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AHD/IPC Starlight Camera

 New AHD/IPC Starlight Camera, with SONY IMX290/IMX291 CMOS Image Sensor. 

This new starlight camera is able to see clear color images under very low lighting situation such as 0.0001 lux illumination level.

              

 

IMX290/IMX291 Specs

Back-Illuminated Structure + Improved Sensitivity in the Near Infrared Light Region

Good sensitivity characteristics at low illumination and in the near infrared light region are a required performance of cameras for industrial applications. These new image sensors use a back-illuminated structure and also have an expanded photodiode area, which simultaneously improve sensitivity in both light regions compared to the existing front-illuminated structure. 
In addition, the new image sensors realize improved sensitivity characteristics two or more times in the visible-light region and three or more times in the near infrared light region (850 nm) compared to the existing Sony product (IMX236LQJ) with the same pixel size and increased sensitivity in the near infrared light region (Photograph 2).

WDR Function

The IMX290LQR supports both multiple exposure and DOL-type WDR functions. (The IMX291LQR supports only the multiple exposure-type WDR function.)
The multiple exposure-type WDR function outputs one set of two or four frames with different exposure times. In this case, the gain can also be set separately for each frame in addition to the exposure time.
The DOL-type WDR function outputs the data for up to three frames with different storage times line by line. By performing special signal processing with an ISP (Image Signal Processor) or other device at the image sensor rear-end, this enables improvement of picture quality under low illumination compared to the multiple exposure-type WDR function.

Versatile interface

The IMX290LQR and IMX291LQR are equipped with three different types of output interface (low-voltage LVDS serial, MIPI CSI-2, CMOS parallel) to meet diverse needs. The low-voltage LVDS serial interface has a maximum output data rate of 445.5 Mbps/ch and the number of output channels can be selected from 2ch, 4ch or 8ch. The MIPI CSI-2 interface has a maximum output data rate of 891 Mbps/lane and the number of output channels can be selected from 2 lanes or 4 lanes. The CMOS parallel interface has a maximum output data rate of 74.25 Mpixels/s.

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Photograph 1 IMX290LQR Sample Image

Condition: 400 lx F1.4 (Full HD image, 60 frames/s)

Photograph 1

IMX290LQR (Internal gain 0 dB)

Photograph 2 Comparisons with the Existing Sony Product

Condition1: 0.08 lx F1.4 (Full HD image, 30 frames/s)

Photograph 2-1

Existing IMX236LQJ
Internal gain 48 dB

Photograph 2-2

IMX290LQR
Internal gain 63 dB

Condition 2: 0 lx (850 nm IR) F1.4 (Full HD image, 30 frames/s)

Photograph 2-3

Existing IMX236LQJ
Internal gain 0 dB

Photograph 2-4

IMX290LQR
Internal gain 0 dB

Table 1 Device Structure

Item IMX290LQR / IMX291LQR
Output image size Diagonal 6.46 mm (Type 1 / 2.8) (Full HD mode)
Diagonal 4.31 mm (Type 1 / 4.2) (HD720p mode)
Number of effective pixels 1945 (H) × 1097 (V) approx. 2.13M pixels
1305 (H) × 729 (V) approx. 0.95M pixels
Unit cell size 2.9 µm (H) × 2.9 µm (V)
Optical blacks Horizontal Front: 0 pixels, rear: 0 pixels
Vertical Front: 10 pixels, rear: 0 pixels
Input drive frequency 74.25 MHz / 37.125 MHz
Package 110-pin LGA
Supply voltage VDD (Typ.) 2.9 V / 1.8 V / 1.2 V