Sony Semiconductor Solutions has announced the upcoming release of their ISX038 CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras. They say it is the first to process and output RAW and YUV images simultaneously.
The new sensor includes a proprietary ISP and can handle both RAW images for external environment detection and recognition in ADAS and AD, and YUV images used for infotainment applications like drive recorders and augmented reality.
With the ability to support multiple applications from a single camera, the product aims to streamline automotive camera systems, saving space, cost, and power. As automotive cameras diversify with advances in ADAS and AD and the increasing focus on driver experience, there is limited space for additional cameras, driving the need for multi-functionality in a single unit.
The ISX038 employs a stacked structure comprising a pixel chip and a logic chip with a signal processing circuit featuring the proprietary ISP. This design facilitates high-precision environmental detection and recognition as well as visual information delivery for driver assistance through infotainment applications. Compared with conventional methods such as multi-camera systems or systems requiring an external ISP, this new product simplifies automotive camera systems, resulting in space, cost, and power savings. The ISX038 will be compatible with the EyeQ 6 SoC from Mobileye for use in ADAS and AD technology. Features include:
- Wide dynamic range even during simultaneous use of HDR and LED flicker mitigation: In driving, it’s crucial to detect and recognize objects accurately, even in varying brightness like tunnel entrances and exits. Automotive cameras must also suppress LED flicker, especially in HDR mode, due to increasingly prevalent LED signals and traffic devices. This product’s unique pixel structure and exposure method improve saturation illuminance, providing a wide dynamic range of 106 dB with HDR and LED flicker mitigation, expanding to 130 dB in dynamic range priority mode. This design also reduces motion artifacts when capturing moving subjects.
- Compliant with standards required for automotive applications: The product meets AEC-Q100 Grade 2 reliability standards and follows ISO 26262 ASIL-B(D) for automotive safety.
DVN comments
It is crucial to detect and recognise objects accurately, even when there are quickly changing in light (ex: urban signalling). Effectively, for traffic light or VMS recognition Automotive cameras need to suppress LED flickering. The unique pixel structure and exposure method of this product improves saturation illuminance, providing a wide dynamic range of 106 dB with HDR and LED flicker attenuation, extending to 130 dB in dynamic range priority mode. This design also reduces motion artifacts when capturing moving subjects. The other advantage of this imager is to provide simultaneously pixels in RAW and YUV formats.