Hardware Architecture and Cutting-Edge Assembly Process of a Tiny Curved Compound Eye

Sensors

Stéphane Viollet⁵  Stéphanie Godiot¹  Robert Leitel³  Wolfgang Buss³  Patrick Breugnon¹  Mohsine Menouni¹  Raphaël Juston⁵  Fabien Expert⁵  Fabien Colonnier⁵  Géraud Lɾplattenier⁴  Andreas Br࿌kner³  Felix Kraze³  Hanspeter Mallot²  Nicolas Franceschini⁵  Ramon Pericet-Camara⁴  Franck Ruffier⁵ 

[1] Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7346 CPPM, 13288 Marseille, France; E-Mails:;Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; E-Mail:;Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, 07745 Jena, Germany; E-Mails:;Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; E-Mails:;Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France; E-Mails:

关键词: compound optics;    optical sensors;    active pixel sensors;    flexible electronics;    fast bus;    robotics;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s141121702

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The demand for bendable sensors increases constantly in the challenging field of soft and micro-scale robotics. We present here, in more detail, the flexible, functional, insect-inspired curved artificial compound eye (CurvACE) that was previously introduced in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS, 2013). This cylindrically-bent sensor with a large panoramic field-of-view of 180° × 60° composed of 630 artificial ommatidia weighs only 1.75 g, is extremely compact and power-lean (0.9 W), while it achieves unique visual motion sensing performance (1950 frames per second) in a five-decade range of illuminance. In particular, this paper details the innovative Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) sensing layout, the accurate assembly fabrication process, the innovative, new fast read-out interface, as well as the auto-adaptive dynamic response of the CurvACE sensor. Starting from photodetectors and microoptics on wafer substrates and flexible printed circuit board, the complete assembly of CurvACE was performed in a planar configuration, ensuring high alignment accuracy and compatibility with state-of-the art assembling processes. The characteristics of the photodetector of one artificial ommatidium have been assessed in terms of their dynamic response to light steps. We also characterized the local auto-adaptability of CurvACE photodetectors in response to large illuminance changes: this feature will certainly be of great interest for future applications in real indoor and outdoor environments.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.