Infineon helps unlock your smartphone with face recognition

Munich, Germany - One of the biggest trends in mobile communications is to unlock smartphones using 3D face recognition instead of fingerprints or PIN codes. This makes authentication easier and more secure, which will soon become indispensable for mobile payment apps and mobile recognition apps. With the 3D image sensor chip from Infineon Technologies AG, the facial recognition unlocking function will become smarter, faster and more reliable.

Infineon, together with innovation partner pmdtechnolgies, has developed a new 3D image sensor based on time-of-flight (ToF) technology that is part of the REAL3TM chip product family. This enables the world's smallest smartphone camera module, measuring less than 12mmx8mm, which includes the receiving optics and VCSEL(vertical cavity surface emitting laser). Infineon and pmdtechnologies are showcasing this innovation at CES 8 2018. The chip is manufactured in Dresden and developed in Munich and Graz, incorporating technical expertise from Germany and Austria.

The advantages of ToF help achieve rapid market growth

Market forecasts predict that the number of smartphones with 3D sensing capabilities will increase from approximately 50 million in 2017 to approximately 290 million in 2019. Compared to other 3D sensor principles such as binocular visible light or structured light, time-of-flight technology offers many advantages in terms of performance, size and power consumption of battery-powered mobile devices.

Two cables determine the range and measurement accuracy of the camera: the intensity of infrared light emitted and reflected, and the sensitivity of the image cable of the 3D image sensor chip. The REAL3 chip has a resolution of 38,000 pixels, and each pixel has a unique background illumination suppression (SBI) circuit. It can use 940nm infrared light source, so that the projected light is not visible, further improving outdoor performance. In addition, the IRS238xC integrates dedicated features to support the first laser safety level of the complete solution.

The ToF camera module can be put into mass production

The camera from Infineon and pmdtechnolgies is the only depth camera based on the ToF principle integrated into commercial smartphones. It has earned the trust of leading camera module manufacturers for mobile phones and has been proven to be efficient in mass production. In addition, it does not need to be recalibrated during use.