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VGA sensor/ SoC aims at phone/camera comboBy Robert Keenan
At the same time, the company says it is prepping the move of its CMOS sensors into the megapixel range.
The MI-0343 sensor and MI-SOC-0343 IC provide the next step in Micron's move to make digital camera technology a viable solution for the mobile world. Last May, the company released the MI-SOC-0133 sensor and system-on-chip (SoC) that delivered 352 x 288-pixel CIF resolution, commonly found in modern mobile devices. Now, with its new chips, Micron is moving the resolution into the 640 x 480-pixel range, delivering TV-like quality to mobiles, said Shawn Maloney, senior director of marketing at Micron's imaging unit.
The MI-0343 works with off-the-shelf signal processors and delivers a 5.6-micron x 5.6-micron dot pitch with auto black control, programmable windowing, and horizontal and vertical flip capabilities.
Modular solution
For developers who want a modular solution, Micron is taking the sensor and combining it with an internally developed image flow processor to create the MI-SOC-0343. In addition to offering all of the sensor capabilities, the SoC can perform auto black, auto white balance, auto exposure, auto flicker detection and correction, on-the-fly pixel correction and lens-shading correction. Using an on-board I2C interface, designers can also tweak sharpness, brightness, gamma correction color, blanking and automatic frame rates. A 10-bit A/D is also included for converting images received over the sensor into digital streams that can be processed by the system.
To reach the mobile-phone sector, Micron is coordinating its efforts with incumbent digital signal processor makers. "We're working with Texas Instruments to ensure compatibility between our sensor and the Omap processor," Maloney said. Micron is also teaming up with Hitachi to marry the sensor technology with Hitachi's SH-3 DSP, which is popular in today's Japanese mobile-system designs.
To increase traction further, Micron is also working on its next-generation CMOS sensor and SoC devices, which the company says will bring megapixel-range performance. "If you want to offer a true camera in mobiles, you need to get into the 1.3-Mpixel range and above," Maloney said.
Micron (Boise, Idaho) is working on megapixel CMOS sensor products that will target standalone digital camera applications. The company expects to launch a product in this sector within two months, Maloney said. Once those products head to market, Micron will quickly shift gears to focus on cutting power consumption in order to bring the megapixel performance to mobile designs. Maloney said Micron plans to have a low-power megapixel sensor on the market by year's end.
The VGA-level sensor and sensor SoC can be programmed to output progressive-scan images up to 30 frames/second. At that speed, the SoC can also be programmed to output images in 8-bit CCIR 656 (YcrCb) or 565 RGB formats.
The sensor operates across the 2.5- to 3-volt range while the SoC works from a 2.7-V supply. When operating at 15 frames/s, the sensor will draw 40 milliwatts while the SoC will draw 85 mW.
Both products are sampling now. In 10,000-unit quantities, the MI-0343 is priced at $4 apiece while the MI-SOC-343 is offered at $7 apiece.
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