OMNIVISION launched the latest addition to its popular Nyxel near-infrared (NIR) technology family: the new OX05C—the automotive industry’s first and only 5-megapixel (MP) back-side illuminated (BSI) global shutter (GS) high dynamic range (HDR) sensor for in-cabin driver and occupant monitoring systems (DMS and OMS). The OX05C’s exceptional capabilities will be demonstrated at AutoSens Europe.
The OX05C GS HDR sensor delivers extremely clear images of the entire cabin, enabling improved algorithm accuracy even in challenging high-brightness lighting conditions. It features a pixel size of just 2.2µm and OMNIVISION’s revolutionary Nyxel NIR technology, which achieves the world’s class-leading quantum efficiency (QE) at the 940nm NIR wavelength to further improve DMS and OMS capabilities in low-light conditions. The OX05C has on-chip RGB-IR separation, relieving the burden of a dedicated image signal processor (ISP) and backend processing, thus freeing extra bandwidth for other tasks.
At just 6.61mm x 5.34mm, the OX05C1S package is 30% smaller than its predecessor, the OX05B (7.94mm x 6.34mm), providing automotive OEMs with greater design flexibility to place the camera in various locations within the cabin. Moreover, OEMs can use the same camera lens when upgrading from the OX05B to the newer OX05C, providing a design and cost advantage.
“We have applied OMNIVISION’s unparalleled HDR technology and top-notch RGB-IR processing algorithm for security cameras to the automotive market. This is a significant step forward in the advancement of DMS and OMS cameras,” said Dr. Paul Wu, Director of automotive product marketing at OMNIVISION. “Our OX05C sensor has industry-leading perception performance. Even in bright light conditions, the driver’s face is not washed out, and the camera can detect distractions or drowsiness.” Added Wu, “DMS cameras are a critical safety component for ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), which is why OMNIVISION strives to continually improve them.”
“Global shutter combined with HDR and Nyxel NIR sensitivity makes the OX05C a real step forward for in-cabin imaging,” said Detlef Wilke, Vice President Innovations & Strategic Partnerships at Smart Eye. “It gives our algorithms the consistency they need to track driver attention and occupant status in everything from bright sunlight to near darkness, while the smaller form factor offers OEMs more flexibility in camera placement.”
Compared to rolling-shutter HDR sensors, the GS HDR OX05C avoids interference from other IR light sources in the cabin, greatly improving the RGB image quality and providing flexibility to enable more capture scheme and functions in real applications. The OX05C features integrated cybersecurity and supports simultaneous driver and occupant monitoring with a single camera, reducing complexity, cost and space. In addition, OMNIVISION developed the sensor with strong ecosystem partner support to provide a complete, seamless solution for automotive OEMs.
