CMOS Vision Sensors: Embedding Computer Vision at Imaging Front-Ends

CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) are key for imaging technologies. These chips are conceived for capturing optical scenes focused on their surface, and for delivering electrical images, commonly in digital format. CISs may incorporate intelligence; however, their smartness basically concerns calibration, error correction and other similar tasks. The term CVISs (CMOS VIsion Sensors) defines other class of sensor front-ends which are aimed at performing vision tasks right at the focal plane. They have been running under names such as computational image sensors, vision sensors and silicon retinas, among others.