IMAGING Infrared

Based on a high definition ISC0901 microbolometer from FLIR, the Autoliv night vision infrared camera targets the high-end automotive market using two FLIR cores. Based on the solid first design from 2009, the microbolometer offers better performance in definition and frame rate. The camera also embraces the quality approach with a complex optical system and powers its night vision using sophisticated numerical processing based on an Altera field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and custom algorithm.

The Autoliv night vision camera consists of two modules, the camera and a remote processing unit. The system is made very compact and easy to integrate for car makers.

The ISC0901 thermal camera uses FLIR’s 17µm pixel design, optimized for automotive applications. Based on vanadium oxide technology, the ISC0901 microbolometer features a 336×256 resolution wafer level package, achieving an incredibly compact design.

The ISC0901 is the automotive version of a surveillance microbolometer. By using wafer level package technology to encapsulate the microbolometer FLIR offers the best price performance ratio.

This report is divided into two parts, one focused on the microbolometer and the second on the other systems. It is based on a complete teardown analysis of the night vision camera and the associated electronic control unit. Using this, it provides the bill-of-material (BOM) and manufacturing cost of the infrared camera. The report also offers a complete physical analysis and manufacturing cost estimate of the infrared module, including the lens module and the microbolometer itself.

The report’s final component is a comparison between the characteristics of the FLIR ISC0901, FLIR Lepton 3 and the PICO384P from ULIS. The comparison highlights differences in technical choices made by the companies.

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