Imaging chip lets cars react to trouble ahead

Imaging chip lets cars react to trouble ahead

Design for forward-looking automotive applications, a DSP-oriented sensor with high dynamic range can see signage and road conditions under widely varying illumination

Designed for advanced front-vision automotive applications, the MLX75307 CMOS image sensor can dramatically improve road safety by rapidly providing the image data needed to proactively and automatically alert drivers to potential dangers. Evaluated using the new EMVA1288 standard for measuring imaging sensor performance, the sensor has been shown to detect, at 150-fps rates, near-IR light irradiance below 500 photons/pixel. This corresponds to detecting a candle over 250 m away with a night-vision lens.

The imager features the first high-dynamic-range matrix (750 x 400 pixels) able to extend both the input and output dynamic ranges, providing up to 128-dB dynamic response in a single frame. The sensor’s low-light-response-boost capability can increase image brightness and contrast in low-light conditions — a specific concern for safety at night — and both capabilities can be combined in a single frame.

To simplify integration into automotive systems, the chip has SPI, I2C, command-mode, and external-trigger interfaces, and is fully programmable in one frame. Available in monochrome, color, and red-clear versions, it works from a single 3.3-V supply and has a clock-speed range of 10 to 50 MHz and an integration time range of 0.15 µs to 150 ms. ($17 ea/10,000 — prod qty available 2nd half 2009.)

Melexis , Concord , NH
Peter Riendeau 603-223-2362

http://www.melexis.com