Infineon and pmd join forces to bring 3D image sensors with extremely long measuring distances to the market

     Applications such as gaming, virtual e-commerce, and 3D online education connect the real and digital worlds with the augmented reality (AR) function of 3D depth sensors, and the market demand is strong. Infineon technologies has teamed up with pmd technologies to develop a 3D depth sensor with time-of-flight (ToF) technology that far outperforms other solutions on the market and aims to innovate for a wider range of consumer usability applications. By 2024, the market for 3D sensors in smartphone rear cameras is expected to grow to more than 500 million units per year.

     Philipp von Schierstaedt, Senior Vice President at Infineon, said: "The latest 3D image sensor from Infineon and pmd technologies enables a new generation of applications. The goal is to create the most immersive and intelligent AR experience possible, as well as to improve the quality of your photos by speeding up autofocus or using picture segmentation to take better nighttime portraits in low light conditions. The development of this new chip enables an unprecedented measurement distance of 10 meters with the lowest power consumption, setting a new benchmark for image sensors, actuators and processing capabilities."

     The new chip can be integrated into a miniaturized camera module to accurately measure short and long distance depth for augmented reality (AR), while meeting low power requirements, saving image sensors more than 40% of power.

     Extended photography capabilities and AR remote usability. The new REAL3TM ToF sensors are flexibly configurable to deliver superior camera performance at a variety of distances, light conditions and usage situations, while extending battery life on mobile devices. The new sensors offer technologies such as real-time augmented reality, real crystal, distance scanning, small object reconstruction, fast low-power autofocus, and image segmentation for a variety of applications. It makes it easy for movies and photos in moving scenes to produce effects such as background blurring without subsequent processing and regardless of ambient light conditions.

     It also enables a seamless augmented reality experience, capturing high-quality 3D depth data up to 10 meters away without sacrificing resolution in the shorter range. Applications that need to be online for long periods of time, such as mobile AR games, can greatly benefit from the new sensor's low-power design, providing players with longer play time than ever before. For applications such as 3D scanning for space and object reconstruction, or 3D mapping for furniture planning and other design applications, the sensor can measure twice as far as existing solutions on the market today.