SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jan. 8, 2018 — OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today introduced the OV9738, a 1/9” 1.4 micron RGB-Ir sensor built on the company’s PureCel®Plus technology. With its integrated support for both color and IR imaging applications, the OV9738 can lower overall system cost, and can bring IR-based biometric capabilities for facial recognition, as well as gesture interfaces, to a broader range of devices, including mainstream laptops and mobile devices. The OV9738’s integration also reduces space requirements, allowing for aesthetic industrial designs.
Facial recognition and other advanced biometric authentication methods are becoming more and more popular in mobile devices and laptops, replacing password and fingerprint authentication. Market analysts predict that the global facial recognition market will reach $7.75 billion by 2022. Additionally, there is a growing trend to implement gesture recognition for improved user interfaces. According to a recent report by Variant Market Research, the gesture-recognition market is expected to reach $43.6 billion by 2024.
“Notebook and mobile consumers are demanding facial recognition and other types of advanced biometric authentication to replace traditional login methods,” said Arun Jayaseelan, senior marketing manager, OMNIVISION Technologies. “Biometric authentication applications that used a two-sensor solution, such as Windows Hello, were affordable only in high-end notebooks because they required a second, dedicated IR camera. With the OV9738, OMNIVISION is providing a single-sensor solution for such applications for the mainstream notebook market.”
The OV9738 offers 720p resolution at 30 frames per second. Additionally, it includes OMNIVISION Technologies’ industry-leading RGB-Ir technology for improved quantum-efficiency in near-IR light, which can help reduce LED power consumption. At the same time, the OV9738 uses PureCel®Plus technology to reduce color crosstalk, which helps provide the best possible color-reproduction quality.
The OV9738 image sensor is currently available for sampling. Please contact your OMNIVISION sales or marketing representative for more information.