Product category:
Optoelectronic Sensors, Switches and Receivers
News Release from: OmniVision | Subject: 3Mpixel TrueFocus camera
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 13 February 2007
Handset camera module focuses
instantaneously
TrueFocus revolutionises camera technology by offering true "point-and-shoot" capability where the entire image is always in focus and always available for instant one-click capture.
OmniVision Technologies has launched its first TrueFocus camera with Wavefront Coding technology for the mobile handset market TrueFocus revolutionises camera technology by offering true "point-and-shoot" capability where the entire image is always in focus and always available for instant one-click capture
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 21 Feb 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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"TrueFocus enables consumers to capture the images they see in real time, with no waiting for the lens to focus and no missed opportunities".
"TrueFocus delivers our customers a product that effectively targets the mobile handset market by being small, durable, easy to manufacture and cost-competitive", said Jess Lee, Vice President for OmniVision's Mainstream Business.
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The TrueFocus camera is based on OmniVision's patented Wavefront Coding technology, which is a method of optically encoding light using a special lens to form an intermediate image on the sensor, and decoding this intermediate image with digital processing to create a picture that is in focus across virtually the entire image.
This TrueFocus camera consists of a Wavefront Coded lens; a 3Mpixel CMOS image sensor; and a TrueFocus signal processor.
With traditional digital cameras, a major and frequent consumer complaint is that it is nearly impossible to "catch the moment"; because the camera requires one or more seconds to focus the lens on the chosen subject, there is an unavoidable delay between point and shoot.
OmniVision believes that TrueFocus cameras are the first to offer true point-and-shoot capability; because the entire image is always sharp and clear, regardless of where the subject is in the camera's field of view, there is no focus-related time delay.
Because the image is in focus over virtually the entire field of view, with TrueFocus cameras there will be no more pictures lost because the subject has moved before the lens is focused.
In addition, TrueFocus cameras are a lot less susceptible to damage when dropped because, unlike conventional AF cameras, there are no moving parts in the lens system.
From a manufacturer and system designer's point of view, transitioning to TrueFocus cameras is simple and straightforward.
TrueFocus modules are smaller than the AF modules that are currently available.
In TrueFocus systems, the mechanics found in classical AF systems move to silicon and thus become subject to Moore's Law.
Wavefront Coded lenses can be formed in plastic at a cost comparable to classical lenses, and will be offered through major lens manufacturers.
Replacing mechanical parts with lenses that do not require focusing during assembly simplifies sourcing and manufacturing by combining high quality optical systems with relaxed manufacturing tolerances.
With no moving parts, a TrueFocus module requires less power, and performs more reliably in extreme temperatures.
"Classical imaging optics have not changed fundamentally for several hundred years", said Ed Dowski, President of CDM Optics, a wholly owned subsidiary of OmniVision.
"Using the computing power of silicon, Wavefront Coding technology and the TrueFocus system allow us to make significant improvements in the user experience of imaging systems while maintaining or even reducing their cost".
"We are bringing optics into the 21st century".
"The revolutionary TrueFocus camera system is the product of a long and dedicated effort by our engineering teams at OmniVision and CDM Optics who worked in close collaboration with our software engineers, our marketing team, our lens partners and our customers", said James He, OmniVision's Chief Operating Officer.
"We are excited about the future opportunities for this groundbreaking technology".
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