Cars have many cameras these days, including at the front and back, side-sensing cameras, and driver monitoring cameras. Now, South Korean tech giant Samsung is planning to foray into the segment with a specifically-designed automotive sensor that adapts to both low and bright light, Samsung announced.
A tad smaller than the sensors used on smartphones, the ISOCELL Auto 4AC offers 1,280 x 960 resolution and has a unique “CornerPixel” arrangement. The sensor uses both 1 micron and 3-micron photodiodes within a single pixel. The latter comes in handy for taking low-light images.
Minimal motion blur
Similar to Sony’s HDR automotive sensor, it can capture video at night and also capable of adapting to fast-changing lighting situations.
“With two photodiodes capturing images in different exposures simultaneously, the sensor offers up to 120dB HDR with minimal motion blur, allowing smoother transitions between dark and bright areas while preserving more details of the road ahead,” according to Samsung.
The sensor can mitigate flicker issues with LED lights over 90 hertz that is usually seen on headlights and street lamps. Samsung has also reportedly been awarded a $436 million dollar contract to supply “the largest US EV maker” with camera modules that would be placed in the place of rearview mirrors, reports Korea Economic Daily.
Tesla could be the first buyer
That automaker is believed to be Tesla and the new sensor can be seen on the Cybertruck that packs cameras in the front fenders instead of rearview mirrors, as noted by Electrek. However, launching the new sensor at this point might not be wise, as cameras still can’t legally replace side mirrors in the US.
Besides, the ISOCELL Auto 4AC is capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -40 to 125 degrees Celcius. It can be adapted to both humans and mechanical systems such as autonomous vehicles. The sensor is currently in the production stage and it’s very likely that we see the technology appear in cars slated to launch in the near future.
