By Alex Pluemer, contributing writer
ams recently introduced the two newest additions to its NanEye family of miniature image sensor modules for endoscopes, the NanEyeM and NanEyeXS. The company anticipates the new image sensors to be implemented in high-performance, single-use endoscopes, typically used in minimally invasive surgeries such as arthroscopy, bronchoscopy, ureteroscopy, cystoscopy, laryngoscopy, hysteroscopy, and neuroscopy.
Endoscopes that implement the new NanEye sensors will be cost-effective enough to manufacture in volume to support the growing market for single-use devices, said ams. Single-use endoscopes eliminate any potential cross-contamination that could result from ineffective sterilization while reducing maintenance costs and minimizing operating room delays caused by the unavailability of re-usable endoscopes, it added.
In addition, “chip-on-tip” endoscopes based on the new NanEye modules provide sharper images, better contrast, and smoother video output than conventional fiber-optic-based endoscopes typically found in operating rooms, according to ams.
Key features of the NanEyeM include:
- High-resolution 100-kpixel readout over an LVDA digital interface at a maximum rate of 49 frames per second (fps) at 62 MHz
- 1-mm2 footprint
- Supplied as a micro camera module (MCM) including a cable up to 2 meters in length
- Custom multi-element lens for enhancing effective resolution of the sensor and reducing distortion
- Provides better modulation transfer function (MTF) in the corners (>50%), lower distortion (<15%), and lower color aberration (<1 px) than its predecessor, the NanEye 2D sensor
- Also available in surface-mount chip form
Key features of the NanEyeXS include:
- 0.46-mm2 footprint, one of the smallest on the market
- 40-kpixel resolution at a maximum rate of 55 fps at 28 MHz
- Supplied as an MCM
- Smaller size enables the development of surgical devices with extremely small diameters or freeing up more space for working channels for larger devices
Samples of the NanEyeM and NanEyeXS will be available in January 2019.
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