IN Brief:
- The 12 MP OG12S10 uses 3.45 µm backside illuminated global shutter pixels in a 1.1-inch optical format.
- It reaches 75 fps, supports 1 µs exposure and provides 74 dB dynamic range using dual conversion gain HDR.
- OMNIVISION specifies 60% quantum efficiency at 850 nm and 40% at 940 nm, with sampling due in November 2026.
OMNIVISION has introduced the OG12S10, a 12 MP backside illuminated global shutter CMOS image sensor built around 3.45 µm pixels for factory automation and intelligent transport systems that have to capture fast moving objects without rolling shutter distortion.
The device provides 4096 × 3072 resolution in a 1.1-inch optical format and operates at up to 75 frames per second. Its global shutter exposes the array over the same interval rather than reading rows sequentially, reducing geometric distortion when machinery, components or vehicles move during image capture.
OMNIVISION has reduced the minimum exposure time to 1 µs. That allows the sensor to freeze rapid motion where sufficient light is available, while its relatively large pixels and backside illuminated structure help preserve sensitivity during short exposures by increasing the amount of light reaching the photosensitive region.
The sensor uses the company’s PureCel Plus-S stacked architecture and includes dual conversion gain HDR. OMNIVISION specifies 74 dB dynamic range in that mode, together with a 20,000-electron full well capacity and 2.8-electron read noise. Dual conversion gain derives different responses from the same exposure so that bright and dark information can be retained without relying entirely on separate captures taken at different times.
That timing difference becomes important when the scene is moving. Multi-exposure HDR can produce artefacts if an object changes position between the short and long captures later combined into one image, whereas gain based HDR reduces the temporal separation between the information used to extend dynamic range.
Near infrared sensitivity is handled through OMNIVISION’s Nyxel technology. The company specifies quantum efficiency of 60% at 850 nm and 40% at 940 nm, representing a fivefold increase over its existing 3.45 µm product at those wavelengths. Active NIR illumination is common in industrial vision because it gives the camera a controlled source even when visible factory lighting, daylight or shadows change.
Shutter efficiency is specified at 106 dB, indicating how effectively the pixel suppresses unwanted charge generated outside the intended exposure window. In a global shutter system, insufficient shutter efficiency can allow bright moving objects or strong illumination to contaminate the stored image signal even though the nominal exposure interval is short.
The 12-bit analogue-to-digital converter provides additional amplitude resolution, while two output options give camera designers different routes into the surrounding electronics. The OG12S10 supports a 16-lane sub-LVDS interface at up to 1.1 Gbit/s per lane as well as four-lane MIPI, allowing it to fit systems built around dedicated industrial image pipelines or more integrated embedded processing platforms.
A 1.1-inch optical format also affects the lens specification because the optics have to cover a wider image circle while maintaining sufficient resolution across the 12 MP array. The larger pixels support sensitivity, but lens aperture, illumination, exposure time and depth of field still determine whether the available sensor resolution can be used in the finished inspection system.
The OG12S10 sits alongside OMNIVISION’s 5 MP OG05D announced on the same day, but the devices target different priorities. The OG05D places greater emphasis on compactness, HDR and frame rate, while the 12 MP device uses a larger optical format and larger pixels where resolution and low-light performance take priority.
Sampling is due to begin in November 2026, with mass production planned for the fourth quarter. OMNIVISION is also demonstrating the device at VISION 2026 in Stuttgart as part of a machine vision portfolio covering high-speed inspection, robotics and embedded imaging.
