Apple has printed a patent for a brand new picture sensor. The standout function is that the proposed sensor guarantees as much as 20 stops of dynamic vary.
What has Apple performed?
Apple has printed particulars of its patent for a brand new sensor in the US. The patent has the quantity US 12,342,091 B2 and was dated June 24, 2025. A patent provides the holder unique rights to make and use an invention. It additionally signifies that the patent holder can take authorized motion to cease anybody else from utilizing their invention with out their permission. Within the U.S., patents often final for 20 years.
What does the patent say?
Apple’s patent is headed “Picture sensor with stacked pixels having excessive dynamic vary and low noise.” The doc additionally explains that the sensor makes use of a 3-transisitor (3T), fairly than a 4-transistor (4T) design. It states that the sensor contains “3T pixels of a novel design that achieves excessive dynamic vary with low noise and with out the artifacts that may happen in typical 4T pixel arrays.”
Excessive dynamic vary
Apple’s patent says that the proposed sensor has a dynamic vary of about 120 dB. This equates to round an astounding 20 stops of dynamic vary. To place that in context, the industry-leading Arri Alexa 35 has a dynamic vary of 17 stops. This implies the Apple sensor would be capable of address a lot higher extremes of sunshine and darkish in a single picture.
How does it work?
Apple’s proposed new sensor makes use of what the corporate calls a “lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) circuit”. This delivers the sensor’s excessive dynamic vary by managing gentle overflow throughout three cost storage ranges. In consequence, it will probably deal with a variety of lighting circumstances, from indoors to shiny daylight, with out computerized publicity management.
Moreover, every pixel on the sensor has a present reminiscence circuit that senses the extent of noise. The noise can then be suppressed.
What we predict
Apple’s new sensor is an thrilling new growth. A sensor with 20 stops of dynamic vary might ship HDR photographs that will beat any cinema digital camera in the marketplace. The patent additionally guarantees photographs with low noise. An iPhone with this sensor might actually rival a “actual” digital camera. Additionally, the sensor know-how might be tailored for compact cinema cameras as effectively. Nonetheless, it’s vital to do not forget that that is only a patent at this cut-off date and might not be pursued. Hopefully, Apply does proceed its growth and brings this sensor to the market.
