Samsung Electronics unveils image sensors for vehicles

Samsung Electronics' ISOCELL Auto 4AC image sensors for vehicles / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electronics has rolled out its first automotive image sensors as part of efforts to expand into the fast-growing image sensor markets, the chip giant said Tuesday.

The company said its ISOCELL Auto 4AC image sensors will be used in an upcoming vehicle from an undisclosed global carmaker.

A company official said he “cannot confirm which carmaker will use Samsung's image sensors,” but said the vehicle will be rolled out later this year. The official added “its image sensors will be used for surround-view monitors and rear-view cameras of the vehicle.”

The automotive image sensor market is expected to see rapid growth as more vehicles feature advanced driving assistance systems and more self-driving vehicles hit the roads. Market tracker TSR forecasted that the market will expand at an average annual growth rate of 11 percent from 2021 to 2024.

For Samsung, vehicle image sensors are lucrative as the market is a higher-value one than that for mobile device sensors. The company is trying to catch up with market leader Sony, which had around a 45 percent market share in 2020 compared to Samsung's 19.8 percent.

Industry analysts estimated that On Semi had the largest share of 38.3 percent in terms of shipments in the market last year, followed by OmniVision with 18.8 percent and Sony with 9.7 percent.

Samsung said its ISOCELL Auto 4AC has 1.2 million pixels, and to increase driver safety it features CornerPixel technology that can recognize high- and low-light environments.

The company said the product is able to provide clear images in real time even when drivers are emerging from a tunnel into daylight.

“Various lighting situations on the road may pose obstacles to the driver. Quick transitions from a low-lit environment to a brighter one, such as exiting a tunnel, may require a few seconds for the driver's eyes to adjust. Also, flickers from LED headlamps or road signs, such as street lamps or traffic lights, could become increasingly noticeable on the automotive system's camera screen,” Samsung said.

“To minimize LED flickering, the smaller photodiode's exposure time can be extended, preventing the pulsing LED light from being displayed as flickering on the camera screen. This delivers a more pleasant viewing experience for the driver and more accurate image data on LED-embedded objects for the automotive system to recognize.”