Feb 21 2013
Image Sensors (IS2013) two day conference, two expert workshops and the new innovation platforms is fast approaching. The event has scheduled 20 presentations, including 14 brand new expert speakers, covering a variety of latest issues and innovative Image Sensors topics.
Time-of-Flight imaging a main focus of Day 1, Paul Danini, Yole Developpement is of the opinion that “3D imaging/gesture recognition seems to be one of the top growth opportunities. The point is: how to make image sensors central in these emerging applications? How can it become a key enabling product?” Paul comments that “In the consumer business, we will see image sensors with more functionalities that improve user experience.”
Jim Lewis, CEO, MESA Imaging has been involved from the start as this niche has grown. “What has surprised me is the overall complexity involved in trying to match up the customer/market needs with the capabilities of the technology. Early on, it was evident that the customers’ perceptions on the capabilities of TOF and of what they thought they needed from the TOF cameras was quite removed from the actual reality.” He continues, “All of the key technological barriers have been adequately resolved. The challenges over the next 5 years have more to do with timing and the syncing up of the market needs with what is actually possible with a given technology/product combination”. Need to add a bit more from interview here.”
Jim DeFilippis, formerly EVP Digital Television Technologies and Standards, FOX TV believes the main challenge is “Relying on stereoscopic capture. Multi-view capture could provide better 3D imaging but requires intensive processing to convert to Left/Right eye views. Challenge of stereoscopic camera capture is maintaining proper parallax with appropriate disparity, matching the optical and electronic responses in both views.”
Time of Flight will be explored further with papers from Toyota Central R&D Labs, ODOS Imaging, STMicroelectronics, and ESPROS Imaging and more. Other areas covered at IS2013 are array cameras, DSC/DVCs, medical applications and single photon imaging.