The new Sony IMX500 Intelligent Vision series of image sensors contain AI image analysis systems directly on the chip, which opens up some new, and faster abilities for cameras. Sony’s new Intelligent Vision IMX500 series chips offer capabilities that are only limited by the imagination. Image: Sony Electronics The announcement describes two new Intelligent Vision CMOS chip models, the Sony IMX500 and IMX501. From what I can tell these are the same base chip, except that the 500 is the bare chip product, whilst the 501 is a packaged product. They are both 1/2.3” type chips with 12.3 effective megapixels. It seems clear that the one of the primary markets for the new chip is for security and system cameras. However having AI processes on the chip offers up some exciting new possibilities for future video cameras, particularly those mounted on drones or in action cameras like a GoPro or Insta 360. Sony’s new Intelligent Vision IMX500 series chips. The IMX500 on the left, the IMX501 on the right. Image: Sony Electronics What can the Sony IMX500 sensor do? One prominent ability of the new chip lies in functions such as object or person identification. This could be via tracking such objects, or in fact actually identifying them. Output from the new chip doesn’t have to be in image form either. Metadata can be output so that it can simply send a description of what it sees without the accompanying visual image. This can reduce the data storage requirement by...
Published By: CineD - Thursday, 21 May, 2020