HDR CMOS Image Sensors for Automotive Applications

Because of various purposes and high dynamic range (HDR) of brightness of objects in automotive applications, HDR image capture is a primary requirement. In this article, HDR CMOS image sensor (CIS) technology and its automotive applications are discussed including application requirements, basic HDR approaches and trends of HDR CMOS image sensor technologies, advantages and disadvantages for automotive application, and future prospect of the HDR technology. LED flicker caused by time aliasing effect and motion artifacts are two major issues in conventional multiple exposure HDR (MEHDR) approach, and several HDR technologies have been introduced for automotive applications. The advancements of image sensor fabrication technology, for instance, backside illumination (BSI) process and pixel level hybrid wafer bonding, have created new trends in the HDR technology.