Raspberry Pi AI Camera

Easily integrate artificial intelligence capabilities into your projects Raspberry Pi!

Thanks to the Sony IMX500 sensor, a revolutionary sensor that redefines image capture standards in the world of modern cameras!

The announcement of the AI camera for Raspberry Pi took place at Embedded World, a major conference dedicated to embedded technologies. The announcement attracted the attention of developers and engineers for its advanced embedded processing capabilities.

Sony's IMX500 sensor is the first of its kind to incorporate an artificial intelligence processor that analyzes images in real time without the need for an external processor or online service.

How is the Sony IMX500 sensor structured?

The IMX500 is structured with a stacked sensor combining an image sensor with a powerful DSP and a dedicated integrated SRAM. This means you benefit from high-speed, state-of-the-art AI processing without a round trip to a server.

According to Sony, placing the dedicated AI layer and dedicated memory just below the pixel layer has multiple advantages. They should be able to process the sensor data and perform the analysis "in-house" by the AI almost instantaneously. Sony quotes a figure of 3.1 milliseconds for object recognition.

With its 12.3-megapixel resolution, this 7.857 mm (type 1/2.3) sensor sets the benchmark with its 1.55 µm × 1.55 µm pixels, optimized for sharp, detailed image capture.

In terms of performance, the Sony IMX500 offers an impressive resolution of 4056 x 3040 pixels, perfect for applications where every detail counts. It incorporates an IR filter for optimum light management, and features adjustable manual focusing, allowing remarkable flexibility with a focus range from 20 cm to infinity. Its 4.74 mm focal length and horizontal (66 ± 3 degrees) and vertical (52.3 ± 3 degrees) fields of view ensure balanced, immersive image coverage.

With an F1.79 aperture, this sensor promises excellent low-light performance, while minimizing noise for clear, bright images. Although not infrared-sensitive, the Sony IMX500 shines in its ability to produce high-quality images via Bayer RAW10 output and YUV/RGB formats, also offering rich metadata and full region-of-interest (ROI) support.

This sensor also excels in processing thanks to its ability to handle input tensors up to 640 x 640 pixels with 'int8' or 'uint8' data types. It packs 83,884,880 bytes of memory, dedicated to firmware processing, network weights and working memory management, guaranteeing smooth performance.

On the video side, the Sony IMX500 captures at 30 fps in 2×2 binned mode (2028×1520 pixels, 10-bit) and 10 fps in full resolution (4056×3040 pixels, 10-bit), making it the perfect choice for applications requiring both speed and detail.

The sensor is compact, with dimensions of 25 × 24 × 11.9 mm, and its connectivity is facilitated by a 200 mm ribbon cable, compatible with 15 x 1 mm FPC or 22 x 0.5 mm FPC connectors. To top it all off, it's designed to operate in a temperature range from 0°C to 50°C, making it ideal for a variety of environments.

The Sony IMX500 is not just a sensor: it's an innovative, high-performance image capture solution that will satisfy the most demanding professionals.

What are the benefits in use?

As mentioned above, all calculations are carried out locally, with no need for an external service. As a result, this architecture offers enhanced responsiveness and performance.

The camera enables advanced on-board processing, compatible with numerous neural network models. This feature optimizes performance by off-loading the Raspberry Pi main processor, making it available for other tasks.

It also has an impact on bandwidth and energy consumption. Rather than sending the complete image, the device transmits only its metadata, which means sending just a few bytes instead of several megabytes.

Where can the IMX500 be used?

The AI camera is ideal for real-time analysis of the flow of people and goods. In industry, many use AI to detect anomalies on production lines.