Smart low-power CMOS cameras for 3G mobile communicators

The paper presents the concept of a smart multifunctional low-power camera for 3G mobile communicators and Personal Digital Assistants. The device is composed of an ultra low-power image sensor featuring a large intra-scene dynamic range and a high sensitivity, so as to ensure proper image acquisition under possibly severe illumination conditions, as encountered in mobile. Further embedded functionalities encompass low-power still image compression, and low-power face authentication for secured access control.