Article Tools

• 

Cypress Semiconductor has announced the commercial sampling of its new high-sensitivity, high-speed super extended graphics array (SXGA) resolution CMOS image sensor. The 1.3-megapixel LUPA-1300-2 sensor is said to be the industry's first to offer a triggered and pipelined synchronous shutter and on-chip digital low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) outputs. Developed for machine vision and motion analysis applications, the image sensor features a high frame rate of 500 frames-per-second and windowing capability that delivers undistorted images and fast readout.

The LUPA-1300-2 features a fully-synchronous snapshot shutter, making it possible to read one image while the next is being acquired and to capture moving objects without distortion. The sensor has 12, 10-bit digital LVDS outputs that enable image data to be transferred over long distances on the circuit board, thus simplifying layout. The windowing capability enables the user to read out only regions of interest in the image, increasing the effective frame rate. It also has a multiple slope capability to maintain good contrast in shadowed regions without saturating bright areas in scenes with a high contrast ratio.

The LUPA-1300-2 has 1280 x 1024 pixels with a 14 micron x 14 micron pixel size. The image sensor integrates a programmable offset and gain amplifier for each channel of the LVDS outputs. Each channel runs at a 61 MHz pixel rate that results in the 500 frames per second frame rate at full resolution. Higher frame rates can be achieved by windowed or subsampled readout modes that are all programmable over the SPI interface.

Internal exposure and read-out timings are generated by an onboard sequencer. The intrascene dynamic range can be increased by using the flexible, multiple-slope operation mode. The LUPA-1300-2 also features a 10-bit, on-chip analog-to-digital converter for digital output and on-chip timing control for easy application development. Currently, the device is available in monochrome with an RGB version in development.

Prototype samples of the LUPA-1300-2 are available with production devices expected in the third quarter of 2008.