Sony unveils ISX038 sensor with simultaneous RAW and YUV image output for assistive and autonomous driving systems
Sony has unveiled the ISX038 sensor with simultaneous RAW and YUV image output for assistive and autonomous driving systems, reducing the number of camera sensors needed in modern automotive vehicles. The sensor is compatible with the popular Mobileye EyeQ 6 system-on-a-chip used by many automobile manufacturers like Porsche for their advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
The 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor has 2.1 μm pixels, giving the sensor a dynamic range of up to 130 dB in HDR mode. The sensor has a dynamic range of 106 dB when anti-LED flicker mode is enabled, exceeding the 100 dB baseline necessary for proper object detection in brightly lit to twilight scenes. The sensor outputs video at 30 fps at a resolution of 3,857 × 2,177 pixels, or 8.39 megapixels. This provides driver-assistance systems with images of sufficient resolution and detail to detect people and barriers and safely stop vehicles before impact.
Readers who want to see in the dark can try a Sionyx Aurora color night-vision camera (sold here on Amazon).
Using one sensor instead of two also reduces the complexity of the systems, the amount of wiring required, and the electrical load on vehicle electrical systems. Typical autonomous driving systems must use at least four traditional sensor pairs to cover the complete 360-degree view around an automobile.
Samples of the sensor can be purchased for ¥15,000 (~$100). The sensor comes in a 192-pin BGA package with a physical size of 11.85 × 8.60 mm (0.47 x 0.34 in.). Data is transmitted over a standard MIPI Camera Serial Interface 2 (CSI-2) output.
Sony Semiconductor Solutions to Release the Industry’s First CMOS Image Sensor for Automotive Cameras That Can Simultaneously Process and Output RAW and YUV Images
Contributing to Simplified Systems by Expanding Single-Camera Applications
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
Atsugi, Japan — Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) today announced the upcoming release of the ISX038 CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras, the industry’s first*1 product that can simultaneously process and output RAW*2 and YUV*3 images.
The new sensor product has proprietary ISP*4 inside and can process and output RAW and YUV images simultaneously. RAW images are required for external environment detection and recognition in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems (AD), while the YUV images are provided for infotainment applications such as the drive recorder and augmented reality (AR).
By expanding the applications a single camera can offer, the new product helps simplify automotive camera systems and saves space, cost, and power.
*1 Among CMOS sensors for automotive cameras. According to SSS research (as of announcement on October 4, 2024).
*2 Image for recognition on a computer.
*3 Image for driver visual such as recording or displaying on a monitor.
*4 Image signal processor – a circuit for image processing.
ISX038 CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras
Model name Sample shipment date
Sample price
(including tax)
ISX038 1/1.7-type (9.30 mm diagonal)
8.39- effective-megapixel*5
CMOS image sensor
October 2024 ¥15,000*6
*5 Based on the image sensor effective pixel specification method.
*6 May vary depending on the volume shipped and other conditions.
The roles of automotive cameras continue to diversify in line with advances in ADAS and AD and increasing needs and requirements pertaining to the driver experience. On the other hand, there is limited space for installing such cameras, making it impossible to continue adding more indefinitely, which in turn has created a demand to do more with a single camera.
The ISX038 is the industry’s first*1 CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras that can simultaneously process and output RAW and YUV images. It uses a stacked structure consisting of a pixel chip and a logic chip with signal processing circuit, with the SSS’ proprietary ISP on the logic chip. This design allows a single camera to provide high-precision detection and recognition capabilities of the environment outside the vehicle and visual information to assist the driver as infotainment applications. When compared with conventional methods such as a multi-camera system or a system that outputs RAW and YUV images using an external ISP, the new product helps simplify automotive camera systems, saving space, costs, and power.
ISX038 will offer compatibility with the EyeQ™6 System-on-a-Chip (SoC) currently offered by Mobileye, for use in ADAS and AD technology.
Main Features
■Industry’s first*1 sensor capable of processing and outputting RAW and YUV images simultaneously
The new sensor is equipped with dedicated ISPs for RAW and YUV images and is capable of outputting two types of images simultaneously with image quality optimized for each application on two independent interfaces. Expanding the applications a single camera can offer helps build systems that save space, costs, and power compared to multi-camera systems or systems with an external ISP.
■Wide dynamic range even during simultaneous use of HDR and LED flicker mitigation
In automobile driving, objects must be precisely detected and recognized even in road environments with significant differences in brightness, such as tunnel entrances and exits. Automotive cameras are also required to suppress LED flicker, even while in HDR mode, to deal with the increasing prevalence of LED signals and other traffic devices. The proprietary pixel structure and unique exposure method of this product improves saturation illuminance, yielding a wide dynamic range of 106 dB even when simultaneously employing HDR and LED flicker mitigation (when using dynamic range priority mode, the range is even wider, at 130 dB). This design also helps reduce motion artifacts*7 generated when capturing moving subjects.
*7 Noise generated when capturing moving subjects with HDR.
■Compatibility with conventional products*8
This product shares the same compatibility with SSS’ conventional products,*8 which have already built a proven track record for ADAS and AD applications with multiple automobile manufacturers. The new product makes it possible to reuse data assets collected on previous products such as driving data from automotive cameras. This helps streamline ADAS and AD development for automobile manufacturers and partners.
*8 SSS’ IMX728 1/1.7 type 8.39 effective megapixel CMOS image sensor.
■Compliant with standards required for automotive applications
The product is qualified for AEC-Q100 Grade 2 automotive electronic component reliability tests by mass production. Also, SSS has introduced a development process compliant with the ISO 26262 road vehicle functional safety standard, at automotive safety integrity level ASIL-B(D). This contributes to improve automotive camera system reliability.
Key Specifications
Model name ISX038
Effective pixels 3,857×2,177(H×V), approx. 8.39 megapixels
Image size Diagonal 9.30 mm (1/1.72-type)
Unit cell size 2.1 μm×2.1 μm (H×V)
Frame rate (all pixels) 30 fps (RAW&YUV dual output)
Sensitivity (standard value F5.6, 1/30 second cumulative) 880 mV (Green Pixel)
Dynamic range (EMVA 1288 standard)
106 dB (with LED flicker mitigation)
130 dB (dynamic range priority)
Interface MIPI CSI-2 serial output
(Single port with 4-lanes / Dual port with 2-lanes per port)
Package 192 pin BGA
Package size 11.85 mm×8.60 mm (H×V)
