The technology in the field of image sensing is rapidly developing. According to Yole's recently published "Automotive MEMS and Sensor Markets and Technology Trends - 2017 Edition", "CMOS Image Sensor Industry Status - 2017 Edition" and "3D Imaging and Sensing - 2017 Edition" reports, smart phones, automobiles, and security are currently The hottest image sensor application market. According to the consulting report of Ommes, OmniVision, a heavyweight manufacturer of CMOS image sensors, recently shocked the release of NyxelTM, a near-infrared enhancement technology. In order to further explore NyxelTM technology, Yole recently interviewed Mr. Ray Cisneros, OmniVision’s vice president of global marketing, to discuss the birth of NyxelTM technology and its future impact on OmniVision.
2011~2022 3D Imaging and Sensor Market Forecast
(Source: "3D Imaging and Sensing - 2017 Edition")
Yole Développement (YD): Please tell us about OmniVision's market position in the current image sensor field.
RayCisneros (RC): OmniVision is involved in every segment of the global image sensor market. At present, our main markets include mobile phones, security, automotive, personal computers, medical and machine vision. Our layout in each market segment is deeper than our competitors. Our competitors often cover only one or a few segments, and OmniVision is currently the only image sensor supplier covering all market segments.
2016 Market Share of CMOS Image Sensor Manufacturers
(Source: "Status of CMOS Image Sensor Industry - 2017 Edition")
At present, although the mobile phone market is the largest market for image sensor shipments, other segments have grown faster. In the medical and other fields, it is still in an early stage of growth. The scale of the mature stage of the market cannot be accurately estimated yet. However, we believe these markets have significant long-term growth potential and market value.
YD: OmniVision is promoting a new type of near-infrared sensing technology named NyxelTM. How will this technology affect the OmniVision product line?
RC: The application of NyxelTM technology will have an extensive and far-reaching impact on our business. In the field of security surveillance applications, we have released some products that integrate NyxelTM technology. Of course, applications and markets that can benefit from the advantages of this technology, including higher NIR quantum efficiency and lower system power consumption, include machine vision, automotive, medical, and even smart phones. In the short term, the market demand in the field of security surveillance is the highest. We will apply NyxelTM technology to continuously launch security surveillance products. We also plan to selectively apply NyxelTM technology to those segments that are able to make the most of their advantages. Of course, there are demand integration NyxelTM technologies in almost all segments.
NyxelTM Technology Advantage
YD: Security is one of OmniVision's core markets. Please tell us about the market situation and potential impact of NyxelTM technology.
RC: Security surveillance is urgently needed to be able to image in near-total dark conditions, while also offering low cost and low power consumption advantages. This can significantly reduce the final system cost in the field of commercial and consumer security monitoring. In addition, for the rapidly emerging wireless IoT surveillance applications, the NyxelTM technology has also become a necessary enabling technology due to severe power constraints. NyxelTM technology is also a basic semiconductor process building block that can be used for any combination of resolution and pixels. All these advantages make NyxelTM technology available to all product lines of security surveillance solutions.
OmniVision uses NyxelTM technology's cell structure
OmniVision's standard pixel structure
YD: Please tell us about the impact of NyxelTM technology on OmniVision's other important market, the automotive market.
RC: For the automotive market, NyxelTM technology will provide unprecedented night vision capabilities in display and machine vision applications. The imaging capability in a near-total dark environment fundamentally solves the most important consideration in the automotive field, namely security. Cameras using NyxelTM technology can directly meet this market demand. Similarly, NyxelTM technology can also be applied to one of the core technologies needed for autopilot, the automotive machine vision camera, to dramatically accelerate the ultimate goal of autopilot. Although achieving autonomous driving also relies on the cooperative fusion of various solutions such as Lidar (laser radar) and ultrasound, imaging solutions based on NyxelTM technology have unexpectedly higher performance.
YD: We noticed that OmniVision is involved in a variety of different consumer sensing devices, such as Intel RealSense and Lenovo Phab2Pro. How does this business account for OmniVision's overall business?
RC: RealSense is a 3D solution for notebook platforms developed by us and Intel (Intel) for a long time. As with other consumer devices, notebook 3D sensing applications are also becoming a trend. Of course, the acceptance of end-customers and the development of user stories will take some time. However, the added value of 3D sensing is being quickly verified through many applications such as face recognition, novel chat experience, 3D map construction, and gesture tracking. The growth potential of 3D sensing applications is obviously not limited to the notebook and smartphone market, and will surely sweep the entire consumer device and commercial market. OmniVision focuses on all technologies related to 3D sensing solutions, such as global shutter sensors, dual camera architectures, and time-of-flight (ToF) products.
YD: How do these 3D sensing related technologies developed by OmniVision relate to the 3D sensing components of the latest generation of smartphones?
RC: In addition to smartphones with 3D sensing capabilities, we expect that there will be a large number of products offering various 3D sensing capabilities. OmniVision's mission is to provide them with core sensor products that meet the needs of all these 3D sensing applications. For example, our global shutter sensor can be used in certain 3D sensing architectures for consumer and commercial products. We can provide global shutter sensors with various resolution and size parameters. We also offer wafer-level packaged camera modules that are ideal for industrial design compact products such as AR/VR (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality).
YD: What do you think of the ratio of NyxelTM technology between imaging and sensing applications?
RC: From the beginning to the mid-term, we expect that imaging solutions using NyxelTM technology will dominate the shipments. However, using Nyxel? Technical sensing solutions are also expected to grow rapidly as NyxelTM's higher near-infrared quantum efficiency also applies to sensing applications. Numerous studies have shown that the market for sensing solutions is larger because almost all human-computer interaction applications require sensing solutions. The best examples at the moment are the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and self-driving car architecture. In the same way, almost all human-computer interaction user cases also require sensing solutions. In this sense, the sensing solution will eventually become the most important market, and the solution based on NyxelTM technology will bring long-term competitiveness to OmniVision.
YD: Where does OmniVision's differentiated advantage come from? How to compete with competitors?
RC: Our differentiated advantages include: We have the ability to bring new products to market faster, and NyxelTM technology is ready for mass production. Now we are already providing NyxelTM technology-based image sensors for the security surveillance market. The customer's intentions and demands have greatly exceeded our expectations. We are working hard to launch a full range of security-type image sensors using NyxelTM technology as soon as possible, including products with various resolutions, pixel sizes, and package sizes. We are also working with customers in other important markets to launch NyxelTM products for these markets as soon as possible.
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