Many legacy systems initially relied on optical designs determined by older image sensors—such as 1/3” VGA sensors or 2/3” HD CCDs featuring pixel sizes around 6–7μm. While these systems were effective for their time, upgrading them to benefit from modern CMOS sensors is now a common goal. Newer CMOS sensors deliver superior sensitivity, lower read noise, and higher pixel throughput—alongside much smaller pixel pitches. However, this miniaturization often necessitates costly optical redesigns due to the physical impact of reduced sensor dimensions.

Enter Adaptive Resolution™—Adimec’s proprietary technology that digitally emulates legacy optical formats through programmable image scaling. This approach allows advanced CMOS sensors (e.g., Quad HD models) to seamlessly integrate with existing optics and interfaces, ensuring compatibility without compromising performance. In this blog post, we’ll explore how Adaptive Resolution enables system designers to maintain desired output resolutions while harnessing the advantages of cutting-edge CMOS technology.

Why Choose Adaptive Resolution?

The shift toward CMOS sensors has accelerated even in industrial and security applications, largely due to advancements in consumer electronics manufacturing processes. Modern CMOS sensors outperform traditional CCDs across key metrics:

  • Lower read noise: Enhancing image clarity at low light levels.
  • Wider dynamic range: Better handling of high-contrast scenes.
  • Improved local exposure management: Reducing artifacts like smear and blooming.
  • Higher speed: Supporting ultra-high-definition resolutions (UHDTV).

Additionally, CMOS scaling allows for smaller pixel sizes without sacrificing critical parameters such as quantum efficiency (QE) or charge capacity per unit area. While micro-pixelization offers benefits—such as reduced system weight and power consumption—it also introduces challenges:

  • Optical redesign: Smaller pixels require better optics to preserve modulation transfer function (MTF) and stability.
  • Potential dynamic range trade-offs: Though not always the case, DR can sometimes decrease at smaller pitches.

Adaptive Resolution directly addresses these concerns by enabling pixel interpolation that simulates legacy sensor characteristics. This preserves system performance—improving sensitivity, dynamic range, and MTF while maintaining field of view (FOV). The technology also adds digital zoom functionality—a key advantage for applications requiring flexibility without hardware upgrades.

How Adaptive Resolution Works

The core of this innovation lies in its 2D image scaling algorithm, which digitally resamples sensor data to emulate the desired output format. This process employs a cascade of poly-phase filters optimized for sharpness preservation while minimizing noise artifacts—effectively bridging the gap between legacy and modern sensor specs.

A Case Study: Adaptive Resolution in Action

To demonstrate its practical benefits, we compared two cameras using different sensors with identical virtual pixel emulation targets:

  • TMX7-DHD: Featuring Sony’s ICX674 CCD sensor (4.54μm pixels).
  • TMX50: Equipped with Sony’s IMX250 CMOS sensor (3.45μm pitch), emulating 4.54μm virtual resolution emulation via Adaptive Resolution technology to emulate a 4.54μm pixel size.

The comparison revealed minimal visual differences at full scale, but sharpness improvements became noticeable upon magnification—particularly in text details like the “Nieuw recept” text shown in Figure 3 (Figure 1 highlights how digital scaling preserves image quality without physical sensor replacement costs. This example shows that Adaptive Resolution delivers near-identical results while reducing system complexity and cost—a clear win-win scenario for designers balancing performance and economy.

Key Takeaway: Adaptive Resolution proves CMOS sensors can meet legacy specs economically, eliminating the need for costly optical replacements associated with pixel scaling in Figure 1 illustrates how this digital emulation preserves FOV and pixel dimensions—delivering a sensor-compatible upgrade path without physical redesigns or workflow overhauls.

Wrapping Up

Adaptive Resolution represents an elegant solution to the modern challenge of integrating advanced CMOS sensors into existing systems. By digitally preserving optical formats, it allows system integrators to embrace next-generation hardware while retaining legacy design constraints—accelerating upgrades and simplifying production workflows.

Last Updated: 2025-09-04 18:38:47