Micron Technology Introduces New Automotive Image Sensor, Enabling a More Perceptive Driving Experience

Micron Technology, Inc., today introduced a new automotive image sensor that enables a more perceptive driving experience by providing an intuitive look at the drive ahead or the view behind. The new sensor joins Micron’s scene understanding class of imaging devices, which capture information about a scene and then send it to the vehicle’s data systems to provide real-time input for potential driver action.

“As the industry propels forward with its ‘smart car’ innovations, they look to imaging technology to operate as the eyes of the vehicle. To ensure success of our products, it is important that we consider the unyielding, yet dynamic environment in which they are operating,” said Curtis Stith, director of marketing for Micron’s imaging new markets. “With our MT9V023 sensor, we are building off the legacy of our previous parts and designing in next-generation features and capabilities that make it an ideal fit for the demanding automotive environment.”

The new sensor (product number MT9V023) is a 1/3-inch, wide-VGA (752 by 480 pixels) CMOS image sensor. As with Micron’s other scene understanding class of products, the MT9V023 also features enhanced near-infra-red (NIR) capability and a TrueSNAP™ global shutter, it captures 60-frames per second at full resolution, and is one of the smallest ball grid array (BGA) automotive-grade packages in the industry measuring just 9 millimeters by 9 millimeters. New features and benefits designed into the MT9V023 include:

* Extended Temperature Range to meet AEC-Q100 specifications. Extending the temperature range to -40 to +105 degrees Celsius ensures optimum performance.
* Context Switching. The MT9V023 adds a second register bank, which enables two applications with separate imaging needs—like intelligent headlamps and lane departure warning—to operate from a single sensor on alternating frames.
* Improved High Dynamic Range Control. By extending the range of the sensor’s knee points thus adding finer controls, the sensor outputs superb images containing both brightly lit scenes and relative darkness, such as experienced when exiting a tunnel on a bright, sunny day.
* Finer Shutter Control via Sub-Row Integration. This feature provides greater exposure control across all conditions, which allows for very fast integration under bright conditions, necessary for edge detection in traffic sign recognition applications. In traffic sign recognition, the sensor captures traffic speed limit numbers on a sign to keep drivers informed of the current speed limit and whether they are exceeding the limit.

Additional information on Micron’s automotive imaging portfolio can be found on its website at www.micron.com/applications/automotive/. And for an interesting perspective on products, trends and initiatives affecting the automotive industry, visit Micron’s automotive blog at automotive.micronblogs.com.