Atsugi, Japan — Sony Semiconductor Solutions Company (SSS) immediately announced the upcoming launch of the IMX735, a brand new CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras with the business’s highest*1 pixel rely, at 17.42 effective megapixels.*2 The new sensor product will help the event of automotive digital camera techniques able to refined sensing and recognition efficiency, thereby contributing to protected, safe automated driving.
*1:Among CMOS picture sensors for automotive cameras. As of announcement on September 12, 2023.
*2:Based mostly on the picture sensor effective pixel specification technique.
IMX735 CMOS picture sensor for automotive cameras
| Mannequin identify | Sample cargo date (planned) | Sample worth (together with tax) |
|---|---|---|
|
IMX735 1/1.17 sort (thirteen.70 mm diagonal) |
September 2023 |
30,000 yen*3 |
*three: Might differ depending on the quantity shipped and other circumstances.
For automated techniques to ship automated driving, they need to supply refined, excessive-precision sensing and recognition efficiency, encompassing all 360 levels of the surroundings around the car. Accordingly, there’s appreciable demand for picture sensors that can help obtain this degree of performance and help the event of more advanced automotive digital camera methods.
The brand new sensor product achieves the business’s highest*1 pixel rely of 17.forty two effective megapixels,*2 enabling excessive definition seize of far-off objects. Moreover, automated driving techniques typically use automotive cameras together with LiDAR and different sensing techniques. While typical CMOS picture sensors readout alerts output from pixels one vertical line at a time, this product outputs alerts horizontally, one row at a time. Which means automotive cameras using this sensor can more simply synchronize with mechanical scanning LiDAR*four, since their laser beams also scan horizontally. This better synchronization will improve the sensing and recognition capabilities of the automated driving system as an entire.
Furthermore, the new sensors’ improved saturation illuminance, made attainable by a proprietary pixel construction, and unique exposure technique yield a large dynamic vary of 106 dB even when concurrently employing excessive dynamic range (HDR) imaging and LED flicker*5 mitigation. The dynamic vary is even greater, at one hundred thirty dB, when using dynamic range priority mode. This artistic design helps suppress spotlight blowouts even in backlit circumstances, enabling more exact object capture in street environments with vital differences in brightness, corresponding to tunnel entrances and exits.
*four: LiDAR senses objects utilizing horizontal laser beam scanning delivered by mechanical shifting elements. This can be a widespread technique used within the automotive sensing domain.
*5: LED flicker that may occur when capturing LED signage or visitors alerts.
Important Options
■Long-distance recognition delivered by business-leading 17.42 megapixels
Because of the business’s highest*1 pixel rely of 17.forty two efficient megapixels,*2 the brand new sensor is capable of excessive definition capture, extending the thing recognition range to larger distances and thereby permitting better detection of street circumstances, automobiles, pedestrians and other objects. Early detection of far-away objects while driving helps make automated driving techniques safer.
Imaging instance with the new sensor
(17.forty two-effective-megapixel)
Enlarged image of the brand new sensor
(17.forty two-efficient-megapixel)
Enlarged image of SSS’s different product
(8.39-effective-megapixel)
■Horizontal pixel sign output for easier synchronization with mechanical-scanning LiDAR
When studying alerts from pixels, CMOS image sensors usually achieve this in a vertical course one line at a time. This product, then again, employs a readout technique that outputs alerts horizontally one row at a time, making it easier to synchronize with mechanical-scanning LiDAR, which additionally makes use of a horizontal scanning technique. Which means the knowledge output from automotive cameras outfitted with this product could be integrated with LiDAR info downstream on the system. This can enhance the sensing and recognition capabilities of the automated driving system as an entire.
■Vast dynamic vary even during simultaneous use of HDR and LED flicker mitigation
In vehicle driving, objects have to be exactly detected and acknowledged even in street environments with vital variations in brightness, similar to tunnel entrances and exits. Automotive cameras are additionally required to suppress LED flicker, even while in HDR mode, to cope with the growing prevalence of LED alerts and different visitors units. The proprietary pixel construction and unique publicity technique of this product improves saturation illuminance, yielding a wide dynamic range of 106 dB even when concurrently employing HDR and LED flicker mitigation (when using dynamic range priority mode, the vary is even wider, at one hundred thirty dB). This design also helps scale back movement artifacts*6 generated when capturing shifting topics.
■Compliant with requirements required for automotive purposes
The product is certified for AEC-Q100 Grade 2 automotive electronic element reliability exams by mass production. Additionally, SSS has introduced a improvement process compliant with the ISO 26262 street car practical safety normal, at automotive security integrity degree ASIL-B(D). This contributes to improve automotive digital camera system reliability.
■Cybersecurity required for automotive purposes (elective)
The product can help cybersecurity options comparable to digital camera authentication by way of a public-key algorithm to verify CMOS image sensor authenticity, picture authentication to detect any tampering with acquired pictures, and communication authentication to detect any tampering with management communications.