Howell Group Announces New TheiaCel Technology and Automotive Image Sensors for LED Flashless Exterior Cameras

    The OX08D10 has industry-leading low light performance and low power consumption, with a size 50% smaller than other similar external sensors. This is the first model to adopt the new 2.1 micron TheiaCel from Howell Group ™ Image sensor technology that utilizes next-generation lateral overflow integrating capacitors (LOFIC) and Howell Group‘s DCG ™ High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology can eliminate LED flicker under various lighting conditions. With TheiaCel ™， OX08D10 can achieve HDR image capture up to 200 meters away. This range achieves the best balance between SNR1 and dynamic range, and is also the best choice for exterior camera applications.

    The new OX08D10 image sensor provides automotive manufacturers with a device that integrates all important performance, including low light performance and LED flicker suppression (LFM), "said Paul Wu, Automotive Product Marketing Manager at Howell Group Small size and low power consumption, customers do not need to make performance/design concessions to address LED flicker issues as in the past. In addition, we are pleased to launch our new TheiaCel for the first time at this year‘s AutoSens exhibition ™ Technology. TheiaCel ™ Bringing single exposure HDR into a new era with an easy to implement solution can significantly improve image quality

    Anas Chalak, imaging technology and market analyst at Yole Intelligence, a subsidiary of the Yole Group, said, "In order to achieve higher levels of autonomous driving, LFM, HDR, and high-resolution have become necessary prerequisites for modern automotive image sensors ™ The DCG+LOFIC solution meets these standards and is in line with the trend of installing more exterior cameras in every car in the coming years. We expect that by 2028, the market capacity of ADAS cameras will reach around 105 million, and the entire automotive image sensor market will expand to 3.7 billion US dollars

    In the automotive market, the flashing of LED traffic lights poses a serious challenge to imaging solutions, making ADAS and AD systems unable to correctly detect illuminated traffic signs. The industry has been calling for the development of a solution that can be easily integrated into CMOS image sensors to address this challenge. Although some previous methods achieved satisfactory LFM, they resulted in a decrease in image quality, especially under high temperature conditions in automobiles.

    Howell Group‘s new 2.1 micron single pixel TheiaCel ™ Technology can provide high LFM without sacrificing image quality. TheiaCel ™ By utilizing the next-generation LOFIC functionality and the powerful proprietary HDR technology of Howell Group (patented DCG and split diode technology), it is possible to capture highly contrasting scenes and achieve the best content and image quality. TheiaCel from Howell Group ™ The DCG+LOFIC solution achieves a wider dynamic range than the advanced single exposure HDR architecture.

    Compared to the previous generation products that did not use LOFIC, the all-new OX08D10 has excellent overall performance in key areas. Especially, its LFM dynamic range has been increased to 3.3 times, and the total dynamic range has been increased to nearly 3 times. The network security features of OX08D10 have been upgraded to comply with the latest MIPI CSE version 2.0 standard, adding functional security to the data flow of automotive image sensors. TheiaCel ™ The equipment adopts Howell Group‘s a-CSP ™ Packaging technology can achieve the smallest size solution.

    OX08D10 has been sampled and will be put into mass production in the second half of 2024.