Infineon, pmdtechnologies, ArcSoft Develop ToF Turnkey Solution
Infineon Technologies together with its Time-of-Flight (ToF) partner pmdtechnologies and the leading vision-based imaging specialist ArcSoft have started developing a turnkey solution that allows a ToF camera to work under the display of commercial smartphones.
“Time-of-Flight technology offers tremendous value for smartphones and in our daily lives by making electronic devices aware of the context in which we use them”, says Andreas Urschitz, Division President Power & Sensor Systems at Infineon. “In addition to our continuous technological achievements in terms of smaller size, reduced power consumption, and better 3D performance, our Artificial Intelligence-enabled and the secure under-display solution will provide a display design beautification for smartphone manufacturers.”
“To build powerful Time-of-Flight cameras, you need to have a deep understanding of the 3D data and how applications make use of it. That is why we are working closely with middleware partners and OEMs to provide them with best-in-class ToF-algorithms, software, and high-quality 3D data to build their application on. The solution, which we are jointly developing with ArcSoft, allows our ToF cameras to see through displays while still meeting the requirements for secure face authentication in mobile phone unlocking and mobile payment”, adds Prof. Dr. Bernd Buxbaum, CEO at pmdtechnologies.
“The implementation of 3D ToF in mobile devices promises to spark the next wave of killer consumer applications, which is exactly why ArcSoft is excited to work with Infineon and pmdtechnologies”, says Sean Bi, COO of ArcSoft. “By deeply integrating ToF cameras with ArcSoft’s computer vision algorithms, under-display ToF can bring reliable facial recognition solutions and a superior full-screen experience to consumers. Relying on under-display ToF, ArcSoft will also enable more applications such as AR related, which mobile device manufacturers value when deployed in support of new and exciting mobile apps.”
It will provide reliable high-quality infrared images and 3D data for security-related applications like face authentication and mobile payment.
The market for ToF solutions in smartphones is estimated to reach above 600 million sensor units in 2025 with a CAGR of around 32 percent from 2021 onward.
The new under-display solution will be available in the third quarter of 2021 and will be introduced during the MWC 2021 conference from June 28 to July 1.
