Get Insight into Camera Module Classification

Before we go further with the camera module classification, let’s acknowledge the basic definition of the camera module.

A compact Camera Module usually called a Camera Module includes four parts: Lens, Sensor, Flexible Printed Circuit(FPC) or Printed Circuit Board(PCB), an image processing chip- Digital Signal Processor(DSP). The important components that determine the quality of a module are Lens, DSP, and Sensor.

Camera Module Introduction from SAMSUNG

Working Process

The light collected by the object through the lens, through the CMOS or CCD integrated circuit, converts the optical signal into an electrical signal. During the processing, it will convert the signal into a digital image signal by the Internal Image Processor (ISP) and then will be further processed by the Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Thus it will be converted into standard GRB, YUV and other format image signals.

Classification

Distinguishing camera module classification from different dimensions can give us a clearer understanding of camera modules. Usually, there are the following categories, let’s figure it out!

1. Sort by Interface

• A.Universal Serial Bus (USB): USB was designed to standardize the connection of peripherals to personal computers, both to communicate with and to supply electric power.
• B.Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI): standard defines industry specifications for the design of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and hybrid devices.
• C.Digital Video Port (DVP): This interface is designed to transmit uncompressed digital video and can be configured to support multiple modes such as DVI-A (analog only), DVI-D (digital only), or DVI-I (digital and analog)
• D.Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS): is a technical standard that specifies the electrical characteristics of a differential, serial signaling standard.
• E.Serial Digital Interface (SDI): known as the high-definition serial digital interface (HD-SDI), is standardized in SMPTE 292M; this provides a nominal data rate of 1.485 Gbit/s.

2. Sort by Lens

• Wide-angle Lens: This type of lens allows more of the scene to be included in the photograph, which is useful in architectural, interior, and landscape photography where the photographer may not be able to move farther from the scene to photograph it.
• Standard Lens: also known as a “normal lens”, is one that produces an image that roughly matches what the human eye sees, and which looks natural to the viewer. It sits between the telephoto lens and the wide-angle lens, which produce unnaturally zoomed-in and zoomed-out images respectively.
• Telephoto Lens: Telephoto lenses have longer focal lengths and are great for bringing distant scenes and subjects closer.
• Zoom Lens: Technically speaking, a single lens made up of multiple glass elements, can change its effective angle of view by moving certain elements within the lens as a whole. Visually, this gives the effect of “zooming in” or “zooming out”, while maintaining a sharp image.
• Pinhole Lens: It is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture (the so-called pinhole) — effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side.

3. Sort by Imaging

• Color Camera Module
• Black and White Camera Module
• Infrared Camera Module

4. Sort by Sensor Type

• CCD Camera Module (Charge-coupled Device)
• CMOS Camera Module (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)

For more detail you want to know about the difference between CCD and CMOS, please refer to the post: CMOS VS CCD, Which Performs a Better Vision?

5. Sort by Focus

• Fixed Focus Camera Module: A photographic lens for which the focus is not adjustable is called a fixed-focus lens or sometimes focus-free.
• Auto Focus Camera Module: An autofocus (or AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system, and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area.
• Zoom Camera Module.

6. Sort by Sensor Package

• Chip Scale Package (CPS)： A chip-scale package or chip-scale package (CSP) is a type of integrated circuit package. check more on Wiki about Chip Scale Package.
• (COB)： Chip on board (COB) is a method of circuit board manufacturing in which the integrated circuits (e.g. microprocessors) are attached (wired, bonded directly) to a printed circuit board, and covered by a blob of epoxy. By eliminating the packaging of individual semiconductor devices, the completed product can be more compact, lighter, and less costly. Check more on Wiki about Chip on board.

Original blog post from VisonMeta.