Image sensor enables 4K laptop cameras

Omnivision has claimed the industry’s first 9.2-megapixel (MP) CMOS image sensor with a 0.7-micron pixel size, delivering 4K resolution in a 1/5.7-inch optical format. The OV08X targets thinner and lighter laptops and can be used in 4-mm y-dimension module laptops with 16:10 (1920 × 1200) aspect ratio monitors. It also is reportedly the first image sensor for laptops to integrate a four-cell color filter array and on-chip hardware remosaic, delivering 9.2-MP Bayer output in real time.

OV08X CMOS image sensor. Click for a larger image. (Source: Omnivision)

The 4K-resolution image sensor supports emerging laptop features such as AI-tuned autoframing, which keeps the user in the center of the screen during video calls, and human presence detection that allows for touch-free logins and auto-locks. The field of view also can be customized.

Thanks to a low-power image signal processor, the OV08X provides a “leading-edge” light sensing mode and ultra-low power to maximize battery life. It provides 4K video at 30 frames per second.

Other features include high dynamic range (HDR) image capture, support for dynamic defect pixel cancellation (DPC), and automatic black level calibration (ABLC). Programmable controls include for frame rate, mirror and flip, binning, cropping, and windowing.

The OV08X CMOS image sensor in a camera module. Click for a larger image. (Source: Omnivision)

Like many of Omnivision’s CMOS image sensors, the OV08X is built on the company’s PureCelPlus-S stacked-die technology for a small module footprint and uses four-cell pixel binning with two-exposure staggered HDR timing to minimize motion artifacts and capture clear video in difficult lighting conditions. The OV08X is sampling now and will be followed by mass production in December 2022.