Samsung unveils its first car image sensor and appears to have a $436 million deal with Tesla

Samsung Electronics today unveiled ISOCELL Auto 4AC, its first in-vehicle image sensor.

What for?

Such a sensor is intended to be used as a rear view camera or (in more advanced systems) to power surround view cameras. It stands out for its high dynamic range (120dB) and LED flicker suppression. Both are based on a technology Samsung calls CornerPixel.

This technology combines two photodiodes per pixel: one 3.0μm for low light operation and one 1.0μm located in the corner (hence the name) that will be used for bright lighting. As a result, the sensor quickly adapts to changes in ambient light, for example when exiting a tunnel. It also delivers wide dynamic range with little motion blur and reduces LED backlight flickering.

ISOCELL Auto 4AC is a 1 / 3.7-inch sensor with 1.3 MP (1280 × 960) resolution. It also complies with AEC-Q100 Grade 2, i.e. under extreme operating temperatures from  -40 ° C up to  125 C °.

The sensor has already been put into serial production.

Meanwhile, The Korea Economic Daily reports that Samsung Electro-Mechanics has signed a deal with "the leading electric vehicle manufacturer in the US." It's not hard to guess that this is Tesla. The deal is $ 436 million.

Rumor has it that Samsung will supply Tesla with cameras for the Cybertruck, which it uses instead of side mirrors. As a reminder, the truck was introduced in 2019 and should go on sale later this year.

Source: Samsung, The Korea Economic Daily