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. . Progressive Scan Diagonal 6.0 mm (Type 1/3) 1.25M-Effective Pixel Color EXview HAD CCDTM ICX445AKA There are now increasing demands for high resolution from the security camera industry to support better identification of persons captured by these cameras. There is also a trend towards switching from the conventional TV format to a digital formats in IP cameras and other products. To respond to these needs, Sony has developed and is now releasing the ICX445AKA, the first megapixel class CCD for security cameras. In this device, Sony achieved both high resolution (1.25M effective pixels) and high sensitivity by achieving even finer feature sizes in a new generation of the EXview HAD CCD structure and by taking advantage of Sony’s progressive scan CCD technology developed through extensive experience in digital camera sensors. This new product also includes a “horizontal and vertical pixel addition function” that allows it to capture VGA resolution images at 60 frame/s. *: EXview HAD CCD is a trademark of Sony Corporation. This is a CCD that drastically improves light efficiency by including near infrared light region.

ICX445AKA . . * Complementary color filters, 24-pin DIP * Progressive scan CCD * Diagonal 6.0 mm (Type 1/3) * High near-infrared sensitivity * Progressive scan rate: 22.5 frame/s * VGA resolution readout rate: 60 frame/s     The ICX445AKA is a progressive scan diagonal 6.0 mm (Type 1/3) 1.25M-effective pixel color CCD designed for security camera applications. The ICX445AKA features high resolution than conventional security camera CCDs. (See figure 2.) Furthermore, it supports signal output in a wide variety of formats, including progressive scan, center cut-out readout, and 4-pixel addition mode readout. (See table 1.) High Sensitivity and Low Smear In addition to both optimization of the pixel pattern and on-chip microlenses and adoption of complementary color filters, Sony also adopted a new generation of the EXview HAD CCD technology, which achieves a further increase in sensitivity. As a result, Sony was able to achieve the high sensitivity of 460 mV (at F5.6) despite the small unit pixel cell size of 3.75 μm. Additionally, this device boasts high near infrared sensitivity and is appropriate for imaging in day/night cameras and in conjunction with a near infrared light source. Furthermore, this device achieves the smear characteristics of -104 dB (at F5.6). (See table 3.) Diverse Set of Operating Modes The ICX445AKA’s output circuits support high-speed operation and can be operated at horizontal drive frequencies up to 40.5 MHz. This allows this sensor to achieve a high pixel count and high frame rates. In progressive scan mode, the ICX445AKA can output all pixels independently at frame rates up to 22.5 frame/s. It also implements interlaced operation with ten phases of independent vertical transfer registers and is capable of outputting 60 field/s in a vertical 720-line cut-out mode. Furthermore, it can output images with a pixel count equivalent to VGA resolution (640 × 480 pixels) with four times the usual sensitivity by using the included “horizontal and vertical pixel addition function”. At the same VGA equivalent resolution, it can also output two types of signal that differ in their charge accumulation time with a period corresponding to 30 frame/s. Lineup Deployment Sony plans further deployment of this technology both in products that use primary color filters and in products that support black-and-white imaging. We are confident in recommending these products for security, IP, and similar camera applications.     •••• Mr. TAGUCHI •••• In the ICX445AKA, we focused on achieving both high sensitivity and the smaller cell size required for higher resolution by switching to Sony's EXview HAD CCD technology. I hope that this device will prove useful in high-resolution/high-sensitivity security cameras. See all articles with figures and tables. Vol.44

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