
17.42-Effective Megapixels CMOS Image Sensor for Automotive Cameras
The new sensor product will support the development of automotive camera systems capable of sophisticated sensing and recognition performance
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) today announced the upcoming release of the IMX735, a new CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras with the industry’s highest*1 pixel count, at 17.42 effective megapixels.
For automated systems to deliver automated driving, they must offer sophisticated, high-precision sensing and recognition performance, encompassing all 360 degrees of the environment around the vehicle. Accordingly, there is considerable demand for image sensors that can help achieve this level of performance and support the development of more advanced automotive camera systems.
The new sensor product achieves the industry’s highest pixel count of 17.42 effective megapixels, enabling high-definition capture of far-off objects. Moreover, automated driving systems often use automotive cameras in combination with LiDAR and other sensing systems. While typical CMOS image sensors readout signals output from pixels one vertical line at a time, this product outputs signals horizontally, one row at a time. This means that automotive cameras employing this sensor can more easily synchronize with mechanical scanning LiDAR, since their laser beams also scan horizontally. This better synchronization will improve the sensing and recognition capabilities of the automated driving system as a whole.
Furthermore, the new sensors’ improved saturation illuminance, made possible by a proprietary pixel structure, and unique exposure method yield a wide dynamic range of 106 dB even when simultaneously employing high dynamic range (HDR) imaging and LED flicker mitigation. The dynamic range is even higher, at 130 dB, when using dynamic range priority mode. This creative design helps suppress highlight blowouts even in backlit conditions, enabling more precise object capture in road environments with significant differences in brightness, such as tunnel entrances and exits.
Learn more at Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation