Qualcomm's new depth-sensing

camera is surprisingly effective

Today Qualcomm Technologies is unveiling a new image signal
processor (ISP) and line of camera modules to accelerate depth
sensing in smartphones, XR headsets, and more. The Qualcomm
Spectra ISP is designed to communicate with your camera
module. Generally speaking, the ISP dictates the speed your
camera can focus and snap a photo, and the photos image
quality. 1st generation of Qualcomm Spectra ISP was integrated
into the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 835 platforms, which
allowed for beautiful photos in an instant. Qualcomm has
nd

presented new 2 generation Qualcomm Spectra ISP. It will

increase image quality and speed, but more importantly, its
designed for depth sensing in high-resolution and high accuracy
at very low-power.

Extra Features:
Superior photographic quality with multi-frame noise
reduction and super resolution
Improved camcorder video quality with motion compensated
temporal filtering (MCTF)
Inline gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) to
reduce unwanted vibrations when recording videos
Machine learning accelerated computer vision for advanced
used cases like face detection and improved bokeh
photography
Qualcomm is getting ready to define the next generation of cameras for the Android ecosystem.

It's adding three new camera modules to its Spectra Module Program, which lets device

manufacturers select readymade parts for their products. The additions are an iris-

authentication front-facing option, an Entry-Level Computer Vision setup and a Premium

Computer Vision kit. The latter two carry out passive and active depth sensing, respectively,

using Qualcomm's newly revamped image-signal-processing (ISP) architecture.

Of the three new modules, the most intriguing is the premium computer vision kit. That option is

capable of active depth sensing, using an infrared illuminator, IR camera and a 16-megapixel

RGB camera (or 20-MP, depending on the configuration). The illuminator fires a light that

creates a dot pattern (using a filter), and the IR camera searches for and reads the pattern. By

calculating how the dots warp over a subject and the distance between points, the system can

tell how far away something is. And since this technology uses infrared light, it can also work in

the dark.

The module can get very detailed, since it uses more than 10,000 points of depth and
can discern up to 0.125mm between the dots. This precision is important. There are
plenty of useful applications for depth sensing, one of the most widespread being
creating artificial depth of field in images. It can also help in facial detection,
recognition and authentication; 3D object reconstruction; and localization and
mapping, according to Qualcomm.
 Kinect Depth Sensor:
Depth sensing With higher depth fidelity and a significantly improved noise floor, the sensor gives you improved
512 x 424 objects and all objects more clearly, and improves the stability of body tracking.
30 Hz
FOV: 70 x 60
One mode: .54.5
meters