Micro camera module fits space-constrained devices
The NanEyeM from Ams is a miniature integrated micro camera module (MCM) assembly with a tiny footprint at the image sensor end of 1mm2. With its compact design and convenient interface, the NanEyeM integrates into space-constrained industrial and consumer designs, providing new embedded vision capabilities in products such as smart toys and home appliances.
It offers a high-resolution 100kpixel, 10-bit digital readout and features a single-ended interface mode (SEIM). As with a standard serial peripheral interface, the SEIM channel can be implemented in any host processor and without the need for LVDS deserialisation. The maximum frame rate over the SEIM interface is 58 frames per second at a clock rate of 75MHz.
Featuring a custom multi-element lens the modulation transfer function is >50% in the corners, distortion is <15% and colour aberration is <1Px.
The slave configuration in SEIM enables control of the frame rate via the host application processor, down to rates of a single frame per second or even slower.
Synchronisation of two or more cameras – a useful capability in applications such as eye tracking or stereo vision – can be performed by providing a centralised clock from the application processor. There is also offers an Idle mode which reduces power consumption in applications, such as presence detection, that require only a small number of frames per minute.
Ams says it will offer a reference implementation of image acquisition and processing functions on a standard Arm core-based processor to reduce the customer’s development effort and accelerate time to market.
“Designers who wish to add high-resolution video capability in space-constrained enclosures have until now been hampered by the size of the industrial image sensors on the market. The introduction of the NanEyeM module opens up new possibilities to add camera capability in the smallest spaces,” said Tom Walschap, marketing director in the CMOS image sensor business line at Ams. “Provided in an easy-to-use module format with a convenient digital output, designers can quickly add camera capability with little development effort.”
The NanEyeM image sensor will be available for sampling in Q2 2019.
