14 DAY TRIAL // STMicroelectronics announced a new 2 megapixel camera subsystem for the mainstream camera phone market. The new VS6724 is the latest in ST's camera-on-chip family, joining the 1.3 megapixel VS6624 and VGA-resolution VS6524 modules. It combines a high-quality multi-element lens with a 1/4-inch CMOS sensor and on-chip processing, in a tiny package, to deliver UXGA-resolution (1600 x 1200 pixels) images.
The VS6724 is available in super-low-profile 8 x 8 x 4.5 mm and in high-performance 8 x 8 x 5.5 mm SmOP2 packages, with both flex-cable attach and socket options for maximum design flexibility. The camera delivers 30 fps UXGA-resolution output, for fast image capture, using an on-chip hardware M-JPEG encoder, or 15 fps YUV (Luminance-Bandwidth-Chrominance) output with no compression, through an Image Signal Processing pipeline. A flexible image scaling capability also provides an output for lower resolution displays. Other features include image pan & tilt mode, and special effects such as sepia, negative and black & white. A configurable internal register set, with I2C interface, enables full customization of device behavior.
A video output stream to the ITU-R BT.656-4 standard, YUV (YCbCr) 4:2:2 with embedded sync, is provided, as well as an 8-bit parallel video interface with external horizontal and vertical synchronization signals. Output video formats are YUV 4:2:2, RGB (444 and 565), and M-JPEG.
In addition to its primary application in camera phones, the low-cost electrical interfaces and mechanical design make the VS6724 suited for PDAs, gaming platforms, video conferencing and security cameras. The device features low power consumption and includes an on-board Phase Locked Loop to support a wide range of input clock frequencies. The digital I/O can be powered from either 1.8V or 2.8V supplies.
The VS6724 is currently available in sampling quantities, with mass-production scheduled for the first quarter of 2007.