architecture. With the OV16A, manufacturers can add a third camera for high-quality, ultra-wide-angle photos in high-end smartphones. Additionally, the OV16A extends battery life with the industry’s lowest power consumption—10% lower than the nearest competitor’s 16 MP 1.0um sensor.
Thin-bezel phones are gaining in popularity because of increased demand for full-display selfie screens. However, these space limiting thin-bezel designs require compact front-facing cameras. The OV16A allows designers to incorporate just such a camera in the bezel, and with 2.0-micron-equivalent pixel performance. The compact OV16A enables the industry’s smallest fixed-focus camera modules, with dimensions down to 6.5x6mm.
“Designers want to achieve the best balance among cost, image quality and low power consumption,” said Jason Chiang, product marketing manager at OmniVision. “The cost-effective OV16A allows them to provide excellent performance in a high-resolution camera for various smartphone applications, including tri-camera designs. The 4-cell color filter allows users to consistently capture high-quality photos without motion blur, even in low-light conditions indoors.”
PRNewswire: Omnivision's OV9284 1MP sensor is aimed to driver and passenger monitoring in mainstream vehicles and is said to have a number of "best in the industry" and "first in the industry" features:
the industry’s best NIR QE in a driver-monitoring image sensor, with 12% at 940nm
consumes only 90mW of power at 60 fps, which is 30% lower than the nearest competitor
the industry’s first image sensor with "the right balance of cost effectiveness, high-quality imaging and advanced features, meeting the needs of the mainstream automotive market"
The new sensor is based on high-speed global shutter OmniPixel3-GS pixel technology and offers 1280 x 800 resolution at video speeds of up to 120 fps. The OV9284 is available now.
EETimes compiles more info about Foxconn plans to build CIS fab in China:
Foxconn, "also known as Hon Hai Precision, aims to launch a $9 billion fab near southern China’s Zhuhai city... The total amount of the investment in the project could add up to around 60 billion yuan, or $9 billion, with most of the investment coming from the Zhuhai government.
Initially, Foxconn is expected to draw on Sharp, which has experience making CCD/CMOS sensors... [and] has operated an 8-inch fab in Fukuyama at the 0.13μm process node. Foxconn’s 2016 takeover of Sharp provides the ability to design and produce semiconductors for the first time in Foxconn’s history as it shifts from electronics assembly to higher margin chip production.
“One of the Hon Hai group’s goals when acquiring Sharp was to gain semiconductor technology,” Tokyo-based Mizuho Securities analyst Yasuo Nakane told EE Times... chip projects are financed partly by China’s central government, which sees semiconductors as a more important field, Nakane said.
The main hurdle for the China fab project is likely to focus on securing intellectual property and engineers. “If Sharp were to invest in a 12-inch wafer plant in China, we doubt it would begin operations using processes several generations old, and we think it currently lacks enough engineers for the task,” Nakane said... The new fab will initially make chips for ultra high-definition 8K televisions and camera image sensors, as well as various sensors for industrial use and connected devices."
