OmniVision and Corephotonics introduce dual camera zoom reference designs for smartphones

     OmniVision Technologies, a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, has announced a new dual-camera zoom reference design for mobile devices in partnership with dual-camera technology pioneer Corephotonics. This reference design combines OmniVision's OV12A10 and OV13880 image sensors with Corephotonics' unique zoom and bokeh algorithms to bring optical zoom capabilities typically found only in regular digital and SLR cameras to smartphone camera applications.

     According to a research report by market analyst Yole Developpement in June 2016, mobile devices with dual cameras will account for 20% of the  mobile phone market by 2020. Dual camera zoom cameras that combine the OV12A10's wide-angle and OV13880's telephoto capabilities will not only bring high-quality optical zoom effects to high-end smartphones, but are also expected to become mainstream in 2017.

     "Corephotonics is a recognized world leader in dual-camera technology," said Will Foote, senior program partnerships manager at OmniVision. "The rapidly expanding dual-camera smartphone market is the perfect place for both parties to leverage their technological strengths. We are very excited about our first joint reference design, and we are excited about future collaborations based on OmniVision sensor and Corephotonics algorithm technology."

     Eran Briman, vice president of market and Business Development at Corephotonics, said: "OmniVision has established their leadership in image sensors and image signal processing. Combined with OmniVision imaging technology and our unique algorithms, we are sure to offer our customers a competitive dual-camera optical zoom solution. "This is a very special partnership that allows smartphone Oems to leverage their existing investments in system integration and image quality adjustment to reach the market fastest."

     Dual camera configurations in smartphones require technology that is not usually required in a single camera, such as image registration, image fusion, and depth map generation. These techniques can provide advanced features such as portrait bokeh effects, which blur the background while sharpening the focus on the main elements. In this reference design, Corephotonics also worked specifically with Oems and camera module integrators to integrate its algorithms optimized specifically for OmniVision sensors to provide the best image quality for smartphone users. The Corephotonics algorithm merges images from wide-angle and telephoto cameras to provide optical zoom, increasing resolution and reducing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), while also keeping video transmission smoother.