Newsight Imaging to release the NSI9000: An affordable CMOS image sensor providing advanced features for depth sensing and LiDAR applications with built-in eTOF™ technology and event detection capabilities

News provided by

Newsight Imaging

Feb 14, 2022, 12:45 ET

NESS ZIONA, Israel, Feb. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsight Imaging - a leading semiconductor innovator developing machine vision sensors, spectral vision chips, and systems - announced today the upcoming release of the NSI9000 one-chip (non-stacked) CMOS image sensor solution for depth imaging. The new chip is equipped with 491,520 depth 5x5 micron pixels (1024x480) (almost 5X more than its closest competitor), global shutter (with up to 132 fps on full resolution), and an estimated depth accuracy of less than 1% of the distance. The sensor is designed for an optimal distance of 0-200 meters. The new chip offers new capabilities at a competitive price to significant growth markets for LiDAR systems, automotive ADAS, Metaverse AR/VR applications, Industry 4.0, and smart city/IOT, including smart traffic 3D vision systems.

The sensor is a result of five years of collaborative innovation by Newsight and its partners such as Fraunhofer and Tower-Jazz. The product offers unique features, including:

  • Newsight's patented enhanced Time-Of-Flight (eTOF) technology that is well demonstrated on the currently available NSI1000 sensor chip. This technology enables maximal flexibility using multi-sets of configurations, in-pixel accumulation, and a novel depth calculating method that does not require heavy calculations and expensive MCU.
  • Event aware unique circuit, which was developed as part of the Israeli smart imaging consortium (https://www.smartimagingiia.com/). The solution enables event driven imaging, while a unique circuit attached to each pixel makes it possible to broadcast only lines with pixels that were changed from a previous frame. This feature is specifically designed for smart-city enabled cameras and smart traffic solutions.
  • Multi-triangulation: a unique solution for industry 4.0 applications and measurement devices of 480 ultra-accurate depth points, down to micron accuracy for close 3D inspection of production rail objects.
  • Built in fusion, allowing the sensor to extract a full resolution B/W image together with a depth image from the same frame data, and making image and depth fusion trivial for systems developers.
  • Chip design using a standard CMOS image sensor process, with only two system power source requirements (1.8V, 3.3V), making it a low-power, easy to integrate, and affordable solution for mass markets.

Newsight NSI9000

Competitor

Sample price

1,800 Yen

15,000 Yen

Pixel size Global shutter

5 x 5 Global shutter

10.08 x 10.08 Global shutter

Array resolution

491K pixels

100K pixels

Technology

One chip CIS non stacked

Stacked

Frame Rate

130 fps

Tens of fps

System complexity / Power supply

3.3 V Analog

1.8 V Digital

-20.5 V, 3.3 V (Analog), 1.1 V (Digital), 1.8 V (Interface)

Maximum distance

200 meters

300 meters

Accuracy

Better than 1%

3%

Event based circuit

Full

None

Multi-triangulation depth points

480

None

Built-in depth and B/W image fusion

Yes

No

Gated imaging feature ("see beyond fog")

Yes

No

Chip package footprint

12.7 mm x 12.7 mm

15.65 mm x 15.35 mm

Eyal Yatskan, Newsight CTO and Co-founder, noted: "Newsight has implemented significant, proven, and innovative ideas in this sensor and accelerated the capabilities of the solution to match the high-end requirements of our customers' target applications. Newsight believes that such advanced solutions can be offered at affordable prices for building high volume best ROI depth imaging products."

Newsight will be offering a complete demo system using its eTOF Lidar reference design starting August 2022.

About Newsight Imaging

Newsight Imaging (www.nstimg.com) develops advanced CMOS image sensor chips for 3D machine vision and spectral analysis. Newsight's depth camera sensors for machine vision serve verticals such as Mobile & Metaverse, Robotics, Industry 4.0, Automotive Safety, etc. The Company has recently launched its one-of-a-kind solid-state LiDAR reference design, the eTOF™ LiDAR, based on the NSI1000 sensor. In addition, Newsight has developed a spectral chip backed by AI technology, demonstrated in the SpectraLIT™. The SpectraLIT™ offers a unique and affordable solution for remote healthcare, real time diagnosis, and quality inspection solutions for water, food & beverage, etc. The company has US and EU patents and has received multiple grants by the Israeli Innovation Authority.

Newsight is becoming a global market leader in sensing solutions for machine vision and spectral analysis applications. The Company is leveraging its years of experience in chip design to create the most advanced 3D and spectral sensors on the market at competitive prices.

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Contact:
Michal Cooper
+972-8-3792388
[email protected]

SOURCE Newsight Imaging