SMaL Camera Technologies wins automotive-supplier contract

JULY 29--SMaL Camera Technologies (Cambridge, MA; www.SMaLcamera.com), a developer of electronic imaging products, has been awarded a $3.5 million contract with a global automotive supplier. The supplier company has selected SMaL's IM102 wide-dynamic-range, high-sensitivity CMOS imager to provide vision-based driver assistance technologies that will be released in production vehicles within the next few years.

These sensors will be used to enable multiple forward-looking, driver-assisted applications such as lane-departure warning, night vision, adaptive cruise control, and precrash safety systems. Industry experts predict that three to five cameras could be standard in most passenger vehicles by 2010.

These vision-based applications are designed to make driving both safer and more convenient. Automotive companies implement the applications by connecting video cameras to computers with sophisticated software. Together, the cameras, computers, and software "see" the roadway and automatically provide driver warnings or adjust the vehicle's speed or direction when objects such as pedestrians, cars, or lane markings are detected. These applications must function flawlessly in an expansive variety of lighting conditions such as bright sun, dark country roads, on-coming headlights, and the entrances or exits to tunnels.

Powered by SMaL's Autobrite technology, the IM102 image sensor produces clear details in scenes with extreme lighting conditions, such as direct sunlight, backlighting, or glare. Other CMOS or CCD imagers generally produce saturation or deep shadow in such scenes, making them risky for automotive applications. The IM102 can also produce crisp images in extremely low or near-infrared light, so automotive applications can function at night. And unlike CCD imagers, the IM102 will not bloom when capturing bright objects such as headlights.