The new generation of vehicles requires higher safety and more comfortable driving, so more image sensors have been added to improve overall vehicle performance. The report will interview Inayat Khajasha, Senior Marketing Manager of OmniVision Automotive Products, to analyze how image sensors can improve driving safety.
Q: What new demands are there for new generation of automotive imaging applications?
Inayat Khajasha: Through the improvement of the quality and reliability of electronic components, automotive imaging applications, such as rear view, multi-camera 360 degree and panoramic photography, are becoming the mainstream of today's vehicles. There are also emerging applications such as lane departure detection and warning systems, blind spot detection/display, front/side view, rear seat monitoring, parking assistance, side vehicle viewing/wing side mirror replacement, night patrols, and driving records.
New CMOS image sensors are ideal for this type of application. For example, some sensors incorporate special functions and output formats designed for automotive display and machine vision applications, and these functions and output formats use a single sensor chip for stand-alone or combined applications. The sensor must have the ability to provide both high-quality imagery and environmental message content, and as such, both imaging and sensing capabilities can be performed at the same time, which is critical for the mature automotive market and emerging automotive applications. Sensors with lower light sensitivity than CCD sensors are suitable for applications such as reverse and rear view photography.
Q: Can you please explain which technical thresholds are available for on-board video devices?
Inayat Khajasha: Vehicle-mounted imaging devices have different requirements depending on their applications. For example, a 360-degree viewing angle for a display application requires at least one megapixel sensor and must have different lens synchronization capabilities. Ideally, sensors of such devices should also have a color high dynamic range (HDR) function, which is particularly important for such applications. Of course, the most important feature for most rearview or reverse video applications is the sensor's low light sensitivity. In this respect, currently OmniVision's sensors can already reach 12-15V/lux-sec (the bigger the better, depending on the type of package used), not only is better than the traditional CCD technology, but also the OEM factory is actively transferring from the CCD. One of the key reasons to adopt CMOS.
For sensing applications, sensors need to support formats such as RAW, YUV, and BT656. At present, manufacturers of image sensors must support all of the above output formats, and monochrome sensors are ideal for pure sensing. For example, night vision applications require very good low-light sensitivity, and OmniVision's sensor-optimized spectral response makes it ideal for day and night dual-standard imaging. On-vehicle sensing applications must also require specific features, such as temperature sensing, to indicate the proper operation of the system. The light sensor requires high dynamic range and reduced flare, so OmniVision optimized the sensor to achieve a dynamic range of 110dB in black and white mode, combined with a special wafer process to reduce glare.
Q: What new demands are there for new generation of automotive imaging applications?
Inayat Khajasha: Through the improvement of the quality and reliability of electronic components, automotive imaging applications, such as rear view, multi-camera 360 degree and panoramic photography, are becoming the mainstream of today's vehicles. There are also emerging applications such as lane departure detection and warning systems, blind spot detection/display, front/side view, rear seat monitoring, parking assistance, side vehicle viewing/wing side mirror replacement, night patrols, and driving records.
New CMOS image sensors are ideal for this type of application. For example, some sensors incorporate special functions and output formats designed for automotive display and machine vision applications, and these functions and output formats use a single sensor chip for stand-alone or combined applications. The sensor must have the ability to provide both high-quality imagery and environmental message content, and as such, both imaging and sensing capabilities can be performed at the same time, which is critical for the mature automotive market and emerging automotive applications. Sensors with lower light sensitivity than CCD sensors are suitable for applications such as reverse and rear view photography.
Q: Can you please explain which technical thresholds are available for on-board video devices?
Inayat Khajasha: Vehicle-mounted imaging devices have different requirements depending on their applications. For example, a 360-degree viewing angle for a display application requires at least one megapixel sensor and must have different lens synchronization capabilities. Ideally, sensors of such devices should also have a color high dynamic range (HDR) function, which is particularly important for such applications. Of course, the most important feature for most rearview or reverse video applications is the sensor's low light sensitivity. In this respect, currently OmniVision's sensors can already reach 12-15V/lux-sec (the bigger the better, depending on the type of package used), not only is better than the traditional CCD technology, but also the OEM factory is actively transferring from the CCD. One of the key reasons to adopt CMOS.
For sensing applications, sensors need to support formats such as RAW, YUV, and BT656. At present, manufacturers of image sensors must support all of the above output formats, and monochrome sensors are ideal for pure sensing. For example, night vision applications require very good low-light sensitivity, and OmniVision's sensor-optimized spectral response makes it ideal for day and night dual-standard imaging. On-vehicle sensing applications must also require specific features, such as temperature sensing, to indicate the proper operation of the system. The light sensor requires high dynamic range and reduced flare, so OmniVision optimized the sensor to achieve a dynamic range of 110dB in black and white mode, combined with a special wafer process to reduce glare.