Image sensor

part · 1969 · Digital age

An array of photocells that turn light into an electrical signal (CCD, CMOS).

What it is made of

• Photodiode — has part. A sensor pixel is a photodiode.
• Analog-to-digital converter — has part. The pixel signal is digitized.

Principles and materials it uses

• Silicon — is made of. The sensor is a silicon chip with photodiodes.
• CMOS — uses. CMOS sensors.

Where it is used

• Smartphone camera — is part of. A CMOS sensor turns light into a digital image.
• Computer mouse — is part of. The motion sensor is a tiny camera.
• Thermal camera — is part of. A microbolometer array.
• Webcam — is part of. A sensor.
• Security camera — is part of. A sensor.
• Optical character recognition (OCR) — is used in. Scanning.
• Star tracker — is part of. A camera.
• Digital camera — is part of. Instead of film a digital camera has an image sensor.
• Trackball — is part of. An optical sensor of the ball’s motion.
• Dental X-ray — is part of. A digital sensor in the mouth.
• Mammograph — is part of. A flat-panel detector.

What it is a kind of

• Sensor — is a kind of. A sensor.
• CCD sensor — includes. A kind of image sensor.

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