ON Semiconductor CMOS digital image sensors enable high performance imaging in smaller packages

     Driving energy efficient innovation, On Semiconductor introduces a new 1/4-inch 1.0Mp (1280H x800V) CMOS digital image sensor that delivers industry-leading performance levels. The new sensor captures clear and accurate images without artifacts in both bright and low light conditions. Its high speed efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio substantially reduce ghoul and noise interference, improving the overall image quality.

     The 3.0-μm pixel AR0144 features an innovative global shutter design optimized to meet increasingly demanding requirements, capturing accurate and fast images in both static and dynamic scene applications. Available in monochrome and color, the sensor is extremely compact and available in 5.6mmx5.6mm chip size or bare chip format, making it easy to integrate into space-constrained designs. The AR0144 has a wide range of features and functions to meet the increasingly diverse needs of image sensor terminal applications. According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the global image sensor market is forecast to grow to $12.67 billion by 2018, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.69% from 2014 to 2020.

     The AR0144 eliminates the need for designers to compromise resolution in order to find solutions that fit their designs. In static applications such as bar code scanners, the AR0144 is easy to design into handheld products, ensuring that the initial scan saves power, time and convenience. In dynamic applications such as drones, the sensor's low power consumption can extend charging intervals, and its imaging performance can better map the environment and avoid serious collisions. Finally, in 3D camera and augmented/virtual reality designs, the AR0144 offers a cost-effective and small size solution for capturing dual images for 3D mapping or depth sensing.

     The AR0144 offers a high degree of flexibility with the option to select master image/video, trigger frame/single frame and automatic trigger operation modes. Exposure time is controlled through a two-wire series interface, and array frame selection and blanking time configurations allow resolution and frame rate (up to 60fps at full resolution) to be adjusted to cover a specific area of interest (ROI). The versatility of the AR0144 can be tailored to the specific needs of different applications with a variety of custom configurations, including fine tuning, array frame selection (windowing), adjustable automatic exposure control and automatic blackness correction.

     GianlucaColli, vice president and general manager of consumer image Sensor Solutions at ON Semiconductor, said at the product launch: "With the emergence of many new and different applications and the rapid growth of areas such as surveillance systems, the need for vision-based sensing and control is also growing. "The AR0144 is extremely compact and features a new global shutter and best-in-class performance, enabling technology that will help designers deliver attractive new products capable of operating in challenging environments."