Silicon Valley semi-conductor company Canesta Inc. has developed a unique digital imaging technology, essentially a chip that is capable of imaging not only RGB information, but can also measure depth or distance.

Nytric was contracted by the company to produce a compact camera module utilising Canesta’s proprietary depth sensing and imagining technology that would prove the advantages of being able to sense and measure depth.

Nytric engineers developed a unique system architecture that incorporated the most advanced PCB technology in order to support the highly complex image processing chip. The confined spaced permitted for the device, plus the requirement for a rugged industrial design, led to an innovative solution that included mechanical, electronic and optical design components. The interface allows the camera and depth sensor to work seamlessly in tandem. This solution provided the high resolution and accuracy required to measure objects in 3D space. The RGB-Z Camera system is the result of the efforts of Nytric’s internal engineering team, and the product would be used to develop consumer and commercial products that require 3D vision capabilities where depth information can be attached to each pixel. One example: back-up cameras that can tell you how far you are from an object.

Some key features of the camera system developed by Nytric include: 

• An advanced 12-layer PCB
• Complex optical sensors for RGB and Z imaging
• Industrial design elements to create custom tooling  for the enclosure
• Unique power management system for optimal heat efficiency
• Developed, wrote and tested firmware and software
• Developed complex algorithms to track coordinates in 3D space