Texas Instruments has unveiled the first semiconductors specially made with ultrasonic lens cleaning (ULC) technology that enable camera and camera systems to quickly detect and remove dirt, ice and water by means of microscopic vibrations.
Traditional removal of contamination from camera and camera lenses requires manual cleaning, resulting in system downtime, or the use of various mechanical parts that may not function properly.
TI's new ULC chipset, which includes the digital signal processor DSP ULC1001 and the complementary piezoelectric transducer driver DRV2901, features proprietary technology that enables cameras and cameras to quickly remove contamination by precisely controlled vibration so that debris is quickly removed, thereby improving system accuracy and reducing maintenance requirements.
The chipset offers designers a compact and cost-effective way to use ULC technology in a wide range of applications and with cameras and cameras of various sizes.
The ULC1001 controller has proprietary algorithms for automatic detection, cleaning, and temperature and fault detection without any image processing, thus making ULC technology particularly adaptable targets of different camera structures.
The chipset's small form factor enables improved machine vision and sensing in a wide variety of applications, anywhere cameras and sensors might get dirty.
Reducing system size and complexity with an integrated solution
TI's ULC chipset eliminates the need for complex mechanical parts and human intervention in lens cleaning systems.
The ULC1001 ultrasonic cleaning DSP with proprietary algorithms integrates a pulse width modulator, current and voltage sensing amplifiers, and an analog-to-digital converter.
Used in conjunction with the DRV2901 piezoelectric transducer driver as a complementary amplifier, TI's chipset allows ULC technology to be employed with a compact footprint and circuit board dimensions of less than 25 x 15 mm, thereby reducing the bill of materials and providing greater functionality than a discrete implementation.
Comments
"ULC technology has the potential to make the widespread use of self-cleaning cameras and sensors a reality. Current cleaning methods are expensive and impractical, requiring complex mechanical systems, expensive electronics and considerable processing power to detect contamination and perform cleaning," said Avi Yashar, product marketing engineer at TI. "With the recent proliferation of cameras in a wide variety of applications, from automotive and traffic cameras to smart cities and manufacturing, there is a strong demand for simple and inexpensive methods of making self-cleaning cameras and cameras."
"As advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) become more sophisticated and drivers rely on them more frequently, it becomes increasingly important to have a constantly operational sensor suite," says Edward Sanchez, senior analyst, global automotive practice, TechInsights. "The presence of dirt or foreign objects on a camera lens, which in the case of a reversing camera would be nothing more than a minor annoyance, becomes a fundamental functional and safety issue on a vehicle that relies on the accuracy and precision of the data and images it receives from the sensors. TI's ULC approach addresses what will soon become a significant problem for the ADAS and autonomous vehicle market from both a practical and economic perspective."
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