Nov 3 2008
Cypress Semiconductor Corp. today announced the commercial sampling of a high-sensitivity, high-speed SXGA (Super Extended Graphics Array) resolution CMOS image sensor with color. The new 1.3-megapixel LUPA-1300-2-color sensor offers a triggered and pipelined synchronous shutter and on-chip digital LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) outputs. Developed for machine vision and motion analysis applications that need to distinguish between different colors, the image sensor features a high frame rate of 500 frames-per-second (fps) and windowing capability that delivers undistorted images and fast readout.
The LUPA-1300-2-color sensor features a fully synchronous snapshot shutter, making it possible to read one image while the next is being acquired and to capture moving objects without distortion. The sensor has 12, 10-bit digital LVDS outputs that allow image data to be transferred over longer distances on the circuit board, thus simplifying layout. The windowing capability enables the user to read out only regions of interest in the image, increasing the effective frame rate. It also has a multiple slope capability to maintain good contrast in shadowed regions without saturating bright areas in scenes with a high contrast ratio. Cypress will demonstrate its industry-leading custom and standard CMOS image sensor solutions at VISION 2008 in Stuttgart, Germany from November 4-6, 2008 in Hall 4, stand 4E16.
“The LUPA-1300-2 sensor has been well-received by customers in multiple industries,” said Cliff Drowley, vice president of Cypress’s image sensor business unit. “By adding color capability to the sensor, we have broadened its potential usage models.”
The LUPA-1300-2-color sensor has 1280 x 1024 pixels with 14 µm x 14 µm pixel size. The image sensor integrates a programmable offset and gain amplifier for each channel of the LVDS outputs. Each channel runs at a 61 MHz pixel rate, which results in 500 fps frame rate at full resolution. Higher frame rates can be achieved by windowed or sub-sampled readout modes, which are all programmable over the SPI interface. All internal exposure and read-out timings are generated by an on-board sequencer. The intra-scene dynamic range can be increased by using the flexible multiple slope operation mode. The LUPA-1300-2-color sensor also features a 10-bit on-chip analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for digital output and on-chip timing control for easy application development. The device applies a Bayer RGB color pattern, with color reconstruction accomplished outside the sensor.