Shanghai, China, February 6, 2025 - SMARTSENS (Shanghai) Electronics Technology Co., Ltd (SMARTSENS, Stock Code: 688213) recently announced the launch of its 5MP automotive-grade image sensor, the SC530AT. as the newest addition to its Automotive Sensor(AT) Series, the SC530AT is based on the CarSens?-R-R series. As a new product of Stellar Technology's Automotive Sensor (AT) Series, the SC530AT is based on the CarSens?-RS process technology and combines the performance advantages of high sensitivity, high dynamic range, and low noise, which is ideal for Occupant Monitoring System (OMS) applications such as Passenger Detection, Children's Forgetfulness Alert (CPD), Pets and Left-behind Objects Detection, as well as in-vehicle photo/video conferencing and other in-vehicle infotainment system applications. In-vehicle infotainment applications such as passenger detection, child forgetting alert (CPD), pet and left-object detection, and in-vehicle photo/video conferencing bring clear, accurate and reliable images. In addition, the SC530AT meets the AEC-Q100 Grade 2 certification standard, further contributing to the upgrading and development of in-cabin surveillance and infotainment applications with high performance and reliability.

With the accelerated upgrading and development of intelligent driving technology, the number of cameras carried in a single vehicle is gradually increasing. At the same time, the demand for high-resolution image sensors in the in-vehicle application market has further climbed. Driven by these factors, the size of the in-vehicle image sensor market will continue to expand. According to TSR's forecast, from 2023 to 2028, global shipments of in-vehicle image sensors will grow from 380 million to 480 million.

Advanced process technology to create excellent dark light image

Influenced by a variety of factors such as the external environment of the vehicle and window glass, the natural light entering the vehicle is reduced, and the low illumination of the interior environment brings challenges to the imaging quality of the in-cabin vision camera. The new SC530AT has excellent performance in sensitivity, dynamic range, and noise control, and can provide OMS applications with high-quality in-cabin image information to help the system accurately identify the location, facial expression and behavior of passengers in the vehicle, and to monitor whether children/pets, cell phones, wallets, etc. are left behind inside the vehicle, providing a better safety and security for the passengers' travel experience.

Figure. 1

High Sensitivity: SC530AT is built with advanced CarSens?-RS process technology, based on 2μm pixel size, combined with Backside Illuminated (BSI) pixel architecture and StellarVision's unique SFCPixel?technology, which achieves excellent Quantum Efficiency (QE) in the 520nm visible wavelength band. When the vehicle is in a dark light environment such as underground parking lot or at night, the new product can also provide bright and clear images for the OMS camera, which in turn improves the accuracy of the OMS system in identifying the status of the passengers, children left inside the vehicle and objects.

High Dynamic Range: The new product supports PixGain HDR and Double Exposure Row Stacked HDR (2-exposure SHDR) modes, which significantly improves the dynamic range, reduces the interference of the light changes in the car on the OMS camera inside the cabin, and reduces the occurrence of localized overexposure or loss of details in dark places. In 2-exposure SHDR mode, the dynamic range of SC530AT is up to more than 100dB, which can effectively retain the details of light and dark in the picture, thus capturing the facial expression, status and behavior of rear passengers more accurately and providing timely and effective image data for the OMS system to recognize the response.

Low Noise: Thanks to SMARTSENS's advanced CarSens?-RS process technology and optimized design of the read circuit architecture, the new product achieves better noise suppression and high temperature imaging performance.

The SC530AT's Read Noise (RN) and Fixed Noise (FPN) are as low as 1.0e- and 0.2e-, respectively, which is far better than the industry's GS products of the same specification, and brings clean, low-noise imaging to the camera. At the same time, the SC530AT's DSNU, dark current (DC) and white pixel (White Pixel) under 105°C environment are relatively reduced by 51%, 25% and 5% respectively, which guarantees its excellent and stable imaging performance under high-temperature conditions, and still provides OMS with accurate and reliable image information even when running for a long time under high temperature.

Equipped with self-developed AI ISP chip, the image quality is intelligently upgraded.

It is worth mentioning that the new SC530AT can be paired with Flying Micro's M1 in-vehicle high-performance AI ISP chip to form an in-vehicle end-side vision solution for in-cabin OMS applications. In this solution, the high-quality in-cabin image information captured by SC530AT image sensor in real time is optimized by the high-performance dark light noise reduction and image enhancement algorithms built into the M1 chip as well as the accelerated processing of the self-developed light computing power NPU, which achieves a significant increase in image quality, and provides clear, reliable and real-time in-cabin image information for the OMS and in-vehicle infotainment system applications, further enhancing in-cabin monitoring and infotainment. It can provide clear and reliable real-time in-cabin image information for OMS and in-vehicle infotainment system applications, which further facilitates the efficient identification and processing of in-cabin surveillance and infotainment systems.

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In addition, the solution can also be used for in-vehicle video applications such as traffic recorders to help vehicle owners and users record the entire process of driving uninterruptedly with accurate and reliable high-resolution images, clearly capture the instantaneous images of traffic accidents, and provide objective and effective video evidence for the subsequent determination of accidental responsibility and processing.

SMARTSENS's AT series of image sensor products cover 1MP~8MP resolution, and are suitable for three major application scenarios: in-vehicle imaging, sensing, and in-cabin. Among them, Stellar Technology has launched four high-performance automotive-grade CIS products for in-vehicle applications. In the future, Stellar will continue to pay attention to the trends of automotive sensing and imaging market segments, and further enrich the in-vehicle product matrix under the strict automotive product development process system, so as to inject strong momentum for the development of automotive intelligence and the comprehensive popularization of intelligent driving technology.

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SC530AT is currently accepting samples and will be in mass production by Q2 2025.

About SmartSens Technology

SmartSens Technology (stock short name: SmartSens, stock code: 688213) is a high-tech enterprise engaged in the research, development, design and sales of CMOS image sensor chips, headquartered in Shanghai, China, with R&D centers in many cities and countries.

Since its establishment, Stellar has always focused on the innovation and research and development of high-end imaging technology, and has been recognized and favored by many customers for its performance advantages. As a CMOS image sensor company committed to providing multi-scene applications and full performance coverage, the company's products have covered the full performance requirements of security monitoring, machine vision, intelligent vehicle electronics, smart phones and other multi-scene applications.

With the vision of “letting people see and know the world better with cutting-edge intelligent imaging technology”, Stellar will take customers' needs as the core driving force, continue to promote the upgrading of cutting-edge imaging technology, expand the application fields of products, and work with partners to promote the deepening of the future development of intelligent imaging technology.