Newsight Imaging to release the NSI9000: An affordable CMOS image sensor providing advanced features for depth sensing and LiDAR applications with built-in eTOF technology and event detection capabilities

NESS ZIONA, Israel, Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsight Imaging - a leading semiconductor innovator developing machine vision sensors, spectral vision chips, and systems - announced today the upcoming release of the NSI9000 one-chip (non-stacked) CMOS image sensor solution for depth imaging. The new chip is equipped with 491,520 depth 5x5 micron pixels (1024x480) (almost 5X more than its closest competitor), global shutter(with up to 132 fps on full resolution), and an estimated depth accuracy of less than 1% of the distance. The sensor is designed for an optimal distance of 0-200 meters. The new chip offers new capabilities at a competitive price to significant growth markets for LiDAR systems, automotive ADAS, Metaverse AR/VR applications, Industry 4.0, and smart city/IOT, including smart traffic 3D vision systems.

The sensor is a result of five years of collaborative innovation by Newsight and its partners such as Fraunhofer and Tower-Jazz. The product offers unique features, including:

• Newsight's patented enhanced Time-Of-Flight (eTOF) technology that is well demonstrated on the currently available NSI1000 sensor chip. This technology enables maximal flexibility using multi-sets of configurations, in-pixel accumulation, and a novel depth calculating method 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, and making image and depth fusion trivial for 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.

	Newsight NSI9000	Competitor
Sample price	1,800 Yen	15,000 Yen
Pixel size Global shutter	5 x 5 Global shutter	10.08 x 10.08 Global shutter
Array resolution	491K pixels	100K pixels
Technology	One chip CIS non stacked	Stacked
Frame Rate	130 fps	Tens of fps
System complexity / Power supply	3.3 V Analog 1.8 V Digital	-20.5 V, 3.3 V (Analog), 1.1 V (Digital), 1.8 V (Interface)
Maximum distance	200 meters	300 meters
Accuracy	Better than 1%	3%
Event based circuit	Full	None
Multi-triangulation depth points	480	None
Built-in depth and B/W image fusion	Yes	No
Gated imaging feature ("see beyond fog")	Yes	No
Chip package footprint	12.7 mm x 12.7 mm	15.65 mm x 15.35 mm

Eyal Yatskan, Newsight CTO and Co-founder, noted: "Newsight has implemented significant, proven, and innovative ideas in this sensor and accelerated the capabilities of the solution to match the high-end requirements of our customers' target applications. Newsight believes that such advanced solutions can be offered at affordable prices for building high volume best ROI depth imaging products."

Newsight will be offering a complete demo system using its eTOF Lidar reference design starting August 2022.

About Newsight Imaging

Newsight Imaging (www.nstimg.com) develops advanced CMOS image sensor chips for 3D machine vision and spectral analysis. Newsight's depth camera sensors for machine vision serve verticals such as Mobile & Metaverse, Robotics, Industry 4.0, Automotive Safety, etc. The Company has recently launched its one-of-a-kind solid-state LiDAR reference design, the eTOF LiDAR, based on the NSI1000 sensor. In addition, Newsight has developed a spectral chip backed by AI technology, demonstrated in the SpectraLIT. The SpectraLIT offers a unique and affordable solution for remote healthcare, real time diagnosis, and quality inspection solutions for water, food & beverage, etc.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1746389/Newsight_Imaging_Logo.jpg

Contact:
Michal Cooper
[phone]
[e-mail]