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Flexible optics for phones funded

July 11, 2011 By

Norway-based poLight says its reflowable autofocus actuated lenses offer camera module makers next generation autofocus actuators based on patented optical polymer technology.

The “Tlens”  tunable lens will improve camera phone performance, reduce size, and cut costs, the company says. Compared to traditional AF solutions, it can reduce module system power consumption by half, with instantaneous focus for video and picture capture.

The company received its $18.5 million in a Series B financing round led by Trondheim, Norway-based Investinor, with participation of existing shareholders Viking Venture III AS, Alliance Venture Polaris AS and SINTEF Venture III AS.

 

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Optilux bringing liquid lens to phones and tablets

June 6, 2011 By

Optilux says it will “bring dramatically higher picture and video quality” to phones and tablets.

The new independent US company, was formed following the sale of Varioptic to French company Parrot S.A., and will optimize Varioptic’s liquid lens actuator technology for the consumer mobile telephone and tablet market, while Parrot focuses on industrial, medical and other consumer applications.

Optilux says it will implement new manufacturing technologies appropriate for the scale and demands of high volume mobile markets.

The Optilux 617, a variable focus, variable tilt liquid lens, is available now, and provides single-element autofocus and optical image stabilization in a low-power, robust package with no moving parts.

More information is here.

 

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OmniVision slims 5MP sensor

May 23, 2011 By

OmniVision Technologies announced its first 5-megapixel image sensor using its OmniBSI-2 architecture with a 1.4-micron backside illumination pixel, and a 1/4-inch optical format — with a 20 percent reduction in camera module height, the company says,  making it “an effective solution for slimmer mobile handsets, smart phones and tablet computers.”

Five-megapixel CMOS image sensors now comprise more than 15 percent of the overall sensor market today, the company adds, “occupying a sweet spot in the market.  Some industry analysts believe that market share may exceed 30 percent by 2014.”

The OV5690 CameraChip captures 1080p HD video, and has an integrated scaler that enables electronic image stabilization, and , and 2 by 2 binning functionality with re-sampling filter that minimizes spatial artifacts and removes image artifacts around edges, the company says, producing crisp color images for 720p/60 HD video.

The OV5690 is currently being sampled and mass production is expected to begin in the second half of 2011.

 

 

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Aptina surveillance image sensor combines HD and wide dynamic range

April 25, 2011 By

CMOS maker Aptina Imaging say its 3-megapixel AR0331 surveillance image sensor combines HD video with wide dynamic range and built-in adaptive local tone mapping to “to capture HD video in the most challenging environments.”

The sensor provides HD video of up to 1080p at 60 frames per second, and  employs advanced binning techniques to enable sub 1-lux low light performance, the company says. It has 2.2-micron pixels, and is made in the mainstream 1/3-inch optical format to “make it easy to find cost-effective megapixel lens.”

More information is here.

 

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OmniVision offers 12MP sensor for mobile imaging

April 18, 2011 By

“The camera phone market continues to demand progressively higher resolutions with full convergence of still photography and quality HD video,” says OmniVision Technologies. Its new 12.6-megapixel CMOS image sensor “answers those demands by providing a high-performance mobile imaging experience.

The OV12825 captures stills and 1080p high-definition video at 60 frames per second.

The OV12825 is built with the 1.4-micron OmniBSI pixel architecture, enabling low-light sensitivity of 650 mV/(lux-sec), the company says. The sensor’s binning capability further increases sensitivity in 1080p HD video mode at 60 FPS, while still providing additional pixels for electronic image stabilization – a feature not available in the majority of 12-megapixel mobile sensors currently on the market, OmniVision says.

The sensor is currently available for sampling, and volume production is expected to begin by the second quarter of 2011.

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OmniVision purchases Kodak CMOS patents

April 4, 2011 By

Image sensor developer OmniVision Technologies announced it purchased approximately 850 image sensor-related patents and patent applications from Kodak for $65 million. The transaction was completed on March 31, 2011.

Kodak has not released a public statement on the sale. Last week the company had reiterated its strategy of recouping research investments by licensing imaging technologies — and suing companies such as Applethat it claims infringe its imaging patents.

“We are pleased with the opportunity to double the size of our intellectual property portfolio for CMOS image sensors,” OmniVision says, “and to reinforce our leadership role in the advancement of image sensor technologies and solutions. Market research projections for a number of our target markets suggest that demand for CMOS-based imaging solutions is anticipated to triple or quadruple over the next few years.”

The purchased patent portfolio comprises approximately 850 U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications, OmniVisionreports. The intellectual property includes granted patents of CMOS technologies covering early and fundamental CMOS image sensor work; improvements on foundational architectures, including new features and functions; and next generation performance improvements, miniaturization and cost reduction technologies.

OmniVision was founded in 1995, and says it’s shipped more than one billion CMOS sensors. The company claimed 28 percent of the 2009 CMOS image sensor market.

 

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Intel invests in InVisage

April 4, 2011 By

InVisage Technologies, which demonstrated its “QuantumFilm” sensor technology at our 2010 6Sight Future of Imaging conference, will use an investment from Intel Capital to bring its products into mass production.

“Image sensors for smart phones and handheld devices are a huge market opportunity and InVisage is well positioned to capture significant market share,” Intel Capital says.  “InVisage is the first company in a while to think differently about image sensors and we are confident that its products will lead the imaging market on a new vector of innovation.”

InVisage is a fabless semiconductor company developing quantum dot imaging technology designed to replace conventional CMOS silicon image sensors. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Menlo Park, California.

Intel Capital is Intel’s global investment organization, and makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide.

Woodside Capital Securities LLC acted as a financial advisor to InVisage. Managing partner Rudy Burger also presented at 6Sight, in our financial analyst panel — a transcript of which is in the Jan-Feb issue of The 6sight Report.

Also covered in that issue is the conference’s Camera panel, which featured InVisage CEO Jess Lee.

Silicon Hive also presented a Showcase at 6Sight last fall — and received an investment from Intel.

 

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Engineers invent lens for 3D microscope

March 27, 2011 By

Ohio State University researchers developed a 3D lens for microscopes that sees 9 different angles simultaneously.

Made of thermoplastic materials, the lens has nine facets, and each captures the object from a different angle, which are combined on a computer into a 3D image.

 

“Using our lens is basically like putting several microscopes into one microscope,” the researchers say.

Other 3D microscopes use multiple lenses or cameras that move around an object; the new lens is the first single, stationary lens to create microscopic 3D images by itself.

The lens is a proof of concept for manufacturers of microelectronics and medical devices, who currently use very complex machinery to view the tiny components that they assemble.

More information is here.

 

 

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Quantum color display developed

February 28, 2011 By

Samsung Electronics researchers have prototyped the first full-color display using quantum dots, which promise brighter, cheaper screens that use only a fifth the energy required by LCDs.

As reported in Nature Photonics, the four-inch diagonal display interlaces the semiconductor nanocrystals, which glow when exposed to current or light.

More information is here.

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NEC cancels lens zooming noise

February 20, 2011 By

NEC says its new noise suppression technologies record the sound of a zoom motor in a digital camera, and then subtract that noise from video as it is captured. The tech is now in Casio’s EX-ZR10.

NEC says expensive motors with limited speed and filters that prevent the passage of noise frequencies were adopted in conventional digital cameras to minimize noise levels while shooting video. This gave rise to a number of problems that include a camera’s lack of ability to take fast-moving sports footage, and sound distortion due to filters that suppress ambient sound. NEC says its new technologies resolve these problems.

“Conventionally, the sound generated by lens drivers for digital cameras in movie mode is recorded as noise by microphones,” the company says. “These new technologies suppress noise through a method that records and saves the core characteristics of sounds created by a camera lens’ driving mechanisms, then subtracts this information from signals that are recorded by microphones. Furthermore, these technologies automatically adapt to lens and microphone characteristics among different products, which eliminates the need for customized product adjustment.”

It also preserves ambient environmental sound, while only suppressing the noise generated by a camera’s motor, NEC claims.

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Samsung offers 12 Megapixel sensor

February 20, 2011 By

Wasn’t it just last week or so that Samsung announced an 8-megapixel sensor aimed at phones? Here comes a 12MP version with many similar characteristics.

Samsung says its S5K3L1 imager is designed for an 8.5mm by 8.5mm auto focus camera module with a height dimension of 6.0mm, aimed at mobile phones and other small form factor applications.

The 1/3.2-inch imager is made with 1.12 micron pixel technology, and backside illuminated architecture. The S5K3L1 captures full resolution images at 30 frames per second; 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second; 720p at 90 fps; and VGA resolution images at 120 fps for slow motion.

The new image sensor also includes an on-chip pixel correction feature, compensating color and luminance response variations to address image distortion, Samsung says.

Samples of the 12MP imager are available now, with mass production scheduled in the third quarter of this year.

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Computational camera developed

February 13, 2011 By

Pelican Imaging repots it’s prototyped a computational photography array that yields high-resolution cameras thinner than the low-resolution modules now in smartphones and other mobile devices.

The compact array reportedly uses multiple small sensors and optics to produce high quality images. The company says its fundamental intellectual property has 12 pending patent applications in array optics, sensors and image reconstruction algorithms. In addition to higher quality images from smaller camera packages, Pelican says it will enable new features such as 3D depth, gesture control, and “the ability for users to interact with the image before and after capturing the shot.”

The company also announced its technical advisory board: Professor Shree K. Nayar, Dr. Bedabrata Pain, and Professor Marc Levoy, who provided the keynote presentation on computational photography at our 6Sight 2010 conference.

“Pelican’s technology has the potential to upset the traditional tradeoff between the sensitivity and resolution of a camera and its thickness,” says Levoy. “It also brings new capabilities to cameras, including post-capture focusing, foveal imaging, and programmable frame rates.  We have been investigating these aspects of computational photography in our laboratory at Stanford for a number of years, through the Stanford Multi-Camera Array, which is big, slow and expensive. Pelican’s solution is small, fast and inexpensive — which makes it a very exciting technology.”

Pelican Imaging is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and was founded in 2008.

An online video of Levoy’s presentation on computational photography at our 6Sight Future of Imaging conference is here.

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Aptina Licenses DxO Lab’s Digital Pixel Processing

February 6, 2011 By

DxO Labs licensed its Digital Pixel Processing to Aptina Imaging, and says its solution can “significantly improve the image quality of miniaturized cameras while reducing manufacturing costs.”

Aptina says the technology will reduce system complexity, increase overall product quality, and enable rapid integration.

When a miniaturized camera uses 1.75µ pixels and smaller, DxO says, color shading and green imbalance can result. “The color light rays are much more spread out as they pass through the lens and infrared filter and then onto to sensor.” Current correction methods based on calibrations on the production line are costly, the company adds, and can introduce failures in most indoor real-life situations, even with high-end smart phones using backside illumination sensors.

DxO provides color uniformity regardless of the sensor size, the light source, the scene, and the unit. DxO says its DPP estimates color lens shading and green imbalance maps on the fly from the stream of images before correcting RAW data for color non-uniformity and high-frequency structured noise.

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Thinner pico-projector developed

January 30, 2011 By

Researchers in Germany prototyped a “pico” projector that is just six millimeters thick, reports Technology Review.

The key innovation: Each of the 45 microlenses in the new design’s array has its own LCD, made with a new transparent hybrid organic-inorganic material.

The projector is not just thinner: the new design is also brighter: 11 lumens. Yes, existing pico projectors put out 10 to 15 lumens, but if the new model were the same size, it would yield 90 lumens, the researchers claim.

[Dear scientists: Howabout a regular pico-sized one — plenty small enough — that is simply so much brighter?].

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Zooming in on curved camera design

January 23, 2011 By

A new camera design may yield improved medical imaging such as endoscopies, as well as surveillance and other imaging applications.

Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois developed a curvilinear camera with a zoom capability. Inspired by the human eye, the device is about the size of a nickel.

The lens and photo detectors are on flexible elastic membrane substrates, and a hydraulic system changes the shape of the substrates — distorting the lens like a human eye. The new design goes one step further than our eyeballs, however, as the same technique also distorts the sensor array, and so enables a 3.5x variable zoom.

More information is here.

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OmniVision captures 1080p video, 10 megapixel stills

January 16, 2011 By

“Allowing users to take pictures even while they are recording video is a key feature that bridges the gap between still and video cameras,” says OmniVision Technologies
The company’s new image sensor provides simultaneous 1080p HD video recording and ten megapixel still image capture.

The OV10810 is a 16:9 CMOS chip with a 1.4-micron pixel architecture in a 1/2.5-inch form factor. It offers “complete convergence between high-resolution still photography and full high-definition video,” the company says, and even captures 10-megapixel bursts at 30 frames per second. The sensor is currently available for sampling.

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Aptina captures full HD

January 16, 2011 By

With a new 1/3-inch sensor, Aptina says it is “addressing the growing demand for high-end HD-quality digital video cameras at consumer price points.”

With a new 2.2-micron pixel design, the AR0330 sensor captures 3 megapixel still images, and native full HD 1080p video with support for electronic image stabilization.

Also, “3×3 on-sensor binning mode,” supports WVGA with high-speed capture options at 120 and 240 frames per second, “permitting innovative slow-motion video features,” the company says.

Mass production is scheduled for Q2 2011.

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Eye-Fi bridges gap between camera and phone

January 9, 2011 By

Wi-Fi enabled memory card maker Eye-Fi is combining new technology in its SD storage cards with a free Eye-Fi app for smart phones to create a “Direct Mode” the company says “will change how consumers interact with their gadgets, bridging the gap between great photos and instant sharing gratification.”

With Direct Mode, photos taken with a camera are immediately sent to the smart phone, from where they are viewed, uploaded, or shared.

“Digital cameras are just plain better at taking photos and videos, especially when lighting, action, or zoom distance affect the shot,” the company says. “But, there’s no doubt that the apps, touch interface and always-connected nature of mobile devices are compelling. With this new technology, we are bridging the gap between the camera and mobile, bringing the best of all the devices that we own to the capture and sharing of memories.”

Direct Mode will be available as a free upgrade to all Eye-Fi X2 cards later in 2011, the company says.

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Bigger, faster storage cards

January 9, 2011 By

Lexar Media says it is offering the first Secure Digital Extended Capacity storage card at a 128 gigabyte capacity.

The $700 card has minimum guaranteed transfer speed of 20 megabytes per second, which enables the capture, storage, and transfer of extended lengths of 1080p HD video, the company says.

SanDisk claims the fastest high-capacity CompactFlash storage card, saying its Extreme Pro provides 128 gigabytes of storage and up to 100 megabyte per second write speeds. “No other product on the market can match our new card’s combination of speed and storage capacity,” the company says. “The card’s unprecedented combination of speed and storage lets photographers capture more frames when shooting in continuous burst mode, and enables them to record high quality Full HD videos.”

The 128GB card is –ulp– $1,500.

Kingston Digital is offering the SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX storage card, with read speeds up to 60MB per second, and write times of 35MB/sec. It comes in capacities of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, for $69–$349.

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3D chip senses depth, distance, and color

January 3, 2011 By

Developer Optrima reports mass production of its “DepthSense” time-of-flight CMOS 3D sensor, and says a camera made with partner Namuga is on the way.

It is the first depth-sensing chip that also captures RGB color, Optrima claims.

“A high-performance, low-cost 3D camera with built-in audio and video will dramatically contribute to the adoption of 3D gesture-based interfaces and applications by consumers,” the company says. “Consumers will be able to utilize the camera for gesture-based applications such as video games, interactive, touch- and controller-less user interfaces, as well as video conferencing.”

Optrima is the hardware division of in3Depth group.

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Sony to double production capacity for image sensors

January 3, 2011 By

Already having a reported 70 percent of the image sensor market, Sony says it will invest $1.2 billion to double its output.

Total production of CCD and CMOS image sensors will rise to 50,000 units a month by March 2012, the company says. As part of the increase, Sony will buy back a semiconductor production line from Toshiba.

Sony says the investments will further strengthen its production capacity for Exmor and Exmor R CMOS image sensors “in order to meet increased demand from markets such as those for smartphones and digital still cameras. Through this increase of capacity, Sony expects to solidify its position as the world’s leading company in CMOS image sensors and CCD image sensors.”

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JVC speed HD video processing

December 20, 2010 By

JVC reports its developed the first LSI for high-speed processing of full high-definition video and stills on one chip for HD camcorders.

Victor Company of Japan says its LSI enables shooting and recording HD, 2D, and 3D video — even ultra-high-resolution 4K2K video, which, at 3840 by 2160 at 60p, are approximately four times the resolution of full HD, the company claims. It will also capture high-speed still photos: 8.3 megapixel at 60 frames per second.

The LSI will consume 40 percent less power than previous systems, and enable lower system costs by incorporating all image-processing technologies for HD shooting, including camera-signal processing and video/still image codecs, the company says.

A new camcorder with the technology will debut next month.

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Fly-inspired 360-degree camera sees in 3D

December 6, 2010 By

The compound eye of a fly has thousands of individual photoreceptors. Inspired by the annoying bug, scientists have made a camera with more than one hundred sensors on a hemisphere.

The sensors have an overlapping range of vision. Algorithms calculate the distance between the camera and objects in the scene. With the data and the multiple images, the system reconstructs the scene in 3D.

“The outcome of this work is likely to change the entire field of image acquisition,” one of the researchers claims, “with a huge range of potential applications.”

The technology is primarily developed at EPFL, Ecoles Polytechniques fédérales in Switzerland.

A video with more information is her

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Apple patents glasses-free 3D

December 6, 2010 By

Apple has been granted a patent for its method of projecting an image that can be perceived in 3D without glasses.

In its 2006 application only recently granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple says the technology is an “inexpensive auto-stereoscopic 3D displays that allow the observer complete and unencumbered freedom of movement.”

In the system, each pixel is projected onto a reflective, textured surface, then bounced into a viewer’s left and right eye separately, producing the stereoscopic effect. Multiple people can watch from various angles.

More on the story is here.

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Broadcom acquires mobile imaging firm

December 6, 2010 By

Communications semiconductor maker Broadcom beefed up its mobile image processing with the acquisition of Israel-based Sightic Vista for a reported $10 – $20 million.

Sightic, founded in 2001, develops software and hardware image processing for mobile devices.

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