Finally, he will meet one of the tycoons of technology companies Apple and Sony in the next generation of the iPhone. And the result will definitely be impressive. It has been reported that Sony, the largest maker of camera chips used in smartphones and which Apple has relied on in all iPhones since its release, is currently working on the production of the third generation of XNUMXD sensors for Apple. Certainly, it will not be limited to Apple only, but will include other phones. These chips will equip the front or rear XNUMXD cameras.

The next iPhone may contain advanced three-dimensional cameras


Sony introduces a new generation of XNUMXD sensors

Satoshi Yoshihara, Head of Sensors at Sony says:

Cameras have revolutionized smartphones and I have the same expectation that 3D technology will have a clear impact, I'm sure of that.

He stated that Sony will produce large quantities of these chips to meet the demand for them. Sony has not confirmed precisely which companies are lining up to purchase their 5D sensors. However, it has been confirmed that Apple is interested in adopting these new devices. Apple's keenness on this technology is due to its compatibility with the augmented reality technology, which is of great interest to Apple. It also provides more detailed scanning of objects in the scene or XNUMXD models over a range of up to XNUMX meters using invisible laser pulses. In addition to sensing the depth, measuring it precisely, and improving focus when taking pictures at night. And Apple uses something similar to that in the front cameras in the Face ID system.


And that much optimistic view from Sony is due to the urgent need to add something exciting to the slowing smartphone industry. Thus, consumers find a compelling reason to upgrade their devices. The company is based in Tokyo and has provided a set of software tools for developers so that they can try out those chips and create the necessary applications.

Reportedly, Sony's new sensor differs from Apple's current TrueDepth 3D depth-sensing technology by increasing the resolution over the distance. The method Sony uses is referred to as "Time Of Flight", whereby laser pulses are sent and then measured to see how long it will take to bounce back, similar to what happens in self-driving cars.


How TOF or Time-of-flight sensors work

TOF or Time-of-flight sensor includes remote sensing units and distance mapping with very high accuracy. This sensor is used in many fields, including: depth-sensing technology, 3D imaging technology, augmented reality, object tracking, gesture recognition, object detection in the scene, measuring distances, and much more. These sensors are the best in its class for their high speed, as they work on the symmetry of light in the background, and it is surprising that its size does not exceed the size of the tip of a pencil.

Once that sensor picks up movement, the other sensors start working and then an orderly light comes along that calculates depth and surface information about objects in the scene.


It is worth noting that the Honor View 20 presented by Huawei already contains Sony's Time Of Flight XNUMXD sensors. Thus, the scene is scanned in real time, providing a powerful picture, as it is said.

And if this technology is incorporated into the next version of the iPhone, the Face ID technology will greatly develop and enable it to work at longer distances and with greater accuracy.


According to an old rumor dating back to last February, it was reported that Apple has made use of less expensive technology to provide iPhone 2019 devices with a rear TrueDepth camera. Instead of the method currently used in the front-facing TrueDepth camera, which uses 30.000 points to take a facial fingerprint, Apple may use time of light technology instead.

Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst, predicts that Apple's use of time of flight technology will not take place anytime soon. Because the current dual camera system provides sufficient information about the distance and depth needed to take pictures. Thus, there is no need for the new iPhone models to be equipped with this technology in the rear camera.

Do you expect Apple to introduce this technology and make it a major selling point? Let us know in the comments.

Sources:

ß / cultfmac / bloombergquint / techradar

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