Answering the Top FAQs on Camera Imaging Technologies

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) sensor captures light and converts it into electrical signals. It employs standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques, providing a cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to CCD sensors. They achieve higher frame rates and lower power consumption.

To explore why CMOS has already surpassed CCD, please visit CMOS sensors vs. CCD sensors: why are CMOS sensors ruling the world of embedded vision? - e-con Systems

• High Resolution
• High Sensitivity
• Low Noise
• High Dynamic Range
• High-Speed Imaging
• Low Cost

An Exmor, a sensor technology from Sony, produces lower noise and enhances the image. It digitizes pixel data during the initial stages of picture transfer with a front-illuminated structure.

The Exmor R series uses BSI technology, enhancing sensitivity. Its sensitivity is approximately twice that of a front-illuminated sensor.

To learn more about how Sony Exmor R compares with other Sony sensors, please visit Sony Exmor vs Sony STARVIS sensors; a detailed comparison - e-con Systems

The Exmor RS sensor collects more light in the NIR region through an increase in pixel well depth. It enhanced QE in the NIR region by introducing a stacked image sensor architecture.

Sony STARVIS sensors feature Backside-illuminated (BSI) technology for surveillance camera applications. It contributes to the creation of high-quality images in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) light spectrums with a sensitivity of 2000 mV.

However, Sony Pregius is also a series of CMOS image sensors. It has a global shutter pixel technology based on Sony's low-noise CCD construction.

To understand the revolution in sensor technology, please visit Sony STARVIS vs. Sony Pregius: The ultimate image sensor comparison - e-con Systems

When selecting a CMOS sensor size for embedded vision applications, consider the following factors :

Resolution : Sensors with larger pixel sizes achieve higher resolution.

High Frame Rate and Global Shutter : Important for applications like license plate recognition, robotic vision, drones, and AMRs.

Sensitivity : Larger sensors with larger pixels increase sensitivity.

Image Circle Diameter : Must fit or exceed the sensor size.

Low-light Performance : Larger sensors capture better low-light images.

Trigger mode allows the camera's image sensor to capture an image in response to a specific triggering action, such as the passing of an object, a strobe light flash, or the press of a button.

To know more about triggering modes of USB 3.0 camera, please visit Trigger Modes available in See3CAMs (USB 3.0 Cameras) - e-con Systems

You can send a trigger signal to the TRIG pin based on the TRIG pin's specifications and usage if trigger support is enabled.

The global shutter image sensor exposes all the pixels in the sensor to light simultaneously within the programmed exposure duration during each image acquisition cycle and reads out simultaneously.

To know about the right imaging solution for moving targets, watch Global Shutter vs Rolling Shutter - eVision Hub on YouTube

Capturing fast-moving objects : The global shutter function captures high-speed motion without motion artifacts in time, as the exposure happens at the same time across the sensor.

Improved Synchronization : It ensures uniform synchronization since there is no time difference across the image, which is crucial for industrial inspection, 3D scanning, etc.

High Reliability : In environments with vibration or rapid movement, it offers constant image quality without artifacts and motion blur from sliding shutters.

Smart parking : Improved safety with accurate real-time imaging for driver assistance systems.

Industrial automation : Realizing precise and accurate inspection of fast-moving production lines.

Warehouse robot : Enhanced NIR lighting sensitivity, which makes it ideal for package tracking under red lighting.

Drone : Achieving clear and undistorted images while moving, enabling them to perform tasks such as 3D mapping, object tracking, and real-time image analysis more effectively.

Live cell imaging : Capturing accurate, high-resolution images of Rapid cellular movement without distortion.

Watch our joint webinar with industry leaders NVIDIA and Connect Tech on Next-Gen Autonomous Mobility Systems on YouTube, to discover how global shutter sensors are utilized in various autonomous systems.

The rolling shutter image sensor reads the pixel row by row when exposed, with a temporal offset between each row. The first row of pixels begins capturing light, followed by the remaining rows at a fixed time offset, which leads to a temporal delay between the start and end times of light collection for each subsequent row. Such temporal offset influences image quality, often resulting in artifacts like skew or wobble.

No Parasitic Signal : Rolling shutter sensors don't have any parasitic signal that generally gets accumulated due to pixel architecture in a global shutter sensor.

Lower sensor cost : The simpler architecture makes the sensor easier and less expensive to manufacture, resulting in lower production costs.

Higher light sensitivity : Achieves the same sensitivity in a much smaller form factor than a global shutter sensor.

The rolling shutter effect occurs when an object moves faster than the image sensor's exposure and readout time, causing distortion due to sequential scanning of sensor pixels.

To understand how to overcome rolling shutter artifacts, please visit Differences between rolling shutter artifacts and motion blur - e-con Systems

Digital Microscopes : For indoor usage, a rolling shutter image sensor is ideal because of its high sensitivity and high resolution, which enables it to take high-quality images in low-light conditions

Automatic Number Plate Recognition : The rolling shutter image sensor is featured with GRR mode – capturing images of vehicles on the road—from fast-moving vehicles that break violations to slow-moving ones that enter and exit parking lots.

Next-generation Ultra HD Webcams : The rolling shutter image sensor provides clear images in low light conditions by preserving details and minimizing noise in the output image even at 0.1 lux.

Dentistry : Achieving high-resolution and high-quality videos and images from dental loupes.

Global Reset Release (GRR) mode is a unique feature offered by some rolling shutter sensors to overcome rolling shutter artifacts. In the GRR mode, all the rows are exposed to the scene simultaneously. This feature enables the rolling shutter sensors to simulate the characteristic of a global shutter sensor during the image acquisition of moving objects.

To know how to simulate global shutter behavior with GRR Mode of rolling shutter sensor, please visit What is Global Reset Release? How does it work in e-con cameras? - e-con Systems

Monochrome sensors have higher quantum efficiency and better sensitivity, resulting in higher output quality, especially in low-light conditions. Color cameras have color filter arrays that limit the number of photons reaching the sensor, which is absent in monochrome sensors.

To get insights on why monochrome cameras are more advantageous than color cameras in low lighting conditions, please visit A short guide to why monochrome cameras have the edge over color cameras - e-con Systems.

• Better performance in low-light conditions
• Sharper images due to the absence of color processing algorithms
• Improved frame rates as a result of simpler image processing

Yes, speckle patterns can be captured using a monochrome camera. Monochrome cameras are well-suited for capturing speckle patterns because they are sensitive to variations in light intensity without the added complexity of color information.

Considerations:

Resolution:
Ensure the camera has sufficient resolution to capture the fine details of the speckle pattern.

Sensitivity:
High sensitivity is beneficial for capturing the intensity variations accurately, especially in low-light conditions.

Exposure Time:
Adjust the exposure time to capture the speckle pattern without overexposure or underexposure properly.

Image Processing:
Post-processing techniques are used to examine particular features of the speckle pattern or to make the pattern more visible.

For low-light applications requiring clear images at night, consider a camera with sensors specifically designed for high sensitivity, such as Sony's STARVIS technology, which is known for excellent performance in low-light scenarios, providing clear images with minimal noise.