According toInfineon, it is the only supplier worldwide to provide the image sensor chip in accordance with Google's requirements. Based on the time-of-flight principle, the 3D image sensor chip "Real3" enables a three-dimensional image of the surroundings in real time.

"With the Tango-enabled 'Phab2 Pro', we are entering a whole new era of mobile applications," said Hua Zhang, Vice President, Lenovo Android/Chrome Computing Business Group. "Infineon's Real3 image sensor chip is a core component for Lenovo's Phab2 Pro." Thanks to its capabilities, the smartphone enables direct access to augmented reality: it reacts to changes in position through motion tracking, depth perception measures the distance of objects and spatial learning allows the device to recognize locations once they have been detected, the statement continues.

"The ability of devices to see in three dimensions will lead to a multitude of new applications for end consumers and in the automotive industry," adds Jochen Hanebeck, President of the Automotive Division at Infineon. "Depth perception and motion tracking, as used by Tango devices today, can also be used for driver monitoring or gesture recognition in vehicles."

The functional principle of Time-of-Flight

The image sensor chip comes from Graz in Austria. This is where Infineon develops semiconductor solutions for analog and digital signal processing with high data rates. The image sensor chip combines pixel matrix, control circuit, ADCs and the digital high-speed interface on a single chip. It was developed together with Pmdtechnologies, a leading provider of time-of-flight technology.

How it works: The detection of the environment is based on infrared light. For each pixel, the 3D image sensor chip measures the time it takes for the emitted light to travel from the camera to the object and back again. In addition, each pixel records the brightness values of the object. Compared to other methods, Pmdtechnologies' ToF technology offers the best spatial resolution and maximum robustness - both mechanically and with regard to background light, Infineon explains the collaboration. The Cloud: Nevertheless, it has the lowest power consumption and the smallest dimensions.

At the Google developer conference "Google I/O", Infineon's involvement in the Soli project already attracted attention: Google and Infineon had developed a sensor chip that enables gesture recognition. The Soli project uses 60 GHz microwaves, while Tango is based on the transmission and reception of infrared light signals. This sets it apart from conventional 3D imaging methods. These either use a stereo camera, which requires a minimum distance for triangle measurement and higher computational effort. Or they generate 3D images with structured light - but at the expense of a lower object resolution and higher material costs.