Picture-perfect camera modules
Embedded cameras are often considered a necessity in mid-range and high-end handsets, and a driving force for handset replacement. Industry leader Lite-On Technology has almost 20 years of experience in the development of image technology products. In 2003, Lite-On began mass-producing phone camera modules and has since designed and manufactured hundreds of customized phone camera modules.
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Lite-On Technology started manufacturing one megapixel camera modules in 2004, two megapixel camera modules in 2005, and three megapixel camera modules and autofocus camera modules in 2006. With its roots in Lite-On, LITEONMOBILE will continue to invest in new camera technology in the future, helping to ensure that new products are rapidly developed and quickly implemented. – LITEONMOBILE has a strong R&D team, which can survey and develop new camera module technology. We also have our own automation team that can develop testing programs and equipment by LOM itself according to our customers’ requirements, says Leo Hsieh , Assistant Vice President of sales at Portable Image Devices.
Room for better image quality
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– The camera module business will grow at almost the same rate as the mobile phone and notebook market. The camera module attach rate remains stagnant although resolution will keep growing.
Besides resolution, the autofocus function is regarded as a key factor for increasing image quality, thus making it the next product focus of major vendors. Almost all major mobile phone makers are already rolling out camera phones with such autofocus functions, e.g. the Sony Ericsson W610i and the Samsung F338
| – Camera modules of the future will continue to follow the development of digital still cameras, e.g. higher resolution and more features such as autofocus, zoom, anti-shaking, video recording and face recognition, Hsieh explains. According to Hseih, two and three megapixel fixed-focus cameras are currently dominant in the mobile phone market, while high-end mobile phones are most commonly equipped with five megapixel (or more) autofocus capabilities. – This is still far below the resolution of many digital still cameras, which come with 8 or 10 (or more) megapixels and an optical zoom lens, so we still have room to improve the resolution and image quality. |
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Not only for handsets
Camera modules are not intended just for mobile handsets. In addition to mobile phones, camera modules can be used in a broad range of other portable devices, such as PDAs, webcams, Digital Still Cameras (DSCs), and wireless security cameras.
– Our customer base already includes some of the world’s leading mobile phone and notebook computer makers.
– I think major growth of the camera module business will continue to come from the mobile phone industry, but a growing number of applications will be using camera modules – for example notebooks, door phones, OFN (optical finger navigator), touch screens, and games. So, we may start finding more and more cameras around us in the future. The 20th century could be called the voice century, but the 21st century is definitely the century of mobile video, Hsieh adds.