In The News

Hear from Eiichi Funatsu, Vice President of Technology at OMNIVISION and expert in the image sensor domain, encompassing design, wafer process, algorithm development, and camera system integration. In this interview Eiichi explores the current challenges in HDR imaging for ADAS ahead of AutoSens USA 2024.

When we talk about automotive safety, innovation is not just a luxury but a necessity. With the ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road and the escalating risks associated with distracted driving, the demand for cutting-edge driver monitoring systems (DMS) has never been more pressing. It is within this context that OMNIVISION’s ASIC solutions emerge as game-changers, addressing critical industry needs and revolutionizing driver safety. Don’t miss OMNIVISION on the exhibition floor at InCabin USA – check out the exhibition here.

OMNIVISION has launched its new OV50K40, the first smartphone image sensor with TheiaCel™ technology. The OV50K40 is reaching human eye-level high dynamic range (HDR) with single exposure. It sets a new high-performance bar in the industry for flagship rear-facing main cameras. OMNIVISION’s new TheiaCel™ technology harnesses the capabilities of lateral overflow integration capacitors (LOFIC) to provide the best-in-class single-exposure HDR, regardless of lighting conditions. The TheiaCel™-based OV50K40 50-megapixel (MP) image sensor features a 1.2-micron (µm) pixel in a 1/1.3-inch optical format with high gain and correlated multiple sampling (CMS) for optimal performance in low-light conditions. “Consumers have hit their limit with the quality of photos and video from mobile phones on the market today, especially for images taken during sunrise, sunset and at night with bright lights in the background. But today, OMNIVISION has disrupted the mobile phone industry with our new TheiaCel™ technology,” said Arun Jayaseelan, senior product marketing manager, OMNIVISION. “Our OV50K40 image sensor offers the highest single exposure HDR image capture in mobile phones.” According to Gerrit Schneemann, founder and principal analyst, Ascendo Advisors, “With the launch of the OV50K40 image sensor, OMNIVISION is addressing a key challenge in smartphone photography today: images in challenging lighting conditions. Improvements in these situations are critical for smartphone OEMs to differentiate their handsets from the competition as overall camera quality has improved. The OV50K40 enables OEMs to integrate a sensor with enhanced HDR capabilities to deliver clear pictures in challenging lighting – all with a single exposure.” The OV50K40 supports 4-cell binning for 12.5MP at 120 frames per second (fps) and 60fps with HDR, with 4x sensitivity for flagship-level low-light performance. Quad phase detection (QPD) enables 2x2 phase detection autofocus (PDAF) across the sensor’s entire image array for 100% coverage, resulting in ultra-fast autofocus performance. An on-chip QPD re-mosaic enables full 50MP Bayer output, premium-quality 8K video and 2x crop-zoom functionality. The OV50K40 is built on OMNIVISION’s PureCel®Plus-S stacked-die technology, enabling high resolution with 1.2µm pixels. Jayaseelan added, “We initially launched the TheiaCel™ technology last year to the automotive market, and we are excited to bring this revolutionary technology to the consumer smartphone industry today. We look forward to applying the TheiaCel™ technology to additional mobile image sensors as well as new markets in the future. With TheiaCel™ technology, the possibilities are endless.” Automotive Image Sensor with TheiaCel Technology OMNIVISION says that its OX08D10 8-megapixel (MP) CMOS image sensor with TheiaCel™ technology is now pre-integrated and validated with color tuning on the Snapdragon Ride™ Platform, Snapdragon Ride™ Flex System-on-Chip (SoC) and Snapdragon® Cockpit Platform from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. for next-generation advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled connected digital cockpits. “Customers utilizing Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions will have the ability to pair our recently launched OX08D10 image sensor to their systems to enable industry-leading high dynamic range (HDR), LED flicker mitigation (LFM) and low-light sensitivity for high-resolution advanced driver assistance systems,” said Dr. Paul Wu, head of automotive product marketing, OMNIVISION. “This is particularly exciting because the OX08D10 is the first image sensor in the industry to feature our new TheiaCel™ technology, which brings a new era to LFM HDR in an easy-to-implement solution that yields dramatic improvements in image quality.” OMNIVISION’s OX08D10 image sensor provides automotive OEMs with one device that combines the most important features for ADAS: 8-MP resolution, 2.1-micron (µm) TheiaCel™ technology that achieves a wider dynamic range, industry-leading low-light performance, LED flicker mitigation, compact size and low power consumption. TheiaCel now compatible with NVIDIA Omniverse OMNIVISION says that its OX08D10 8-megapixel CMOS image sensor with TheiaCel™ technology is now compatible with the NVIDIA Omniverse™ development platform. OMNIVISION is demonstrating the solution at booth 636 during NVIDIA GTC, taking place through March 21 at the San Jose Convention Center. NVIDIA Omniverse is a platform of application programming interfaces (APIs), software development kits (SDKs) and services that enables developers to easily integrate Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) and RTX rendering technologies into their 3D applications and services. Such applications include high-fidelity, physically based simulation for accelerated autonomous vehicle (AV) development. The recently announced OX08D10 is the first image sensor that features OMNIVISION’s new 2.1-micron (µm) TheiaCel™ technology, which harnesses the capabilities of next-generation lateral overflow integration capacitors (LOFIC) and OMNIVISION’s DCG™ high dynamic range (HDR) technology to accurately capture LED lights without any flickering artifact for nearly all driving conditions. TheiaCel™ enables the OX08D10 to achieve HDR image capture at up to 200 meters. This range is the sweet spot for delivering the best balance between SNR1 and dynamic range and is optimal for automotive exterior camera applications. The OX08D10 features industry-leading low-light performance and low power consumption in a compact size that is 50% smaller than other exterior cabin sensors in its class. “The OX08D10 is OMNIVISION’s flagship image sensor that features our TheiaCel™ technology, ushering in a new era to low-light sensitivity in an easy-to-implement solution that yields dramatic improvements in image quality,” said Dr. Paul Wu, head of automotive product marketing, OMNIVISION. “We are proud to be part of the ecosystem of NVIDIA partners who are working together to accelerate AV development. Today, we are excited to announce that the OX08D10 is now compatible with NVIDIA Omniverse, a powerful platform for high-fidelity sensor simulation capabilities, reducing automotive OEM development efforts and cost.” The new OX08D10 features OMNIVISION’s a-CSP™ package technology for the smallest possible solution available today. Samples are available now, and the OX08D10 will be in mass production in the second half of 2024.

Sensor manufacturers focus on improvements in power consumption, ease of implementation and size to deliver advanced product features.

Devang Patel, Marketing Director for the IoT and Emerging Segment, OMNIVISION, discusses the company’s recently launched OP03050 lower power, small form factor Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) panel, as well as sharing his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing the AR/MR/XR glasses market both for consumer and B2B applications.

Today’s smart home isn’t all that smart—not yet.

The many smart devices available to consumers, whether they are security cameras, air conditioners, furnaces or cordless, roving vacuum cleaners, are more controllable than they are smart. We’re only just beginning to see the emergence of the smart home that will do intelligent things by itself.

Makers of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors for the automotive market face growing challenges with respect to achieving high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging that delivers improved flicker mitigation and enhanced performance in low-light conditions. Implementing lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) technology in single-exposure LED flicker mitigation (LFM) sensors can help optimize dynamic range and reduce image flicker.

In an exclusive interview with TimesTech, Puneet Pahwa, Sales Manager India at OMNIVISION Technologies, sheds light on the company’s remarkable journey and its pivotal role in revolutionizing digital imaging and sensor technology across diverse industries, from automotive to security and beyond.

OMNIVISION has unveiled the OX02C1S and OX01H1B as the latest additions to its Nyxel near-infrared (NIR) technology family. Hallmarks of both sensors include a small 2.2-micron pixel, NIR quantum efficiency (QE) at 36 percent, and low power consumption for driver and occupant monitoring applications. News of the OX02C1S and OX01H1B follows the announcement of the OX01E20 automotive SoC for 360-degree and rearview camera systems, the latter of which is in mass production as of June 2023.

Design of smaller photodiodes requires both n-type/p-type ion-implantation dose tuning and silicon surface defect management.

OMNIVISION’s new OV02E enables some of the world’s thinnest full HD laptop computers with AI-powered always-on face ID recognition for ultra-low power mode

OMNIVISION announced plans to accelerate its penetration into the virtual reality and augmented reality (AR/VR) market, and started to implement XR devices through collaboration with US AR company DigiLens, attracting industry attention.

Endoscopy has evolved over the decades as high-resolution imaging has become more advanced with image sensors now the size of a grain of sand. The range of applications in which endoscopy has proven useful include gastroenterology, airway management, gynecology, urology, arthroscopy, and cardiology. Intraoperative diagnosis, therapy, and minimally invasive surgery are all possible because of advancements in endoscopy.

The rapid development in image sensor technology is marking a new phase in the evolution of smartphone cameras, leading to the introduction of new CIS products with strong imaging capabilities.

At CES, DigiLens showed that its waveguide technology combined with LCOS panels from OMNIVISION and Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset can deliver a more acceptable form factor for extended reality (XR) experiences.

OMNIVISION has unveiled its 1.3-megapixel OX01E20 automotive SoC for 360-degree surround view systems and rear-view cameras. During an announcement at CES 2023, OMNIVISION said the OX01E20 is pin2pin compatible with current-generation 1.3MP designs, providing top-of-the-line LED flicker mitigation and 140db high dynamic range across the entire automotive temperature gamut.

GEO Semiconductor Inc. and OMNIVISION presented a new demonstration for CES 2023 attendees in Las Vegas. The demo featured a 5MP RGB-IR automotive image sensor with a camera processor that provides simultaneous driver and cabin monitoring streams. At the heart of the CES demonstration was a combination of OMNIVISION’s OX05B1S 5MP RGB-IR image sensor and GEO Semiconductor’s GW6 Intelligent Camera Video Processor, which provides industry-leading image processing for the RGB-IR sensor.

Seeing Machines and OMNIVISION have successfully integrated Seeing Machines’ in-cabin monitoring system technology (ICMS) with OMNIVISION’s OAX4600 system-on-chip (SoC) platform. During an announcement at CES 2023, the companies said automakers would have a powerful and cost-effective in-cabin monitoring solution for space-constrained areas. Likewise, the solution meets or exceeds regulatory requirements associated with the European Commission’s General Safety Regulation (GSR) and Europe’s New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) protocols.

A global shutter image sensor from OMNIVISION, the OG0VE is 26% smaller and at least 50% more power-efficient than its predecessor, the OV7251. The CMOS image sensor is well-suited for small, low-power cameras used in augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) devices, as well as metaverse, drone, robot, and machine vision applications.

With people at the wheel ever more susceptible to distractions, drowsiness and impairment, driver monitoring systems (DMS) are considered key in accident prevention. But are we overdesigning the sensors at the heart of these systems? Simulations using a new sensor modeling tool and a deep neural network (DNN) indicate it is plausible that we are—by a lot. This means the automotive sensor industry has an opportunity to substantially decrease DMS power and cost without sacrificing critical performance.

AI-boosted vision processing and image sensors are providing strong building blocks for image system processing.

OMNIVISION’s new imaging sensor is the first to embed an invisible watermark on its images, but it may not be enough to prevent spoofing.

More electronics everywhere and more connectivity create issues involving power, performance, cost, and security.

Semiconductor technology and digital image company OMNIVISION has developed pixel technology that is smaller than the wavelength of red light. The company’s OVBOA is a 200-MP image sensor with a pixel size of 0.56 μm. It is designed for rear-facing main cameras in high-end smartphones. The device features 16-cell binning capability, enabling it to achieve video capture of 12.5-MP/4K at 120 fps. The technology additionally features 100% quad phase detection (QPD) for more effective autofocus.

Backside illuminated shutter image sensor consumes low power and has tiny form factor for AR/VR and Metaverse products.

OMNIVISION has launched a BSI global shutter (GS) image sensor, the OG0TB, which it said is the world’s smallest image sensor for eye and face tracking in AR/VR/MR and metaverse consumer devices.

OMNIVISION has entered the race to shrink pixel size with its OVB0A image sensor, delivering a resolution of 200 Mpixels with a pixel size of just 0.56 µm. The company is one of the first to announce such a sensor in a 1/1.4-in. optical format.

OMNIVISION's cutting-edge pixel technology and sensors are enabling better automotive sensing and viewing solutions. Megan Lampinen hears more

Leopard Imaging, an embedded vision systems designer and manufacturer, and OMNIVISION, a developer of semiconductor solutions, will collaborate to launch AI camera solutions for autonomous machines supporting OMNIVISION’s OA8000 and OAX8000 camera video processors. Leopard Imaging provides total sensor plus image signal processor solutions using OMNIVISION’s OA8000 and OAX8000 application-specific integrated circuits.

Medical spectral imaging cameras built into endoscopes scan multiple wavelengths, empowering diagnostics and therapeutics in specialties ranging from airway management to cardiology.

No matter how they’re marketed by auto manufacturers, cars outfitted with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are not, as they’re referred to colloquially, be it by your neighbor or the hosts on the morning radio show, “self-driving cars.” It’s an important distinction to make, one that might be obvious to those in the industry but seemingly less so amongst the general public. When a “self-driving car” ends up in the news for getting into an accident, it’s most likely because of a distracted driver misusing the technology.

New sensing technology is helping to build on the success of existing driver-assist systems to make cars fully autonomous.

OMNIVISION has claimed a pixel technology breakthrough with the development of the smallest 0.56-µm pixel without compromising quantum efficiency (QE) and quad phase detection (QPD) autofocus performance, while delivering low power consumption. The ultra-small pixel technology targets image sensor requirements for higher resolution in multi-camera mobile devices.

The OX05B1S global shutter sensor from OmniVision Technologies Inc. is designed for in-cabin monitoring systems in automotive applications.

The annual Product of the Year awards, now in its 46th year, recognizes outstanding products that represent any of the following qualities: a significant advancement in a technology or its application, an exceptionally innovative design, a substantial achievement in price/performance, improvements in design performance, and a potential for new product designs/opportunities.

10 categories. 30 finalists. It was a competitive competition this year. Thank you to all our applicants and judges. Hope to see you in San Francisco on 26 January 2022.

OMNIVISION, one of the leading developers of semiconductor solutions, including advanced digital imaging, analogue and touch & display technology has launched the world’s smallest 200MP image sensor with pixel size at just 0.61 µm for smartphone cameras.

Sanjay Gangal interview with Andy Hanvey, Director of Automotive Marketing

With CES 2022 finally over, let’s sidestep entirely the feelings of déjà vu surrounding “consumer AVs,” and “personal AVs.” In this article, I focus on details for driver monitoring systems (DMS) and announcements related to Seeing Machines, which is beginning to look a lot like the next Arm.

OmniVision Technologies, Inc. has adopted a new brand with a new look: OMNIVISION. The updated branding reflects its latest expansion in product offerings and capabilities, in addition to image sensors and related technologies, the organization now offers analog and touch & display solutions.

Seeking to refresh its image as well as its offerings, OMNIVISION came to CES with new products in all its key market segments: automotive, mobile, AR/VR/MR, computing, and security.

No longer just a CMOS image sensor company, OMNIVISION is rebranding itself to better reflect its expanding product portfolio.

OMNIVISION unveiled a couple of automotive industry firsts at CES with the unveiling of the first 5-megapixel (MP) RGB-IR global shutter sensor for in-cabin driver monitoring systems (DMS) and the first 3-MP resolution SoC for automotive cameras.

Entre capteurs d’image pour smartphones haut de gamme et imageurs pour l’automobile, l’américain a dévoilé de nombreuses nouveautés à Las Vegas.

OMNIVISION has just challenged the likes of Samsung with the launch of the OVB0B, its first ever 200 megapixel (MP) camera sensor. Not only does it have the highest resolution known to most CMOS-makers, it is also rated to be the smallest in its class thus far. It is also rated to debut quad phase detection and 16-cell binning for enhanced auto-focus (AF) and low-light performance.

At the CES 2022 trade show, OMNIVISION introduced the world’s smallest 200-megapixel (MP) image sensor with a pixel size at just 0.61µm for smartphone cameras.

OMNIVISION announces the latest addition to its Nyxel NIR family―the OX05B1S is the automotive industry’s first 5MP RGB-IR BSI global shutter sensor for in-cabin monitoring systems (IMS) with a pixel size of just 2.2µm with improves 940nm NIR sensitivity. Additionally, it is the first RGB-IR sensor for in-cabin monitoring to feature integrated cybersecurity.

OMNIVISION has announced a variety of new sensor breakthroughs at CES 2022 that will soon find their way into the next generation of smartphones, webcams, VR headsets, and other devices. Here’s what you can expect from the company.

OMNIVISION, a developer of semiconductor solutions, has launched the OX03D, a 3 megapixel (MP) resolution system-on-chip (SoC) for automotive surround-view systems (SVS), rearview systems (RVS) and e-mirrors.

At CES 2022 this week, driver monitoring systems (DMS) are adding a wrinkle to the escalating ADAS/AV SoC race. Options of embedding DMS are many. The question is where and how DMS will land in a vehicle.

OMNIVISION, announced at CES 2022 that it has adopted a new brand with a new look: OMNIVISION. The updated branding reflects its latest expansion in product offerings and capabilities, going beyond sensing technologies and solutions.

OMNIVISION launches the OX03D, a 3MP SoC for automotive surround-view systems (SVS), rearview systems (RVS) and e-mirrors. The new SoC provides a path for automotive OEMs to upgrade from 1MP to 3MP while retaining a 1/4-inch optical format. The OX03D4C has a fully integrated ISP, is capable of 140dB HDR and includes the tone-mapping algorithm along with the LED flicker mitigation (LFM).

The demand for smartphones with great camera specifications is expected to grow as we head into 2022. Smartphone camera technology remains to be an important area for innovation and development for smartphone vendors. We note that CIS vendors are actively responding to these needs with a pipeline of strong image sensor products for the smartphone market this year.

Check out our coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show that is back as an in-person event for vaccinated attendees. You will need to scroll down as there was a lot of technology to see at the show, not just the consumer goods.

Digital imaging experts OMNIVISION and Seeing Machines have jointly developed an ASIC that unites the properties of an image signal processor (ISP) with a neural processing unit (NPU). The chip targets driver and occupant monitoring systems.

Announced at CES 2022, the new solution combines OMNIVISION’s image signal processing technology with Seeing Machines’ industry-leading Occula® neural processing unit to provide automotive OEMs a cost-effective and highly efficient DMS/OMS solution

Using next-generation OX08B40 CMOS image sensors, the demonstration is powered by Xilinx MPSoC and Motovis IP. The live proof-of-concept demonstration highlights the increased range and wider field of view enabled in the higher resolution 8MP system.

The R&D centre in Mechelen, Belgium, is alongside a new centre in Irvine, California for the Chinese-owned company. The company also now offers analog solutions, along with touch & display technologies.

OMNIVISION Technologies Inc. has long been a developer of image sensors for a variety of markets from mobile devices to automotive cameras. However, the company is now expanding into new markets with analog solutions and touch and display technologies.

OMNIVISION announces the OVB0B, said to be the world’s smallest 200MP image sensor with pixel size at just 0.61µm for smartphone cameras. The OVB0B is the first 200MP to offer 100% quad phase detection (QPD) for fast autofocus.

OMNIVISION publishes a series of milestone videos summarizing the company's progress over the years

As our former CTO & pioneer in CMOS sensor imaging industry, Howard created more than 200 issued US patent families and was one of the founders of OmniVision Technology breakthroughs. This achievement wall not only honors Howard's contributions but also inspires #FutureInSight employees to innovate and achieve more accomplishments.

In the course of the digitalisation of vehicles, semiconductor manufacturer Marvell has developed the industry's first multi-gigabit camera bridge chip. The product launch is accompanied by the introduction of two components for the physical layer (PHY) in automotive Ethernet.

OH0TA OVMed Medical Image Sensor Wins Excellence in Product Design (Medical)

OmniVision Technologies won the Best of Sensors Award 2021 in the Medical category at the Sensors Converge 2021 Conference and Expo on Sept. 23. The awards were presented by Sensors Converge and Fierce Electronics for technologies that transform the sensors industry and set a new bar.

During a virtual ceremony, we announced our twelve 2021 AutoSens Award winners and silver awards!

OmniVision Technologies, a developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, has launched the OVMed OH0FA image sensor and OAH0428 bridge chip for endoscopes and catheters.

OH0TA OVMed® Medical Image Sensor Wins 2021 R&D 100 Award

Addressing Onboard Power Consumption is Driving Automotive System Innovation

SMART EYE AB, and OMNIVISION have jointly announced a full Interior sensing solution for automotive OEMs that enables complete driver and cabin monitoring with videoconferencing applications from a single RGB-IR sensor. The solution is the first integrated video processing chain, which combines innovative features based on the OMNIVISION OV2312 RGB-IR sensor, supporting exceptional day and night performance.

Design Features Renesas’ New Automotive HD Link (AHL) Technology and OMNIVISION’s OX01F10 1.3MP SoC to Deliver Low Cost, High Quality Video

The pandemic has forever changed the way we work, attend school, and even seek medical care. Now that millions of people have experienced the advantages and conveniences of video conferencing, they will continue to use this technology even after they return to offices and classrooms. The number of computers per household has increased, and people are now accustomed to the idea that every family member needs his or her own dedicated device.

The OV60A color image sensor delivers a resolution of 60 Mpixels with a 0.61-μm pixel that is 24% smaller in area than its 0.7-μm predecessor. Based on OMNIVISION’s PureCel®Plus-S stacked die technology, the CMOS image sensor also achieves higher quantum efficiency with better crosstalk and angular response than the 0.7-μm generation.

OMNIVISION has launched its smallest medical CMOS image sensor and corresponding wafer-level camera module to enable deeper endoscopy procedures into the smallest parts of the anatomy.

The OX03F10 automotive image sensor from OmniVision Technologies Inc. features 3-MP resolution and cybersecurity features for autonomous advanced driver assistance systems.

Improvements in image resolution, field of view, and focal length in today’s smaller endoscopes are helping clinicians perform biopsies, insert stents, and staple wounds.

The OMNIVISION OH02A1S provides simultaneous white-light RGB and IR monochrome capture in a single CMOS medical image sensor. Using the OH02A1S, designers of chip-on-tip endoscopes for cancer detection can eliminate a second image sensor. The integration of IR and RGB light in a single sensor not only reduces the size of endoscopes, but also trims cost, power, and heat.

Manufacturing issues grow as cameras become more sophisticated.

OMNIVISION’s OG01A1B backside-illuminated, global-shutter image sensor combines a 2.2 micron pixel size with near-infrared (NIR) performance for blur-free motion capture under low-light conditions. The 1-Mpixel sensor provides a resolution of 1280×1024 pixels at 120 fps and 640×480 pixels at 240 fps in a 1/5 in. optical format.

Housed in a compact 6.5×5.7-mm automotive chip-scale package (CSP), the OV2778 2-Mpixel image sensor from OMNIVISION enables unobtrusive camera placement for in-cabin monitoring. The 1080p sensor is based on the company’s 2.8-micron OmniBSI™-2 Deep Well™ pixel technology, which leverages 65-nm design rules, a 300-mm wafer process, and backside illumination for enhanced image quality.

From the thousands of products introduced in 1999, the editors of Electronic Products have chosen the most outstanding. The selections are based on significant advances in technology or its application, a decided innovation in design, or a substantial gain in price-performance. As usual, picking winners was made difficult by the many impressive products announced during the year. Here, then, are the 1999 award winners. - Single-chip cameras see in color - As digital image capture applications continue to develop, the need for smaller, higher-resolution color cameras increases. Announced early last year, the OV7600 Series (see Electronic Products , Jan. 1999, p. 79) represented the forefront of the new generation of single-chip color cameras.