Nokia and STMicroelectronics recently announced that they are releasing a comprehensive specification for camera modules, aimed at standardising this increasingly important component in mobile devices. The specification, dubbed standard mobile imaging architecture, or SMIA, will cover all aspects of the modules, including their electrical, mechanical, and functional interfaces, and also address other key areas such as characterisation, optical performance, and reliability.
SMIA's target is to address the task of specifying functional and optical behaviour of camera modules and so enable cost-efficient multiple sourcing of the module at the phone level. SMIA has six chapters that cover all key aspects of a camera module:
* The electrical interface specifies the physical layer (voltage levels, pin-count, timing), data rate (up to 650 Mbps), EMI performance, and output image format.
* The functional specification specifies frame and field formats, register maps for set-up and control and has three profiles that help easy video usability with high resolution sensors.
* The mechanical interface proposes a family set of modules that provide mechanical outlines specifically designed for volume manufacturing.
* The characterisation chapter provides for optical-performance metrics and sensor noise standards.
* The reliability chapter includes environmental-test and drop-test standards. Finally, a software model is also provided in the SMIA specification, including reference device drivers and software architecture.
For more information contact Simon Churches, Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 (0)11 923 9600, [email protected]
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