Sheba Microsystems Launches Sharp-7 Autofocus Camera for Consistent Image Quality in Automotive Conditions
Sheba Microsystems announced that its Sharp-7 autofocus automotive camera maintains consistent image quality across automotive temperature range, in a new independent report released by DXOMARK.
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DXOMARK report demonstrates superior performance of Sheba Sharp-7 autofocus automotive camera against top-in-class fixed-focus camera in temperatures over 60 degrees Celsius. See live benchmark demo and full report at AutoSens Europe 2024 October 8-10 in Barcelona.
DXOMARK, the international leader in the quality assessment of camera, battery and display performance of professional and consumer electronic devices, recently conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Sharp-7 utilizing DXOMARK’s thermal chamber testing system. This setup assessed the Sharp-7 across extreme temperature ranges (-40°C to 120°C), simulating real-world conditions faced by automotive cameras. The camera itself generates heat from the sensor, which can heat the camera well above 50 degrees, and with the ADAS camera exposed under the sun, it can heat upwards of 100 degrees C.
Independent testing results showed that the Sharp-7 demonstrated superior performance against a top-in-class fixed-focus camera in temperatures over 60 degrees Celsius. The Sharp-7 maintained precise, high-quality imaging consistently well over 120°C, whereas the fixed-focus camera lost image quality at 60°C.
“Currently, fixed-focus cameras are the standard in automotive, but autofocus cameras can offer extraordinary advantages, especially in terms of vehicle safety,” said Dr. Faez Ba-Tis, CEO and Co-founder of Sheba Microsystems. “T o pave the way for new innovations in ADAS, object detection, and digital zooming, autofocus cameras can make this possible – but to-date, solving for lens thermal expansion challenges has been a blocker. Sheba’s Sharp-7 solves these long-known challenges to ultimately make everyone on the road safer.”
Automotive cameras often face challenges in maintaining image quality and focus stability during temperature fluctuations as the optics and camera parts undergo thermal expansion. As the automotive sensor market continues to trend towards higher resolution sensors, this problem becomes increasingly pronounced due to the sensors’ smaller pixel size. Smaller pixels require more precise alignment of the optics to ensure that light is accurately focused on each pixel, and any misalignment due to thermal expansion or contraction can lead to blurring or distortion – problematic for any camera and especially for automotive due to the extended temperature range. Sheba’s Sharp-7 solves these challenges.
Sheba’s electrostatic actuators are uniquely suited to solve the thermal defocus issue, as they are thermally stable and maintain consistent performance regardless of temperature changes from -40 to 125 degrees Celsius. They are also fast, precise, low power, and small in size. Image quality is essential for future innovation in autonomous vehicles, according to Laurent Chanas, Image Science Director at DXOMARK.
“Autonomous driving requires cameras that perform reliably in all conditions, including extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to over 100 degrees Celsius. In our tests, we benchmarked the Sharp-7 against a high-end fixed-focus camera and saw sharpness degrade rapidly above 60 degrees Celsius, which could compromise autonomous driving systems. This is where the Sheba Sharp-7 stands out. As our tests show, the Sharp-7 delivers consistent image quality and sharpness even at temperatures exceeding 125 degrees Celsius. With Sheba’s technology, not only can we guarantee precision for vehicle safety today, but we are paving the way for fully autonomous driving in any environment tomorrow.”
Sheba’s Sharp-7 has passed reliability tests, including drop, thermal shock, thermal cycling, vibration, mechanical shock, tumble, and microdrop tests. Evaluation kits are exclusively available for OEMs and Tier 1 customers.
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