THine Solutions has introduced its new THEIA-CAM family of camera Reference Design Kits. The first kit in the family is the THSCU101, a 13MP Phase-Detection Auto-Focus USB Video Class camera Reference Design Kit.
The Kit is based on the company’s THP7312 image signal processor, Sony’s IMX258 13MP CMOS PDAF image sensor, and Cypress’ EZ-USB CX3 USB 3.0 camera controller. It provides users optimised ISP and USB control firmware, reference circuit schematics, and scalability for high image quality in production. Also, further customisation of the kit performance is simply achievable using the company’s GUI-based software development tools. As a result, the kit expedites customers’ time-to-market with no expensive initial costs for developing embedded camera systems.
This new THEIA-CAM improves on the Ascella Kit previously launched by THine and Cypress. As well as delivering high-resolution performance such as full HD and 4K Ultra HD, it adds PDAF technology that gives the ultra-fast auto-focus functionality preferred for live video streaming applications. The kit’s single 35mm x 36mm (1.38″ x 1.42″) board enables flexible integration. Also, the ISP firmware compensates for CMOS Camera Module variations to deliver perfect unit-to-unit image quality in production.
Each kit offers an excellent out-of-the-box user experience. It comprises a camera board pre-installed in a protective clear case along with a USB cable. To view video streaming through the kit, the user just connects the USB cable to a PC, launches a PC Camera application, and selects ‘change camera’.
“This is truly a disruptive solution for many vision system integrators because other solutions are simply not as good as this one,” said Tak Iizuka, chief solution architect of THine Solutions. “We have many years of experience in camera systems. Over these years, we have found many cameras being marketed that are full of bugs and/or are poorly calibrated. Due to our extensive experience developing and manufacturing ISPs, we have learned the best practices along with best design techniques for these systems, from PCB layout to ISP firmware development. Likewise, Cypress has similar experience with applications and firmware for the USB controller. In addition, we understand the need for scalability to production. We developed this Kit specially to achieve the same high image quality for every single unit in any high-volume production application. As a result, customers can be confident to use this reference design in their production systems.”