OmniVision Technologies, a developer of digital imaging solutions, has announced that it has developed new VGA imagers that feature what it claims are the industry’s smallest pixel size at 2.2 microns. The OG0VA image sensor and OC0VA CameraCubeChip wafer-level camera module are the newest products in OmniVision’s family of backside-illuminated (BSI) global shutter (GS) sensors, and are ideal for imaging, machine vision and 3D sensing requirements for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones and robotics.
The OG0VA image sensor provides 640×480 VGA resolution at 240 frames per second (fps) and 320×240 QVGA resolution at 480 fps, in a 1/10 inch optical format. The small form factor of the OG0VA means that the OC0VA CameraCubeChip wafer-level camera module, which combines this sensor with image signal processing and optics, features a 2.69 x 3.04 x 3.04mm footprint, making it ideal for space-constrained unmanned systems.
The OC0VA is the first CameraCubeChip with Nyxel technology. Existing VGA global shutter devices have low near-infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) and high modulation transfer function (MTF) degradation, which requires a stronger light source with high power consumption and low performance. These new imagers feature OmniVision’s PureCelPlus-S stacked pixel architecture and Nyxel NIR technology to enable optimal performance and precision. Both the OG0VA and OC0VA feature excellent low light sensitivity, with significantly lower gain than the industry’s typical 3.0 micron pixel size for an improved signal-to-noise ratio.
These imagers’ high MTF enables sharper images with greater contrast and more detail, which helps to enhance machine vision decision-making processes. They also have a high QE of 40% at 940nm and 60% at 850nm, enabling the devices to see farther and better in low- and no-light conditions, which in turn allows designers to use less IR LED light and achieve lower system-level power consumption. Robotics applications can therefore use fewer IR LEDs for lower system cost, or use the same number to achieve a greater image detection range.
Devang Patel, senior staff marketing manager for the security and emerging segments at OmniVision, commented: “There is a growing need for global shutter technology at a variety of resolution levels to accurately capture the images of moving objects, along with excellent NIR performance and small size. The OG0VA and OC0VA expand our family of the industry’s smallest GS imagers by providing VGA resolution options with the best NIR performance in a global shutter device.”
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