At this week’s AutoSens Brussels (19 to 21 September) Omnivision has unveiled a small, low power consumption image sensor which uses TheiaCel technology. The OX08D10 is an automotive image sensor for LED-flicker-free exterior cameras, said the company.
The 8Mpixel OX08D10 CMOS image sensor with TheiaCel technology is claimed to enhance automotive safety with enhanced resolution and image quality in exterior cameras for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD).
The OX08D10 features low light performance and low power consumption in a compact size that is 50 per cent smaller than other exterior cabin sensors in its class, said Omnivision. It is the first image sensor to feature the company’s new 2.1 micron TheiaCel technology. This technology combines lateral overflow integration capacitors (LOFIC) and Omnivision’s DCG high dynamic range (HDR) technology to eliminate LED flicker regardless of lighting conditions, said Omnivision. The technology enables the OX08D10 to achieve HDR image capture at up to 200 meters, to balance SNR1 and dynamic range and which is optimal for automotive exterior camera applications, said Omnivision.
According to Paul Wu, Omnivision’s automotive product marketing manager, the OX08D10 image sensor is a single device that combines features including low-light performance, LED flicker mitigation (LFM), small size and low power, eliminating OEMs to meet performance/design compromises to address LED flicker.
TheiaCel technology is also introduced at AutoSens. “TheiaCel brings a new era to single-exposure HDR . . . . that yields dramatic improvements in image quality,” Wu added.
Anas Chalak, technology and market analyst, imaging at Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group, said LFM, HDR and high resolution are prerequisites in modern automotive image sensors to achieve higher autonomy vehicles and that Omnivision’s TheiaCel DCG + LOFIC solution fulfill these criteria, aligning with the trend of implementing more exterior cameras per car in the upcoming years.
Flicker from LED traffic lights poses a serious challenge for imaging solutions, preventing ADAS and AD systems from correctly detecting lighted traffic signs. The 2.1 micron single pixel TheiaCel technology delivers high LFM without sacrificing image quality, said Omnivision. TheiaCel leverages next-generation LOFIC capabilities together with the company’s proprietary HDR technology (patented DCG and split-diode technology), which captures extremely high contrast scenes for optimum content and image quality. Omnivision claimed that the TheiaCel DCG + LOFIC achieves a wider dynamic range than earlier single-exposure HDR architectures.
LFM dynamic range is 3.3 times higher and total dynamic range is nearly three times higher than the company’s non-LOFIC-based predecessor. It features upgraded cybersecurity to comply with the newest MIPI CSE version 2.0 standards, which adds functional safety to automotive image sensor data streams. The TheiaCel device also uses Omnivision’s a-CSP package technology for a small form factor.
Samples are available now, and the OX08D10 will be in mass production in the second half of 2024.
Sector News
CATR test chamber can characterise active antenna arrays for satcomms
Active antenna arrays with beamforming capabilities are a key technology for establishing links between satellite terminals and end devices on the ground. At European Microwave Week (EuMW) 2023 in Berlin, Rohde & Schwarz and IMST will showcase a test chamber for over-the-air (OTA) measurements of electrically large beamforming antenna arrays for satellite communications (satcomms) applications.
The ATS1800C CATR (compact antenna test range) -based test chamber can be used for characterising active antenna arrays for satcomms applications.
New satellite constellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) allow uninterrupted connectivity on land at sea and in the air which will enable new services such as global tracking, the IoT, remote sensing or non-terrestrial networks (NTN).
Rohde & Schwarz has partnered with IMST for a demonstration of satcomms terminal testing at EuMW 2023. Testing the performance of satellite terminal systems and components with appropriate signals under realistic OTA conditions is crucial. Satcom infrastructure size, form factor, weight and performance are all challenging for SATCOM terminal manufacturers. The ATS1800C is designed to characterise an IMST Santana IV antenna array module. It has a CATR reflector that creates a large quiet zone for much higher measurement certainty relative to other solutions, said Rohde & Schwarz.
The ZNA vector network analyser can test and characterise devices under test. The R&S AMS32 software measures technical parameters such as magnitude and phase of far field and near field distributions, as well as metrics such as error vector magnitude (EVM) to characterise the digitally-modulated transceiver performance.
The Santana IV module (FKZ 50RK1925) is a smart antenna terminal designed by IMST. It is equipped with electronically controlled antenna beam steering that allows the beam shape and pointing direction to be electronically adjusted without any moving mechanical parts. The TX antenna array has 64 elements that support dual linear or circular polarisation. The array was designed for an operating frequency range from 29.5 to 30GHz, which can be used for applications such satcom on the move. The single 64-element module can be used as a base module for larger arrays.
Visitors can see the active antenna array testing at the Rohde & Schwarz stand H105 of Messe Berlin Hub27 at EuMW 2023 (19 to 21 September).
NeoMesh protocol stack allows for sensor integration, says NeoCortec
The latest version (1.6) of the NeoMesh protocol stack firmware is now available for NeoCortec’s NC2400 and NC1000 modules. The protocol stack is designed for easy integration of Sensirion SHT4xA sensors in order to build cost-effective, low power wireless temperature and humidity sensors, said NeoCortec.
The firmware of the NC2400 and NC1000 modules already includes a generic application layer which can be configured to sample a range of sensors without needing programming to implement a wireless sensor device. Now, the version 1.6 firmware enables the easy integration of Sensirion SHT4xA sensors to broaden the options to low power wireless temperature and humidity sensors for use in smart building or agriculture applications.
NeoCortec’s range of tiny modules collect data over large areas while running at an average power consumption as low as 20 microA. As a result, modules can run for years on two AA batteries, claimed NeoCortec. All NeoMesh modules are equipped with a radio and can be positioned as required around one or more buildings.
Building a NeoMesh network is easy, said the company. Users only need to switch on two nodes and the network starts to establish itself. Additional nodes will automatically join the existing network and expand it. All nodes in a NeoMesh wireless network can generate and transmit data. The protocol stack is almost infinitely expandable for most applications as up to 65,000 nodes are possible in one network, confirmed NeoCortec.
The technology is pre-certified and easy to integrate, continued the company. The modules suit a range of applications based on IoT and cloud-based sensor networks, including smart building and smart workplace, metering, security, agriculture, transportation, industry 4.0, medical and food distribution.
NeoCortec was founded in 2007 and supplies low power, bi-directional wireless mesh network modules. The company is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
System on module is designed for streaming media applications
iWave has introduced the i.MX 8QuadMax / QuadPlus SoM (system on module) to support designers by offloading several complexities involved in the design cycle, said the company. the i.MX 8 SoM for streaming media applications is based on the i.MX 8 family of applications processors which supports advanced media processing, secure domain partitioning, and vision processing. These characteristics make the processor suitable for applications such as automotive infotainment, advanced industrial human machine interface (HMI) as well as control and home automation.
According to iWave, the i.MX 8 series allows for multiple systems to be combined into one with ease and for diverse platforms to be built with multiple operating systems on a single i.MX 8 processor.
It also allows for the creation of independent GPU displays and functionalities by partitioning the resources and enables end to end security to be implemented. The processor series also allows for multi-display and multi-domain functionality. It is possible to develop up to four 1080p screens with independent content, said iWave.
There is also dual-core Cortex-M4F for offloading real-time tasks and a scalable platform to enable seamless machine interfaces. Another feature is the multi-domain voice recognition and audio processing.
As processing capabilities increase, so do the complexity and scope of developing embedded systems. The i.MX 8QuadMax / QuadPlus SoM combines high-performance computing at low power, said iWave. It offers single, dual, or quad-core Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 1.2GHz and a dual Cortex-A72 core running up to 1.6GHz. There is also heterogeneous multi-core processing with the Cortex-M4F running at up to 264MHZ for advanced system control.
Other features include up to 4Kp60 H.265 video decoding, up to 4Kp30 H.264 decode capable VPU and 1080p30 H.264 encode capable VPU. The SoM also boasts a 3D graphics processing unit, enhanced vision capabilities via a graphics processor and pro audio fidelity levels using the SAI/I2S audio interface.
The SoM supports a variety of high speed interfaces, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.0, SATA3.0 and multiple GPIO, high-speed PCIe v3.0 interface support and an HDMI2.0 display (up to 4K), LVDS, MIPI-DSI (up to four lanes) and 720p at 60 frames per second.
Security features include secure boot, secure storage, Wi-Fi security and OPTEE. Operating systems supported are Linux 5.10.52, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Android Pie 11.0.0 and QNX 7.0.0 (or higher).
The i.MX 8 SoM is also supplied with integrated u-Blox JODY-W3 making it compatible to support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.1.
Each Wi-Fi 6 access point provides a significant speed boost, said iWave, as well as 50 per cent increase in battery life, a four-fold increase in network capacity and a two-fold increase in bandwidth over previous generations of Wi-Fi.
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