Onsemi unveils innovative image sensor

     One of the major challenges facing today's image sensors is the need to work in uncontrolled light conditions. Specifically, scenes with high dynamic range (HDR), or images with particularly bright and dark areas. While many HDR technologies use multiple exposure outputs, sending up to three different exposures of images to an image signal processor (ISP) for combination, this approach requires up to three times the system bandwidth and more expensive components, especially at higher resolutions. The AR0822 incorporates HDR capabilities to reduce system bandwidth and processor power consumption, while also compensating for moving and flickering light sources through intelligent linearization and exposure combinations to achieve superior image quality.

     Onsemi has announced the launch of an innovative image sensor, the AR0822. The device's embedded high dynamic range (eHDRTM) capabilities and optimized near infrared (NIR) response are critical for applications with harsh lighting conditions, such as security monitoring, body cameras, doorbell cameras, and robotics. The sensor's low-power architecture and motion wake function are designed to significantly reduce system power consumption. The AR0822 also features enhanced near-infrared sensitivity, and sophisticated camera capabilities such as binning/windowing. The device is designed for harsh environments and operates at temperatures ranging from -30 °C to 85 °C (junction temperature).

     For Internet of Things (IoT) applications, the AR0822 optimizes system power consumption with dedicated features such as motion wake to meet customer expectations for low power operation and longer battery life. Most cameras operate in a lower power mode while on standby and return to normal operation when motion is detected to save power. These systems typically require sensors and processors working together to detect motion. While the AR0822 can intelligently detect motion changes in the scene using its motion wake function, which puts the processor into low-power standby mode until the sensor detects the motion and triggers the processor to resume operating mode.

     The AR0822 is an 8 megapixel (MP) stacked 1/1.8 inch (8.81 mm diagonal) backlit (BSI) CMOS digital image sensor based on 2.0 µm pixels. With an effective pixel array of 3840 (H) x 2160 (V), it is capable of shooting 4K video at 60 frames per second (fps), capturing images in linear or eHDRTM mode (120dB) and reading them out with a rolling shutter.

     "The AR0822 delivers industry-leading performance in low-light conditions, while enabling customers to achieve the required 120 dB eHDRTM at lower system power consumption and cost," said Ross Jatou, senior vice president and general manager of Intelligent Perception at ON. "This combination gives our customers strong support to meet market demands for more advanced imaging and energy saving solutions and longer battery life."