14 DAY TRIAL // Patents are widely used by all manufacturers to get exclusive rights for an invention during a limited period of time with the condition that the invention be made public.
Thanks to this last clause, we get to find out about major breakthroughs in imaging technology way before they reach mass production if they prove to be feasible.
Japanese website Egami found a new patent filed by major electronics manufacturer Toshiba regarding the creation of a new type of imaging sensor that could probably be used in a future line of Toshiba digital cameras.
According to this patent, Toshiba is planning to create a brand new hybrid image sensor that integrates both Bayer and Foveon technologies. It seems that the sensor has two layers: one made out of red and blue pixels and another made only of green pixels.
For now it's not clear how this sensor will be used or what its true purpose is. Stay tuned as we try to find out more on this matter.