NEWS


OmniVision releases world’s smallest, 0.5mm sensor


OmniVision Technologies has released the world’s smallest commercial image sensor. Te OV6948 sensor, measuring 0.575 x 0.575mm, is designed for medical imagers, including reusable equipment such as endoscopes. OmniVision has also produced a fully


packaged, wafer-level camera module, based on the 200 x 200-pixel backside- illuminated sensor. Te camera measures 0.65 x 0.65mm, with a z-height of 1.158mm. Te complete OVM6948 Camera Cube


Chip module can be integrated into a catheter or endoscope with a diameter as small as 1.0mm. ‘Previously, procedures in the body’s


smallest anatomy were performed either blind or using low quality images from


fibrescopes, as existing cameras were too big and reusable endoscopes were not cost effective,’ said Aaron Chiang, marketing director at OmniVision. ‘Te OVM6948 wafer-level camera module offers a compact, high-quality solution for disposable guidewires, catheters and endoscopes.’ Te OVM6948 is the only ultra-small chip- on-tip camera with backside illumination, according to OmniVision. Te sensor provides excellent image quality and better low-light performance to help reduce LED heat, along with improved sensitivity. It also allows for the use of superior lens technology over competing front-side illumination cameras in this class. Other key features of the camera module


include a 120-degree field of view and a focus range of 3mm to 30mm. Its image array is capable of capturing 200 x 200-pixel resolution images and video at up to 30fps, and its analogue output can transmit over four metres with minimal noise. Te camera has power consumption of 25mW.


Inspiring the next generation of vision engineers


By Allan Anderson, UKIVA chairman


Encouraging the engineers of the future to embark on a career in machine vision continues to be an important issue for UKIVA members. Through the efforts of PPMA Best, we have seen the start of a structured process to introduce school students to vision technology as a potential career path. A number of UKIVA member-sponsored science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) taster days have been held at schools in the UK, with more planned for 2020. During these events, the member company engages with groups of students with presentations and hands- on activities to illustrate the importance and capabilities of machine vision in industry. UKIVA members frequently


report that it is difficult to recruit new engineers with the right mix of vision knowledge and engineering skills despite the fact that there are many computer vision courses offered by UK universities. The solution for most companies is to take an ad hoc approach, by recruiting best-fit candidates then training them in post, sometimes in the form of an apprenticeship. The PPMA Best (www.ppmabest.org.uk) charity is taking a more structured approach that allows UKIVA, BARA and PPMA members to engage with students, and hopefully fire their imaginations and stimulate interest in the technology. PPMA Best was established


to address the on-going skills shortage and tackle short- and longer-term recruitment needs within engineering in the processing, packaging, robotics, automation and industrial vision supply industries. It seeks to encourage young people to enter and develop a career in these industries through education, training and support. It offers four programmes,


8 IMAGING AND MACHINE VISION EUROPE DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020


ranging from financial grants for currently available engineering apprenticeships through to the match-funded STEM days for secondary schools. The vision-related STEM


taster days are sponsored by a UKIVA member and take place at a school local to them. Designed to be


‘There is a competitive element, with the engineers judging the groups on their team work and practical solutions to the problem’


educational, stimulating and enjoyable, they feature an introductory presentation about machine vision – what it can do and where it is used in the real world – followed by some practical challenges. The students are divided into teams and, with help (if needed) from the member’s engineers, have to complete a number of tasks that exercise their problem solving skills and may involve elements of simple programming or structural engineering. This


usually involves considerable use of the familiar children’s construction blocks. There is a competitive element, with the engineers judging the groups on their team work and practical solutions to the problem. The winning teams then have the opportunity to engage further with the companies, with the possibility of work placements and more. Interacting with students while they are still at school can be a powerful motivator. One UKIVA member has reported that following a longer term collaboration project with a local school, several of the students subsequently came back for work experience, including one who worked with them during the summer while studying a physics degree at Oxford University. Another student went on to take up an apprenticeship with one of the member’s customers. Several hundred students have had the chance to discover machine vision through the PPMA Best initiative and we are hopeful that more members will take part in this scheme in the future.


@imveurope | www.imveurope.com


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