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Forza-Ametek announces a webinar "CMOS Image Sensors Signal Interfaces & Lessons Learned From System Prototyping" to be held on Oct 14, 2020:
Forza Webinar on CMOS Sensors Interfaces & Lessons Learned From System Prototyping
October 6, 2020 By Leave a Comment
50mV Dropout Regulator Improves Row FPN by 5x
October 6, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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2020 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) paper "Higher Quality Images for a Visible-Light CMOS Sensor by Suppressing Spatial Row-Wise Noise with an Output-Capacitor-Less, Internal Low-Dropout Regulator" by Ali E. Zadeh from University of Southern California shows a dramatic FPN reduction at the price of just 50mV supply dropout:
Ouster Takes Apple iPad LiDAR Concept to Extreme
October 6, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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BusinessWire: Ouster announces a solid-state lidar based on its digital lidar architecture. The new ES2 will be the company's first solid-state, high-resolution, long-range digital lidar. With a $600 expected price for automotive production programs with SOP 2024 and a 200+ meter range on 10% reflective targets, the ES2 is aimed to ADAS and industrial applications.
"The ES2 sensor uses “electronic scanning” to sequentially fire an array of over ten thousand lasers printed onto a single chip. These lasers are paired with a custom digital detector array capable of counting trillions of individual photons every second.
These laser and detector arrays are the same core technology used in Ouster’s OS series spinning lidar sensors, as well as numerous consumer devices such as the iPhone and iPad Pro. With tens of thousands of lasers on the chip, each fixed on a different point in the field of view, no moving parts are required to reach the range, field of view, and resolution targets of high-performance autonomy customers."
Autosens Interviews
October 5, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Autosens publishes interviews with Aeye, Immervision, Xenomatics, and more:
Pictos Accuses Samsung in Patent Infringement
October 5, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Federal Register: Pictos files patent infringement complaint against Samsung.
"The Commission has received a complaint and a submission pursuant to § 210.8(b) of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure filed on behalf of Pictos Technologies, Inc. on September 25, 2020. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1337) in the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain digital imaging devices and products containing the same and Start Printed Page 61981components thereof. The complaint names as respondents: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. of Korea; Samsung Electronics America, Inc. of Ridgefield Park, NJ; and Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. of San Jose, CA. The complainant requests that the Commission issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders."
The original image sensor company Pictos started as a spin-off from Rockwell/Conexant and has been acquired and shut down later by ESS. Its not immediately clear whether the new Pictos has any relationship with the original company or its patents. Pictos.com web site delivers only one message:
Canon EOS 850D Rebel T8i review
October 5, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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The Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i is a mid-range DSLR with a 24mp APSC sensor, 7fps bursts, 4k video and a fully-articulated screen. It sits at the top of the triple-digit EOS or Rebel series, which puts it directly below the EOS 90D. Find out how they compare in my review!…
The post Canon EOS 850D Rebel T8i review appeared first on Cameralabs.
Samsung Presents its 65/14nm Stacked FinFET Sensor
October 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Samsung presents "A Low-Power 65/14nm Stacked CMOS Image Sensor" by Minho Kwon, Seunghyun Lim, Hyeokjong Lee, Il-seon Ha, Moo-young Kim, Il-Jin Seo, Suho Lee, Yongsuk Choi, Kyunghoon Kim, Hansoo Lee, Won-Woong Kim, Seonghye Park, Kyongmin Koh, Jesuk Lee, and Yongin Park at the 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) to be held virtually on October 10-21.
"This paper presents a low-power stacked CMOS image sensor (CIS) in 65/14nm process. With 14nm process, we could achieve 29% less power consumption than the conventional CIS in 65/28nm process. The measured random telegraph noise (RTN) result shows the 65/14nm stacked CIS to guarantee the commercial sensor image quality even though a fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) process is three-dimension channel structure. The pixel array of the implemented chip consists of 12-mega pixels (Mp) with a dual-photodiode (2PD) in 1.4μm pixel pitch, and the sensor output provides 120 frames per second while it consumes 612mW for 12Mp image and 3Mp auto-focus data via a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) physical layer (DPHY) up to 6.5Gbps/lane. The measured random noise is 2.2e-at 16× analog gain, and figure-of-merit (FoM) of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) achieves 0.46e-nJ."
Samsung Presents 13MP Low Power Image Sensor
October 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Samsung presents "A 1/3-Inch 1.12μm-Pitch 13Mpixel CMOS Image Sensor with a Low-Power Readout Architecture" by Yunhong Kim, Heesung Chae, Kyung-Min Kim, Kyungtae Kim, Sukki Yoon, Kyoungmin Koh, Jesuk Lee, and Yongin Park at the 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) to be held virtually on October 10-21.
"This paper presents an implementation of a CMOS image sensor with a 65 nm CMOS process. The pixel array consists of 13 Mp with 1.12 μm pixel pitch. The fabricated sensor uses 10-bit column-parallel single slope analog-to-digital converters (ADC) based on a low-power readout architecture. Furthermore, a low-power built-in self-test (BIST) is proposed to avoid test over-kills. The proposed image sensor achieves a frame rate of 30–120 frames/s, a temporal random noise of 2 e − rms , a dynamic range of 65.2dB, peak integral non-linearity of 0.18 % and peak differential non-linearity of 0.26 least-significant bits. It consumes only 99.7mW at 30 frames/s."
Samsung Presents 1.3MP Event-Driven Sensor with 4.95um Pixels
October 2, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Samsung presents "A 1280×960 Dynamic Vision Sensor with a 4.95-μm Pixel Pitch and Motion Artifact Minimization" by Yunjae Suh, Seungnam Choi, Masamichi Ito, Jeongseok Kim, Youngho Lee, Jongseok Seo, Heejae Jung, Dong-Hee Yeo, Seol Namgung, Jongwoo Bong, Sehoon Yoo, Seung-Hun Shin, Doowon Kwon, Pilkyu Kang, Seokho Kim, Hoonjoo Na, Kihyun Hwang, Changwoo Shin, Jun-Seok Kim, Paul K. J. Park, Joonseok Kim, Hyunsurk Ryu, and Yongin Park at the 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) to be held virtually on October 10-21.
"This paper reports a 1280×960 DVS. A 4.95-μm pixel pitch is achieved with in-pixel Cu-Cu connection and the newly designed GIDL-suppression scheme. A sequential column selection scheme and a global event-holding function are implemented to minimize motion artifacts. The power consumption per pixel of 122 nW is 1.25× smaller and the maximum readout speed of 1.3 Geps is 4.33× faster than the previous state-of-the-art."
ToF with SensL-ON Semi
October 2, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Autosens publishes an interview with Wade Appelman, VP of the SensL Division at ON Semi:
2020 International SPAD Sensor Workshop Papers
October 2, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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2020 International SPAD Sensor Workshop (ISSW) papers are just published at the International Image Sensor Society web site. The workshop has been held on-line in June 2020. The list of papers is below:
- Charge-Focusing SPAD Image Sensors for Low Light Imaging Applications
Kazuhiro Morimoto, Canon - Custom silicon technologies for high detection efficiency SPAD arrays
Angelo Gulinatti, Politecnico di Milano - LFoundry: SPAD, status and perspective
Giovanni Margutti, LFoundry - Device and method for a precise breakdown voltage detection of APD/SPAD in a dark environment
Alexander Zimmer, XFAB - Ge on Si SPADs for LIDAR and Quantum Technology Applications
Douglas Paul, University of Glasgow - Timing is Everything
Richard Walker, Photon Force - The Great Wavelength Debate: Which Will Prevail for Automotive LIDAR?
Bahman Hadji, OnSemiconductor - 3D-Stacked SPAD in 40/45nm BSI Technology
Georg Rohrer, AMS - BSI SPAD arrays based on wafer bond technology
Werner Brockherde, Fraunhofer - Planar Microlenses for SPAD sensors
Norbert Moussy, CEA-LETI - 3D Integrated Frontside Illuminated Photon-to-Digital Converters: Status and Applications
Jean-Francois Pratte, University of Sherbrooke - Combining linear and SPAD-mode diode operation in pixel for wide dynamic range CMOS optical sensing
Matthew Johnston, Oregon State University - ToF Image Sensor Systems using SPADs and Photodiodes
Simon Kennedy, Monash University - A 1.1 mega-pixels vertical avalanche photodiode (VAPD) CMOS image sensor for a long range time-of-flight (TOF) system
Yukata Hirose, Panasonic - Single photon detector for space active debris removal and exploration
Alexandre Pollini, CSEM - 4D solid state LIDAR – NEXT Generation NOW
Unsal Kabuk, IBEO - Depth and Intensity LiDAR imaging with Pandion SPAD array
Salvatore Gnecchi, OnSemi - 256 x 16 SPAD Array and 16-Channel Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Driver for Automotive LIDAR
André Srowig, ELMOS - SPAD Sensors: technologies and applications
Sara Pellegrini, STMicroelectronics - From device to systems: 3D sensing solutions at AMS
David Stoppa, AMS - Next-generation technologies to enable high-performance, low-cost lidar
Hod Finkelstein, Sense Photonics - LIDAR using SPADs in the visible and short-wave infrared
Gerald Buller, Heriot-Watt University - InP-based SPADs for Automotive Lidar
Mark Itzler, Argo AI - Custom Focal Plane Arrays of SWIR SPADs
Erik Duerr, MIT Lincoln Labs - CMOS SPAD Sensors with Embedded Smartness
Ion Vornicu, University of Seville - Modelling TDC Circuit Perfromance for SPAD Sensor Arrays
Daniel van Blerkom, Ametek (Forza) - Data processing of SPAD sensors for high quality imaging
Chao Zhang, Adaps Photonics - Scalable, Multi-functional CMOS SPAD arrays for Scientific Imaging
Leonardo Gasparini, FBK - Small and Smart SPAD Pixels
Edoardo Charbon, EPFL - High-resolution imaging of the spatio-temporal dynamics of protein interactions via fluorescence lifetime imaging with SPAD arrays
Simon Ameer-Beg, King's College - Image scanning microscopy with classical and quantum correlation contrasts
Ron Tenne, Weizmann Institute - SPAD Arrays for Brain-Computer Interface Applications
Francesco Marsili, Facebook - Introduction to Huawei’s Mission and Technology Visions
Young, Yang Guang, Huawei - Imaging oxygenation by near-infrared optical tomography based on SPAD image sensors
Martin Wolf, ETH Zurich - Raman spectroscopy utilizing a time resolving CMOS SPAD line sensor with a pulsed laser excitation
Ilkka Nissinen, University of Oulu - Optical wireless communication with SPAD receivers
Horst Zimmermann, TU Wien - SPAD Arrays for Non-Line-of-Sight Imaging
Andreas Velten, University of Wisconsin
FBK Low Power VGA Vision Sensor
October 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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FBK publishes an IEEE JSSC paper "A Low-Power VGA Vision Sensor With Embedded Event Detection for Outdoor Edge Applications" by Yu Zou, Massimo Gottardi, Michela Lecca, and Matteo Perenzoni. The paper is available for download here."We report on a low-power VGA vision sensor embedding event-detection capabilities targeted to battery-powered vision processing at the edge. The sensor relies on an always-on double-threshold dynamic background subtraction (DT-DBS) algorithm. The resulting motion bitmap is de-noised, projected along xy-axes of the array of pixels and filtered to robustly detect moving targets even in noisy outdoor scenarios. The chip operates in motion detection (MD), applied on a QQVGA sub-sampled image, looking for anomalous motion in the scene at 344 μW, and in imaging mode (IM), delivering full-resolution gray-scale images with associated local binary pattern (LBP) coding and motion bitmaps at 8 frames/s and 1.35 mW. The 4-μm pixel vision sensor is manufactured in a 110-nm 1P4M CMOS and occupies 25.4 mm²."
The project page with demo videos is avaliable here. Thanks to MG for the link!
10Gbps Transmission with 1 Photon per Bit
October 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Not only image sensors are able to detect single photons with ps timing accuracy these days. Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, develops a free-space optical transmission system relying on an optical amplifier that, in principle, does not add any excess noise – in contrast to all other preexisting optical amplifiers, referred to as phase-sensitive amplifiers (PSAs). The researchers’ new concept demonstrates an unprecedented receiver sensitivity of just one photon-per-information bit at a data rate of 10Gbps.In the new concept from Chalmers, information is encoded onto a signal wave, which along with a pump wave at different frequency generates a conjugated wave (known as an idler) in a nonlinear medium. These three waves are launched together into the free space. At the receiving point, after capturing the light in an optical fiber, the PSA amplifies the signal using a regenerated pump wave. The amplified signal is then detected in a conventional receiver.
“This approach fundamentally results in the best possible sensitivity of any pre-amplified optical receiver and also outperforms the all other current state-of-the-art receiver technologies,” says Peter Andrekson. The system uses a simple modulation format encoded with a standard error correction code and a coherent receiver with digital signal processing for signal recovery. This method is straightforwardly scalable to much higher data rates if needed. It also operates at room temperature, meaning it can be implemented in space terminals and not only on the ground.
The paper is publishes in Nature: "One photon-per-bit receiver using near-noiseless phase-sensitive amplification" by Ravikiran Kakarla, Jochen Schröder & Peter A. Andrekson
Intel LiDAR Reverse Engineering
October 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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SystemPlus publishes its reverse engineering of Intel L515 short-range LiDAR:"The RealSense L515 is the third generation of 3D sensing camera from Intel and the first with a MEMS based solid-state LIDAR.
The 3D sensor has a minimum depth of 0.25m. It can scan environments up to 9m wide with a resolution depth of up to 1024×768 at 30 frames per second (fps). The system uses Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) from Intel for vision processing and MEMS control. This camera LIDAR with its machine vision processor is optimized for 3D scanning, smart building and robotic applications.
The RealSense L515 integrates an intelligent USB-C powered solid-state LIDAR camera in a compact aluminium case. It combines a conventional red/green/blue (RGB) color sensor, a near infrared LIDAR for 3D sensing. The LIDAR is based on an Edge-Emitting Laser (EEL) for the light source, a MEMS micro-mirror to scan the environment, a photodiode to measure the time of flight and optical lenses to focus the beam. The bi-axial micro-mirror from STMicroelectronics is the core of the scanning mechanism."
Hybrid Bonding Review
October 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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TechInsights publishes a subscribers-only review of hybrid bonding progress: "Hybrid bonding went into volume production after Sony licensed the Zibond technology from Ziptronix (now part of Xperi) and introduced it almost five years ago into their CMOS image sensors (CIS) that use stacked sensor and image processors. Zibond was initially a wafer/wafer bonding technique focused on oxide/oxide interfaces, but it evolved to include copper/copper direct bonds, and Xperi rebranded it as Direct Bond Interconnect (DBI).
Not all companies use Xperi’s licensed technology, so the industry term for face/face wafer bonding with copper/copper interconnect has become “hybrid bonding” (HB). Now almost all of the stacked CIS manufacturers or their foundries have HB available. In the meantime, the process has evolved to give bonding pitches of >4 µm and pad diameters >2 µm."
An example cross section of Sony IMX260 stacked sensor:
Sigma 105mm f2.8 DG DN Macro Art review
September 30, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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The Sigma 105mm f2.8 DG DN Macro Art is the first macro lens in Sigma’s DN-series, designed for mirrorless cameras with Sony E or Leica L-mounts. Check out my complete review to find out how the all-new optical design measures-up!…
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One More ST FlightSense Presentation
September 30, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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ST publishes another presentation of its ToF sensors lineup and roadmap:
CMYG to RGB & IR
September 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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MDPI paper "An Acquisition Method for Visible and Near Infrared Images from Single CMYG Color Filter Array-Based Sensor" by Younghyeon Park and Byeungwoo Jeon from Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, proposes color processing pipeline that converts CMYG image into RGB and IR:
"To acquire the NIR image together with visible range signals, an imaging device should be able to simultaneously capture NIR and visible range images. An implementation of such a system having separate sensors for NIR and visible light has practical shortcomings due to its size and hardware cost. To overcome this, a single sensor-based acquisition method is investigated in this paper. The proposed imaging system is equipped with a conventional color filter array of cyan, magenta, yellow, and green, and achieves signal separation by applying a proposed separation matrix which is derived by mathematical modeling of the signal acquisition structure.
The elements of the separation matrix are calculated through color space conversion and experimental data. Subsequently, an additional denoising process is implemented to enhance the quality of the separated images. Experimental results show that the proposed method successfully separates the acquired mixed image of visible and near-infrared signals into individual red, green, and blue (RGB) and NIR images. The separation performance of the proposed method is compared to that of related work in terms of the average peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR) and color distance. The proposed method attains average PSNR value of 37.04 and 33.29 dB, respectively for the separated RGB and NIR images, which is respectively 6.72 and 2.55 dB higher than the work used for comparison."
Omnivision Unveils World’s First RGB-IR Endoscopic Sensor
September 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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BusinessWire: OmniVision announces the OH02A1S said to be the world’s first RGB-IR medical image sensor, which provides simultaneous white-light RGB captures and infrared monochrome captures in a single CMOS sensor.While endoscopic precancer and cancer detection procedures are performed using IR light, surgeons also need RGB light to confirm any abnormalities detected using infrared. Previously, this could only be accomplished by integrating two independent imager sensors, which resulted in endoscopes with a larger size, higher cost and higher power consumption, thereby excessively heating the tip of the endoscope. The OH02A1S enables the designers of chip-on-tip endoscopes for cancer detection to eliminate a second image sensor, thereby overcoming the drawbacks of a two imager design. These improvements allow the development of small outer diameter (OD) endoscopes for cancer detection and diagnosis procedures such as indocyanine green (ICG), and fluorescence, chromo and virtual endoscopy.
“Until now, the need for two image sensors made the size and heat of endoscopes excessive for many areas of the body. Additionally, the added cost was too high for disposable scopes,” said Tehzeeb Gunja, director of medical marketing at OmniVision. “The OH02A1S significantly expands the number and reach of endoscopic procedures that can be performed, while reducing design complexity and making RGB-IR sensing affordable in disposable endoscopes for the first time.”
The OH02A1S features the 1.4um PureCel pixel architecture with 4x4 binning for the highest image quality. This architecture offers high QE for low-light performance, and a high DR. The sensor can provide 1080p resolution at 60 fps or 720p at 90 fps, via a 2-lane MIPI serial output. The OH02A1S also integrates 2 kilobits of one-time programmable memory on-chip. It consumes just 90 mw at full power, generating less heat for greater patient comfort.
The new OH02A1S sensor is available today in a 1/6-inch optical format and a compact 3.8x2.9mm chip-scale package.
Dynamic Low-Light Imaging with QIS
September 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Stanley Chan from Purdue University publishes a presentation of his ECCV 2020 paper "Dynamic Low-light Imaging with Quanta Image Sensors" by Yiheng Chi, Abhiram Gnanasambandam, Vladlen Koltun, and Stanley H. Chan:
Event-Based Vision Algorithms
September 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center publishes "Event-based Vision Algorithms" lecture by Kostas Daniilidis from Penn University:
Single-Pixel Imaging Review
September 28, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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OSA Optics Express publishes "Single-pixel imaging 12 years on: a review" by Graham M. Gibson, Steven D. Johnson, and Miles J. Padgett from Glasgow University, UK.
"Modern cameras typically use an array of millions of detector pixels to capture images. By contrast, single-pixel cameras use a sequence of mask patterns to filter the scene along with the corresponding measurements of the transmitted intensity which is recorded using a single-pixel detector. This review considers the development of single-pixel cameras from the seminal work of Duarte et al. up to the present state of the art. We cover the variety of hardware configurations, design of mask patterns and the associated reconstruction algorithms, many of which relate to the field of compressed sensing and, more recently, machine learning. Overall, single-pixel cameras lend themselves to imaging at non-visible wavelengths and with precise timing or depth resolution. We discuss the suitability of single-pixel cameras for different application areas, including infrared imaging and 3D situation awareness for autonomous vehicles."
Autosens Interview with Espros CEO
September 28, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Espros publishes an interview given by its CEO Beat De Coi at AutoSens:Maxim Unveils Low-Cost Gesture Sensor for Automotive Applications
September 27, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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PRNewswire: Maxim introduces MAX25205 hand-gesture controls sensor claimed to be the industry's lowest cost and smallest size. Featuring integrated optics and a 6x10 IR sensor array, the MAX25205 detects swipe and hand-rotation gestures without the complexity of ToF cameras at 10x lower cost and up to 75% smaller size.
"Maxim Integrated's MAX25205 is a game changer for the automotive industry," said Szu-Kang Hsien, executive business manager for Automotive Business Unit at Maxim. "By offering the most dynamic gesture control for automotive applications at the lowest cost, automakers can avoid the prohibitive costs of time-of-flight camera solutions and offer gesture sensing in more car models. It offers a stylish, cool factor to cars, especially for laid back drivers who prefer to use gesture for control with the added benefit of keeping their touch screens dirt-free."
DVS Pixel Bias Self-Calibration
September 26, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Tobi Delbruk and Zhenming Yu from Zurich University publish a video presentation explaining their ISCAS 2020 paper "Self Calibration of Wide Dynamic Range Bias Current Generators ISCAS."
"Many neuromorphic chips now include on-chip, digitally programmable bias generator circuits. So far, precision of these generated biases has been designed by transistor sizing and circuit design to ensure tolerable statistical variance due to threshold mismatch. This paper reports the use of an integrated measurement circuit based on spiking neuron and a scheme for calibrating each chip set of biases against the smallest of all the biases from that chip. That way, the averaging across individual biases improves overall matching both within a chip and across chips. This paper includes measurements of generated biases, the method for remapping bias values towards more uniform values, and measurements across 5 sample chips. With the method presented in this paper, 1σ mismatch of subthreshold currents is decreased by at least a factor of 3. The firmware implementation completes calibration in about a minute and uses about 1kB of flash storage of calibration data."
CIS Prices in China
September 26, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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I came across an article talking about CIS prices in China in the second half of 2018. This somewhat outdated info gives an indication of how low the prices can be for a fairly complicated device:- Galaxycore GC5025, 5MP, 1.12um pixel, integrated ISP - $0.53
- Galaxycore CG032A, VGA, integrated ISP - $0.15
- BYD BF2206, 2MP - $0.23
- BYD BF3903, VGA, integrated ISP - $0.15
- BYD BF3A02, QVGA - $0.068
Once we are talking about Galaxycore, the company has been requested to compare its sensors performance with others on the market while preparing its IPO. Galaxycore claims that it's similar to the market leaders.
Brigates has changed its name to Ruixin Microelectronics and prepares an IPO at the valuation of 1B yuan. The company has lost the money in 2017-208, then turned a profit in 2019:
"In the past three years, Ruixin Micro's revenue was 52.197 million yuan, 146 million yuan and 253 million yuan respectively. In 2017 and 2018, net losses were 15.1624 million yuan and 279 million yuan respectively. In 2019, it turned losses into profits, with net profit of 52.117 million yuan. Based on this, Ruixinwei finally chose a listing standard with an estimated market value of not less than 1 billion yuan, a positive net profit in the most recent year, and an operating income of not less than 100 million yuan."
Meanwhile, Omnivision's mother company Will Semi share price rose by 20x since its IPO 3 years ago:
Broadcom Expands ToF Sensor Lineup
September 26, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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Broadcom keeps quietly expanding its ToF sensors lineup:
Automotive News: Cepton, Ouster, Voyant Photonics, Mobileye
September 25, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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BusinessWire: Cepton announces its automotive-grade lidar – the Vista-X90, priced at less than $1000 for high volume applications. It is said to set a new benchmark for high performance at low power in a compact form factor. Weighing less than 900 g, the Vista-X90 achieves up to 200 m range at 10% reflectivity with an angular resolution of 0.13° and power consumption of <12W. The sensor supports frame rates of up to 40 Hz.
With a width of 120 mm, depth of 110 mm and a front-facing height of <45 mm, Vista-X90 is compact and embeddable. Its 90° x 25° field of view, combined with its directional, non-rotational design allows seamless vehicle integration - such as in the fascia, behind the windshield or on the roof.
Vista-X90 has a licensable design architecture powered by Cepton’s patented Micro Motion Technology (MMT) – a frictionless, mirrorless, rotation-free lidar architecture. Cepton has licensed its technology to the world’s largest automotive headlamp Tier 1, Koito, who has non-exclusive rights to manufacture and sell Cepton’s lidar technology for an automotive applications, using key modules supplied by Cepton.
“We are excited to disrupt the industry with the Vista-X90, which is the most cost-effective, high-performance lidar in the world for automotive applications,” said Jun Pei, Cepton’s CEO. “Automotive lidars have historically had either low performance at acceptable cost or claimed high performance while being too expensive for many OEM programs. The Vista-X90 fundamentally changes the game by bridging that divide and delivering the optimal mix of performance, power, reliability and cost. This is an integral part of our plan to make lidar available as an essential safety device in every consumer vehicle in the world.”
The Vista-X90 is targeted for production in 2022 and beyond, and samples can be made available upon request.
Yole publishes an interview with Ouster CEO Angus Pacala "A rising star in the LiDAR landscape – An interview with Ouster." Few quotes:
"Since our founding in 2015, Ouster has secured over 800 customers and $140 million in funding. Our headquarters is in San Francisco, and we have offices in Paris, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Suzhou.
At the time, nobody thought that you could use VCSELs and SPADs to make a high-performance sensor, but we figured out how to do it and patented our approach. The design relies on these two chips with the lasers and detectors, and a lens in front of each chip. In that way, digital lidar really resembles a digital camera."
Voyant Photonics publishes a Medium article "LiDAR-on-a-Chip is Not a Fool’s Errand" with bold claims on its FMCW LiDAR capabilities:
"With every pulse our FMCW LiDAR receives reflectance and polarization measurements that let it differentiate pavement from metal, hands from coffee mugs, street signs from rubber tires, and of course a pot hole from a plastic bag. We expect to read painted markings on asphalt, in total darkness, far past where cameras could. FMCW Lidar is like a sensor from Star Trek. It can tell you where something is, how fast it’s moving, and also what it is made of.
Voyant’s devices are not science fiction. They fit in your hand. They are real. We plan on producing more of them by the end of 2022 than Velodyne has sold across all its products in the last 13 years.
High resolution 3D data generated by LiDAR turns scene analysis and real-time navigation tasks into a 5th grade geometry problem. No need for AI algorithms that simulate a cerebral cortex."
EETimes Junko Yoshida reports that a major Chinese car company Greely adopts MobilEye EyeQ5 chip with 11 cameras for ‘Hands-Free’ ADAS. There is no radar or lidar in the system. The cameras are split in 7 long range and 4 close range ones.
Mobileye SuperVision system consists of two Mobileye EyeQ5 SoCs and is the first public design win for EyeQ5 chip in a production car.
Microsoft ToF Group Pursues Industrial Applications with SICK
September 24, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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SICK AG is working with Microsoft to enable the development of commercial industrial 3D cameras and related solutions, which will be compatible with a Microsoft ecosystem built on top of Microsoft depth, Intelligent Cloud, and Intelligent Edge platforms. Selected customers are already testing SICK cameras that incorporate Microsoft ToF depth technology.
SICK and Microsoft are expanding 3D ToF technologies in the context of Industry 4.0, to bring state of the art technologies to SICK’s 3DToF Visionary-T camera product line, and make it smarter, using Azure Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge capabilities.
SICK’s latest industrial 3DToF camera Visionary-T Mini is expected to be available for sales in early 2021, while prototypes are already available now. Visionary-T Mini incorporates another variant of Microsoft’s 3D ToF technology with an impressive dynamic range and a resolution of ~510 x 420 pixels. It will offer extended performance and advanced on-device processing infrastructure and tools not currently available with Azure Kinect DK, to include, but not limited to: 24/7 robustness, industrial interfaces, enhanced resolution with sharper depth images and enhanced depth quality.
Canon EOS C70 review – preview
September 24, 2020 By Leave a Comment
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The Canon EOS C70 is the smallest and lightest member of the Cinema EOS range and the first to employ the RF lens mount. It’s aimed at documentary, news, corporate, social media and event videography, combining the pro capabilities of the Cinema EOS series with the compact form factor of the EOS R range. Find out more in my preview!…
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