Whilst I doubt it just yet, having a hand in here would be a dream.
Our Sth Korean friends need to do something given the mkt share performance of Sony and also their hookup with Prophesee these days.
I do believe our CES press release said we would also be demo'ing the use of TOF sensors.
From Business Korea: https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=208769 Samsung, SK hynix Advance in AI-embedded Image Senso...
image-sensors-world.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 03, 2024
Samsung/SK hynix bet on intelligent image sensors
From Business Korea:
https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=208769
Samsung, SK hynix Advance in AI-embedded Image Sensors
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are making strides in commercializing “On-sensor AI” technology for image sensors, aiming to elevate their image sensor technologies centered around AI and challenge the market leader, Japan’s Sony, in dominating the next-generation market.
At the “SK Tech Summit 2023” held last month, SK hynix revealed its progress in developing On-sensor AI technology. This technology embeds an image sensor onto an AI chip, processing data directly at the sensor level, unlike traditional sensors that relay image information to the Central Processing Unit (CPU) for computation and inference. This advance is expected to be a key technology in enabling evolved Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home services, reducing power consumption and processing time.
SK hynix’s approach involves integrating an AI accelerator into the image sensor. The company is currently conducting proof-of-concept research focused on facial and object recognition features, using a Computing In Memory (CIM) accelerator, a next-generation technology capable of performing multiplication and addition operations required for AI model computations.
Additionally, SK hynix has presented its technologies for implementing On-sensor AI, including AI software and AI lightweighting, at major academic conferences like the International Conference on Computer Vision and the IEEE EDTM seminar on semiconductor manufacturing and next-generation devices.
Samsung Electronics is also rapidly incorporating AI into its image sensor business. This year, the company unveiled a 200-megapixel image sensor with an advanced zoom feature called Zoom Anyplace, which uses AI technology for automatic object tracking during close-ups. Samsung has set a long-term business goal to commercialize “Humanoid Sensors” capable of sensing and replicating human senses, with a road map to develop image sensors that can capture even the invisible by 2027.
In October, Park Yong-in, president of Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business, emphasized at the Samsung System LSI Tech Day in Silicon Valley, the goal of pioneering the era of “Proactive AI,” advancing from generative AI through high-performance IP, short and long-range communication solutions, and System LSI Humanoids based on sensors mimicking human senses.
The push by both companies into On-sensor AI technology development is seen as a strategy to capture new AI-specific demands and increase their market share. The image sensor market, which temporarily contracted post-COVID-19 due to a downturn in the smartphone market, is now entering a new growth phase, expanding its applications from mobile to autonomous vehicles, extended reality devices, and robotics.
According to Counterpoint Research, Sony dominated the global image sensor market with a 54% share in the last year, while Samsung Electronics held second place with 29%, and SK hynix, struggling to close the gap, barely made it into the top five with 5%.
Samsung press release: https://semiconductor.samsung.com/emea/news-events/news/samsung-unveils-two-new-isocell-vizion-sensors-tailored-for-r...
image-sensors-world.blogspot.com
Friday, January 05, 2024
Samsung announces new Isocell Vizion sensors
Samsung press release:
https://semiconductor.samsung.com/e...rs-tailored-for-robotics-and-xr-applications/
Samsung Unveils Two New ISOCELL Vizion Sensors Tailored for Robotics and XR Applications
The ISOCELL Vizion 63D, a time-of-flight sensor, captures high-resolution 3D images with exceptional detail
The ISOCELL Vizion 931, a global shutter sensor, captures dynamic moments with clarity and precision
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced two new ISOCELL Vizion sensors — a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, the ISOCELL Vizion 63D, and a global shutter sensor, the ISOCELL Vizion 931. First introduced in 2020, Samsung’s ISOCELL Vizion lineup includes ToF and global shutter sensors specifically designed to offer visual capabilities across an extensive range of next-generation mobile, commercial and industrial use cases.
“Engineered with state-of-the-art sensor technologies, Samsung’s ISOCELL Vizion 63D and ISOCELL Vizion 931 will be essential in facilitating machine vision for future high-tech applications like robotics and extended reality (XR),” said Haechang Lee, Executive Vice President of the Next Generation Sensor Development Team at Samsung Electronics. “Leveraging our rich history in technological innovation, we are committed to driving the rapidly expanding image sensor market forward.”
ISOCELL Vizion 63D: Tailored for capturing high-resolution 3D images with exceptional detail
Similar to how bats use echolocation to navigate in the dark, ToF sensors measure distance and depth by calculating the time it takes the emitted light to travel to and from an object.
Particularly, Samsung’s ISOCELL Vizion 63D is an indirect ToF (iToF) sensor that measures the phase shift between emitted and reflected light to sense its surroundings in three dimensions. With exceptional accuracy and clarity, the Vizion 63D is ideal for service and industrial robots as well as XR devices and facial authentication where high-resolution and precise depth measuring are crucial.
The ISOCELL Vizion 63D sensor is the industry’s first iToF sensor with an integrated depth-sensing hardware image signal processor (ISP). With this innovative one-chip design, it can precisely capture 3D depth information without the help of another chip, enabling up to a 40% reduction in system power consumption compared to the previous ISOCELL Vizion 33D product. The sensor can also process images at up to 60 frames per second in QVGA resolution (320x240), which is a high-demand display resolution used in commercial and industrial markets.
Based on the industry’s smallest 3.5㎛ pixel size in iToF sensors, the ISOCELL Vizion 63D achieves high Video Graphics Array (VGA) resolution (640x480) within a 1/6.4” optical format, making it an ideal fit for compact, on-the-go devices.
Thanks to backside scattering technology (BST) that enhances light absorption, the Vizion 63D sensor boasts the highest level of quantum efficiency in the industry, reaching 38% at an infrared light wavelength of 940 nanometers (nm). This enables enhanced light sensitivity and reduced noise, resulting in sharper image quality with minimal motion blur.
Moreover, the ISOCELL Vizion 63D supports both flood (high-resolution at short-range) and spot (long-range) lighting modes, significantly extending its measurable distance range from its predecessor’s five meters to 10.
ISOCELL Vizion 931: Optimized for capturing dynamic movements without distortion
The ISOCELL Vizion 931 is a global shutter image sensor tailored for capturing rapid movements without the “jello effect”. Unlike rolling shutter sensors that scan the scene line by line from top to bottom in a “rolling” manner, global shutter sensors capture the entire scene at once or “globally,” similar to how human eyes see. This allows the ISOCELL Vizion 931 to capture sharp, undistorted images of moving objects, making it well-suited for motion-tracking in XR devices, gaming systems, service and logistics robots as well as drones.
Designed in a one-to-one ratio VGA resolution (640 x 640) that packs more pixels in a smaller form factor, the ISOCELL Vizion 931 is optimal for iris recognition, eye tracking as well as facial and gesture detection in head-mounted display devices like XR headsets.
The ISOCELL Vizion 931 also achieves the industry’s highest level of quantum efficiency, delivering an impressive 60% at 850nm infrared light wavelength. This feat was made possible by incorporating Front Deep Trench Isolation (FDTI) which places an insulation layer between pixels to maximize light absorption, in addition to the BST method used in the ISOCELL Vizion 63D.
The Vizion 931 supports multi-drop that can seamlessly connect up to four cameras to the application processor using a single wire. With minimal wiring required, the sensor provides greater design flexibility for device manufactures.
Samsung ISOCELL Vizion 63D and ISOCELL Vizion 931 sensors are currently sampling to OEMs worldwide
The Isocell Vizion 63D is a time-of-flight (ToF) image sensor, while the Isocell Vizion 931 sports a global shutter image sensor. These sensors are the latest in Samsung’s Vizion line of ToF and global shutter sensors, first announced in 2020. The Vizion lineup is designed with next-generation mobile, commercial, and industrial use cases in mind
“Engineered with state-of-the-art sensor technologies, Samsung’s Isocell Vizion 63D and Isocell Vizion 931 will be essential in facilitating machine vision for future high-tech applications like robotics and extended reality (XR),” says Haechang Lee, Executive Vice President of the Next Generation Sensor Development Team at Samsung Electronics. “Leveraging our rich history in technological innovation, we are committed to driving the rapidly expanding image sensor market forward.”
The Vizion 63D works similarly to how bats use echolocation to navigate in dim conditions. A ToF sensor measures distance and depth by calculating the amount of time it takes for emitted photons to travel to and back from an object in a scene. The Isocell Vizion 63D is an “indirect time-of-flight (iToF) sensor,” meaning it measures the “phase shift between emitted and reflected light to sense its surroundings in three dimensions.”
The sophisticated sensor is the first of its kind to integrate depth-sensing hardware into the image signal processor. The one-chip design enables 3D data capture without a seprate chip, thereby reducing the overall power demand of the system. The technology is still relatively new, so its resolution is not exceptionally high. The 63D processes QVGA (320×240) images at up to 60 frames per second. The sensor has 3.5-micron pixel size and can measure distances up to 10 meters from the sensor, double what it predecessor could achieve.
As for the Isocell Vizion 931, the global shutter sensor is designed to capture motion without rolling shutter artifacts, much like has been seen with Sony’s new a9 III full-frame interchangeable lens camera.
“Unlike rolling shutter sensors that scan the scene line by line from top to bottom in a ‘rolling’ manner, global shutter sensors capture the entire scene at once or ‘globally,’ similar to how human eyes see,” Samsung explains. “This allows the Isocell Vizion 931 to capture sharp, undistorted images of moving objects, making it well-suited for motion-tracking in XR devices, gaming systems, service and logistics robots as well as drones.”
The Vizion 931 boasts the industry’s highest quantum efficiency, joining the 63D, which makes the same claim in its specialized class of sensors.
While these sensors are unlikely to find their way into photography-oriented consumer products, it is always fascinating to learn about the newest advancements in image sensor technology. Samsung is sending samples of its new sensors to OEMs worldwide, so it won’t be long before they make their way into products of some kind.
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