CSEM Launches Miniature Vision Sensor System for Real Time Analysis and Response.Low-Cost ViSe Impervious to Rapidly Changing Light Conditions, Enabling Broad Application Base SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden & NEUCHATEL, Switzerland -- The Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology Microtechnology is technology with features near one micrometre (one millionth of a metre, or 10-6 metre, or 1μm). In the 1960s, scientists learned that by arraying large numbers of microscopic transistors on a single chip, microelectronic circuits could be (CSEM CSEM Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen (France) CSEM Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (Switzerland) CSEM Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (ATSDR) ), a leading electronics R&D center, today launched a miniature vision sensor system that enables broad-based monitoring and interpretation of visual data in real time, in any light conditions. The low-cost system, called ViSe, allows original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop application-specific image analysis and response systems aimed at automotive, security, building and home automation, and industrial markets. The ability to rapidly process data in real time and at low cost -- regardless of changing light conditions -- gives the system broad applicability for markets where vision sensing was previously not an option. Additionally the system addresses privacy issues through an option that identifies human forms but not facial or body detail. Application-specific algorithms have already been developed by CSEM to enable human versus animal differentiation, automobile seat occupancy, lane departure warning systems A lane departure warning system (LDW) is a mechanism designed to warn a driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction) on freeways and arterial roads. , intruder alert systems, motion sensing and movement tracking. The ViSe camera is composed of a vision sensor and a digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). chip (DSP (1) (Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive ) that can run identification algorithms. The system speeds throughput of visual data by enabling the vision sensor chip itself to extract key image features needed for interpretation -- prior to sending it for software processing on the DSP. "CSEM research and development is driven by commercial requirements, and therefore a key focus for our microelectronics activity is low-power and low-cost technologies for safety, security and industry," said Dr. Christian Enz, vice president of the microelectronics division, CSEM. "The ViSe system offers customers a highly flexible vision sensing platform that can increase safety and productivity through computer-based identification and response, reducing the visual monitoring by human eyes that can cause fatigue." "Vision sensing technology will become more accessible with the advent of application-specific IC implementations, since today's machine vision implementations generally still cannot meet the flexibility, low-cost and low power requirements needed for expansion to volume markets," said Nello Zuech, president, Vision Systems International, a Yardley, Penn.-based market research and consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a . "The CSEM vision sensing implementation seems to make it possible to deploy cost-effective solutions for high-volume applications outside of traditional industrial markets, such as automotive, intelligent security/surveillance, and disease-specific diagnostic medical." Faster Processing for Real-Time Analysis The conventional approach to processing image information involves acquiring an image with a CCD CCD in full charge-coupled device Semiconductor device in which the individual semiconductor components are connected so that the electrical charge at the output of one device provides the input to the next device. or CMOS camera A digital still or video camera that uses a CMOS-based image sensor chip rather than a CCD to record the picture. The CMOS image sensors enable the integration of all required camera circuits onto the same chip, making them well suited for tiny cameras such as in PDAs and cellphones. , converting the intensity distribution to a digital representation, and processing it by means of a digital processing Digital processing is the process of altering digital data in any form. The most common situations where digital processing is involved are computer graphics and digital audio processing. device. This approach poses considerable problems in certain applications such as automotive or surveillance markets where vision tasks must be executed in real-time and at a low system cost, in environments with uncontrolled levels of lighting. Unlike other platforms, the ViSe sensor chip captures a detailed image but extracts from the image contrast strength and orientations, permitting it to pass on to the DSP only the key features of the scene needed for analysis. This allows a drastic reduction in the amount of data transmitted off the sensor chip, enabling rapid and low-cost post-processing of imagery in real time. Insensitivity to light conditions Whereas other vision sensing systems can be susceptible to rapidly changing light conditions - for example, when a car emerges from a tunnel into glaring light - the ViSe contrast extraction approach eliminates sensitivity to this light environment change, ensuring greater safety and security. Availability and pricing A ViSe evaluation kit is available now and the technology is available for licensing and transfer. CSEM will develop customized software See custom software. and algorithms for specific applications upon request. Technology licensing fees depend on application-specific criteria. For more information and for sales inquiries, please visit www.csem-devise.com. About CSEM CSEM SA, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. carrying out applied research work, product development, and prototyping and low-volume production. The company focuses primarily on the fields of micro/nanotechnology, microelectronics, systems engineering, and information and communication technologies. More information is available at www.csem.ch. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion