Melexis ToF sensors help enable functional safety applications

     Melexis, a global microelectronics engineering company, announced that Melexis has expanded its product range, further strengthening its position in the field of time-of-flight (ToF) technology. The newly launched MLX75027RTI helps automotive and industrial customers meet functional safety requirements.

     The MLX75027RTI is a VGA resolution ToF sensor chip with a spatial resolution of 307k pixels and is ASIL compliant for safety-critical systems requiring ASIL or SIL certification. Key applications of the sensor chip include dynamic airbag suppression (ensuring that airbags do not deploy unnecessarily), driver attention monitoring, and external close-range LiDAR. The product is also used in industrial cameras to provide safety perimeter, support robot movement control, and enable more advanced machine vision technology.

     At the heart of the MLX75027RTI is backlighting (BSI) imaging technology that combines Melexis' expertise in automotive applications with SONY's proprietary DepthSense ToF pixel structure. The MLX75027RTI delivers 135 depth frames per second.

     In terms of packaging, the size of the sensor chip is reduced by 50% compared to existing versions of the device, enabling the development of imaging systems with more compact sizes. The integrated MLA (Microlens Array) main light Angle has been optimized to simplify the entire optical system. The new MLX75027 is available in both automotive and industrial versions. The MLX75027RTI is designed for automotive applications with an operating temperature range of -40 ° C to +105 ° C, while the MLX75027STI is designed for industrial applications with an operating temperature range of -20 ° C to +85 ° C. Another important feature of the MLX75027 series is its proven daylight robustness, which means that signal quality is not affected by the external environment.

     To help engineers design and implement ASIL/SIL systems, Melexis offers specialized safety integration guidelines. "The upcoming NCAP regulations will drive the use of in-car monitoring in the field of security, which will also become increasingly important in industrial and mass market applications," said Gualtiero Bagnuoli, marketing manager for optical sensor chips at Melexis. "Our family of time-of-flight sensor chips is already widely used. Now, with the introduction of the MLX75027RTI, we will provide support for system-level functional safety integration."