Traditionally, contamination from camera lenses had to be removed either manually, limiting system availability, or using various mechanical devices that could lead to malfunctions. TI's ULC chipset, consisting of the ULC1001 Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and the DRV2901 Piezo Transducer Driver, is based on proprietary technology that enables cameras to quickly remove any contamination themselves. Precisely controlled vibrations are used to quickly remove the dirt, which improves system accuracy and reduces the need for maintenance. The chipset provides a compact, affordable solution that allows ULC technology to be used in a wide range of applications and camera sizes.

"With ULC, self-cleaning cameras and sensors can become widespread. Previous cleaning methods are not only expensive and impractical, but also require complicated mechanics, costly electronics and significant processing to detect contamination and perform cleaning," comments Avi Yashar, Product Marketing Engineer at TI. "With the recent proliferation of cameras in a wide range of applications, from automotive and traffic surveillance cameras to smart city applications and the manufacturing sector, there is an urgent need for a simple and cost-effective way to implement self-cleaning cameras."

The ULC1001 controller contains proprietary algorithms for automatic detection and cleaning, temperature detection and defect detection. As all this is done without image processing, the ULC technology is highly adaptable to different camera lens designs. Thanks to the chipset's small dimensions, it is also possible to enhance machine vision and image processing in a wide range of applications - basically anywhere where there is a risk of contamination of the camera or image sensor.

TI's ULC chipset enables the realization of lens cleaning systems without complex mechanical components and human intervention. In addition to its proprietary algorithms, the ULC1001 ultrasonic cleaning DSP also contains a pulse width modulator, current and voltage amplifiers and an A/D converter. Combined with the DRV2901 piezo transducer driver as a complementary amplifier, the TI chipset enables the implementation of ULC technology with a small footprint on a PCB area of less than 25 mm x 15 mm.