ON Semiconductor recently announced a new CMOS image sensor, the AR0230CS. Targeted at the security camera market, the AR0230CS offers not only high quality 1080p video capture, but also excellent near-infrared (NIR) performance.
Why is near-infrared performance important for security cameras? NIR is the part of the infrared electromagnetic spectrum closest to visible light. Unlike far infrared, which provides temperature (not visual) data and requires specialized detectors, NIR can be captured by mainstream CMOS sensors, and is a good proxy for visible color imaging in very low light situations such as nighttime. Most commercial security cameras now designed to also work at night (“day/night cameras”) add inexpensive NIR LED illuminators, and require image sensors that can capture the resulting NIR image.
The sample image shown is captured in 0.5 lux of illumination, equivalent to a moonlit night – plus a NIR lamp. As you can see, the image is clear and crisp – even in the virtual dark!
