ISDI-cmos Offers Two Image Sensors in One Array

ISDI-cmos is the UK-based company grown out of the UK Research Council funded projects on Active Pixel Sensors: "Multidimensional Integrated Intelligent Imaging" and its continuation. The company aims to supply specialised devices and systems for high-value markets particularly in the scientific, medical and security spheres.

One of the company's products is DUOS - a range of CMOS imagers which act as two independent cameras in a single array. Any rectangular region within the array can be selected dynamically and read out separately from the rest of the array, which can operate at totally different frame rates. DUOS’s flexibility allows:

• Accurate recording of selected highlighted region at high speed to prevent saturation and significantly extend the dynamic range.
• Track a selected object at high speed and of specified size.
• Explore the potential of optimum imaging where small regions of the image are acquired to a specified quality criterion (e.g., signal-to-noise) by only acquiring sufficient frames to meet the local criterion.

The first available member of the DUOS family has a following specification:

• Overall array is 1,024 x 1,024 with 20 um square pixels
• Frame rate 40 fps maximum for full 1K x 1K array(slow mode); for region 64 x 64, in fast mode, up to 10,000 fps. If used as a single array camera, then frame rate up to 80 fps.
• Fully programmable slow/fast regions with resolution down to 4 x 1 pixel blocks.

The distinctive advantage of DUOS over other detectors is that the local reset can be performed only for the region of interest making it possible to have two independent cameras on the same pixel array.

ISDI-cmos is developing a new family of 7.5 um pixel pitch imagers based on the DUOS concept but with support for multiple regions of interest – including arbitrary shapes.

Thanks to NA for sending me the info!