Today, Japanese manufacturing giant, Sony, unveiled a new image CMOS sensor (IMX 418) in Tokyo. The IMX418 is the world’s first image sensor that delivers signals from multiple sensors to the processor via the same MIPI interface in a “serial-like” manner.
MIPI is the communication method between the image sensor and AP/ISP. Usually, the former needs special cable and port to transmit information to the latter. If there are multiple sensors in the system, then you will need route and open ports in sequence. On platforms where multiple IMX 418 sensors are active, multiple signals can share a link and a port. This enables a seamless transfer of information in an orderly manner. It reduces the board area and allows plugging in the same size system.
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In terms of specifications, the IMX 418 is 1/3.6-inch in size and has 1 million effective pixels. It comes with a global shutter function and there is no focal plane distortion. The price of a single chip is 1,500 Yen ($13) while a package cost 2,000 Yen ($22).
It is reported that IMX 418 will be mainly used in the industrial markets, such as Head Mounted Display (HMD), automatic robots, and others.