New sensor tech promises wide dynamic range for DSLR sensors
DSLR sensors always had an issue with processing wide dynamic range. Usually, if the highlights are clipped, no information is recorded in those areas; if we expose for the highlights then information in the shadows is lost. DP Review recently reported on a new sensor technology called "Binary Pixel" introduced by a U.S. company Rambus.
This new technology promises to retain highlights information, while exposing properly in the shadow areas!
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA AND BARCELONA, SPAIN – February 25, 2013 – Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS), the innovative technology solutions company that brings invention to market, today unveiled breakthrough binary pixel technology that dramatically improves the quality of photos taken from mobile devices. The Rambus Binary Pixel technology includes image sensor and image processing architectures with single-shot high dynamic range (HDR) and improved low-light sensitivity for better videos and photos in any lighting condition.
“Today’s compact mainstream sensors are only able to capture a fraction of what the human eye can see,” said Dr. Martin Scott, chief technology officer at Rambus. “Our breakthrough binary pixel technology enables a tremendous performance improvement for compact imagers capable of ultra high-quality photos and videos from mobile devices.”
As improvements are made in resolution and responsiveness, more and more consumers are using the camera functionality on their smart phone as the primary method for taking photos and capturing memories. However, high contrast scenes typical in daily life, such as bright landscapes, sunset portraits, and scenes with both sunlight and shadow, are difficult to capture with today’s compact mobile sensors - the range of bright and dark details in these scenes simply exceeds the limited dynamic range of mainstream CMOS imagers.
This binary pixel technology is optimized at the pixel level to sense light similar to the human eye while maintaining comparable form factor, cost and power of today’s mobile and consumer imagers. The results are professional-quality images and videos from mobile devices that capture the full gamut of details in dark and bright intensities.
Benefits of binary pixel technology:
Improved image quality optimized at the pixel level
Single-shot HDR photo and video capture operates at high-speed frame-rates
Improved signal-to-noise performance in low-light conditions
Silicon-proven technology for mobile form factors
Easily integratable into existing SoC architectures
Compatible with current CMOS image sensor process technology
