Ultrasonic lens cleaning chipset enables self-cleaning cameras
Semiconductor company Texas Instruments has introduced purpose-built semiconductors with ultrasonic lens cleaning (ULC) technology, enabling camera systems to quickly detect and remove dirt, ice and water using microscopic vibrations. The chipset is designed to address the challenge of removing contaminants from camera lenses, which traditionally requires manual cleaning, causing system downtime, or the use of various mechanical parts that could malfunction.
The new ULC chipset, including the ULC1001 digital signal processor (DSP) and companion DRV2901 piezo transducer driver, features a proprietary technology that allows cameras to rapidly self-clear contaminants using precisely controlled vibrations to rapidly eliminate debris, which improves system accuracy and reduces maintenance requirements. The chipset offers designers a compact and affordable way to use ULC in a wide range of applications and camera sizes.
“ULC can make widespread use of self-cleaning cameras and sensors a reality. Existing cleaning approaches are expensive and impractical, requiring complicated mechanics, costly electronics and significant processing to detect contaminants and execute cleaning,” says Avi Yashar, product marketing engineer at TI. “With the recent proliferation of cameras in a variety of applications, from automotive and traffic cameras to smart cities and manufacturing, there’s a strong need for a simple, cost-effective way to enable self-cleaning cameras.”
The ULC1001 controller includes proprietary algorithms for automatic sensing, cleaning, and temperature and fault detection without any image processing, making ULC technology highly adaptable to various camera lens designs. The chipset’s small form factor makes it possible to improve machine vision and sensing in a variety of applications – any place that a camera or sensor could get dirty.
The ULC chipset eliminates the need for complex mechanical parts and human intervention in lens cleaning systems. The ULC1001 ultrasonic cleaning DSP with proprietary algorithms integrates a pulse-width modulator, current- and voltage-sense amplifiers and an analog-to-digital converter. Used together with the DRV2901 piezo transducer driver as a companion amplifier, the chipset enables ULC in a compact footprint with a printed circuit board size less than 25 mm by 15 mm, reducing the bill of materials while providing more functionality than a discrete implementation.
The ULC1001 DSP is in volume production and available now in a 4.5-mm-by-5-mm, 32-pin HotRod quad flat no-lead (QFN) package, with pricing at $6.43 in 1,000-unit quantities. The DRV2901 piezo transducer driver is available for $5.35 in 1,000-unit quantities. An evaluation module, ULC1001-DRV290XEVM, can be requested for $249.
For more, see the technical article, “Ultrasonic Lens Cleaning: A Solid-State Technology You Didn’t Know You Needed.”
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