NSI9000

The NSI9000 Wide 3D eTOF CMOS Image Sensor Chip

The NSI9000 is an event-driven advanced mixed design 3D CMOS image sensor chip, using 1024×480 of 5μm x 5μm pixels. Newsight’s unique pixel design provides ultra-high resolution images while being very cost-effective. The solution is designed for global shutter operation and column-parallel output. Designed as an advanced 3D vision solution for automotive, smart city, and mobile applications, that require early detection of events to provide adequate real-time response.

The sensor is a result of five years of collaborative innovation by Newsight and its partners including Fraunhofer and Tower-Jazz.

Distinctive features, including:

  • Newsight’s patented enhanced Time-Of-Flight (eTOF) technology that is well demonstrated on its NSI1000 sensor chip. This technology enables maximal flexibility using multi-sets of configurations, in-pixel accumulation, and a novel depth calculating process 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, making image and depth fusion for simplified use by 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.

 

Download Datasheet

Data Sheet
– Matrix of 1024 x 480 global shutter pixels (5μmx5μm) – Integrated configurable direct A/D converter with up to 12 bits parallel digital output -Dynamic event detection, output only lines where events are noticed (programmable threshold pre-programmed value) – Per-frame configuration and scenario scheduler – Optional automatic exposure control – Solid-state eTOF support (Enhanced Time of Flight) – Multi-Triangulation support, up to 480 concurrent vertical points with center of mass algorithm acceleration in HW for peak detection – Integrated CDS for temporal noise reduction – Output speed/ internal processing at up to 100 MHz
– Programmable frame rate up to 200 fps (full frames) and over 50,000 fps (small number of events) – Can sync with other camera units, avoid interference – Laser Range-Gated Imaging – slice the scenery to observe through obscurants (rain, fog, smoke, haze) – Optional shut down of frame clock (between frames) for reduced power consumption. Optional frame data out inversion – Double buffer mode for high frame rate – Ambient light subtraction support – Continuous or single frame capture modes – Tristate on data out pins for multiple parallel sensor connection – Dual Power Supply: 3.3v (analog) and 1.8v (digital)