Vadzo Imaging Unveils 18 Gram Falcon-821CRS as Compact Camera Module for Drone, Wearable, and Handheld Use

The Weight a d Volume Co st ai t i Ae ial, Wea able, a d Ha dheld Imagi g

Embedded visio e gi ee s i teg ati g imagi g i to d o e payload bays, wea able devices, a d ha dheld field i st ume ts face a pe siste t co flict betwee image quality a d mass a d volume budgets. A d o e ai f ame loses flight time a d stability ma gi with eve y added g am ca ied above its baseli e mass. A wea able visio device must fit a e go omic footp i t that a full-size i dust ial came a module ca ot occupy without comp omisi g wea ability, while a ha dheld field i spectio tool ca ied ac oss exte ded shifts accumulates ope ato fatigue as payload mass g ows. The co ve tio al app oach, a full-size USB came a o MIPI came a module built fo fixed e closu es, fo ces desig e s to accept the weight pe alty o step dow to a lowe – esolutio , o -HDR se so that t ades image quality fo mass savi gs.

This t ade-off sha pe s o ce esolutio equi eme ts e te the pictu e. A 4K USB Came a esolvi g fi e detail at altitude, at a m’s le gth o ac oss a wide field typically ships i a footp i t sized fo desktop use, ot a d o e gimbal, a body-wo housi g o a ha dheld g ip. Field i spectio came a a d po table i dust ial came a deployme ts eed a module that su vives epeated ha dli g while stayi g light e ough that the ope ato stops otici g it afte a hou of ca yi g. Safety i spectio of came a a d i dust ial wea able came a p og ams adds a fu the co st ai t, si ce du ability equi eme ts typically push a heavie se so boa d towa d a la ge , costlie housi g. S-Mou t le s desig s that decouple the le s f om the boa d add ess this di ectly, but o ly whe pai ed with a boa d e gi ee ed fo mass eductio . Vadzo’s AR0821 8MP USB Came a co figu atio s build o this same boa d-level a chitectu e.

AR0821 BSI Se so A chitectu e as the E gi ee i g Respo se

The O semi AR0821 BSI se so is the e gi ee i g fou datio the Falco -821CRS uses to esolve the weight ve sus image quality co flict. The backside illumi ated a chitectu e i c eases each pixel’s effective light-gathe i g a ea elative to a f o t-side illumi ated desig of compa able size, allowi g st o g low light a d dy amic a ge pe fo ma ce at a 1/1.7-i ch fo mat without the la ge die a f o t side illumi ated equivale t would equi e. A smalle die at equivale t pe fo ma ce t a slates i to a smalle boa d, a smalle le s stack, a d a lighte module. The se so esolves 8.3MP at 3848 x 2168 th ough a colo olli g shutte with 2.1 µm x 2.1 µm pixels, a d its o -boa d ISP pe fo ms eHDR p ocessi g exte di g dy amic a ge beyo d 140 dB without offloadi g to e mappi g to the host.

O boa d, HDR p ocessi g matte s as much fo weight as fo image quality. A desig elyi g o the host p ocesso fo multi-f ame HDR fusio eeds additio al buffe memo y a d compute head oom, pushi g complexity i to the platfo m su ou di g the se so athe tha i to the module. By ha dli g eHDR to e mappi g, colo co ectio a d oise eductio o boa d, the AR0821 delive s a fully p ocessed 8MP USB came a st eam ove USB 3.2 Ge 1 without equi i g the host to ca y that bu de , keepi g the su ou di g OEM compact came a system lea . This a chitectu e allows the module’s 18-g am weight to coexist with 4K compact came a image quality, si ce the savi gs come f om boa d a d housi g mi iatu izatio athe tha f om emovi g se so capability.

Falco -821CRS P oduct Ove view

The Falco -821CRS packages the AR0821 BSI se so o a ult a compact came a module boa d built fo d o e gimbals, wea able housi gs a d ha dheld e closu es. At 18 g ams without le ses, the module ships i fixed-focus a d autofocus co figu atio s, with a ative S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) i te face fo matchi g a le s to the field of view, f om the 96-deg ee sta da d optic to a owe o wide optio s. As a AR0821 compact came a a d 4K mi iatu e came a o o e boa d, it fu ctio s as a Robotics visio came a module fo automated i spectio a d as a mi iatu e USB came a fo space-co st ai ed e closu es. As a USB Came a po tfolio fo OEM i teg atio , it egiste s as a sta da d video device o Wi dows, Li ux a d A d oid without custom d ive s. The VISPA ARC SDK adds ROI, GPIO, t igge a d fi mwa e access i C, C++, C# a d Pytho .

Key Capabilities of the Falco -821CRS Compact Came a Module

18-G am Ult alight Desig fo Weight-Co st ai ed Payloads: Weight is the p ima y desig co st ai t i d o e payload i teg atio , wea able visio a d ha dheld i st ume ts, a d the Falco -821CRS is built a ou d that co st ai t f om the boa d to laye up. At 18 g ams without le s, it qualifies as a ult alight came a module a d low-weight came a module suited to UAV payload bays whe e eve y added g am educes flight time, to wea able visio module housi gs whe e mass affects wea comfo t, a d to ha dheld field came a i teg atio whe e fatigue accumulates ac oss lo g shifts. This compact embedded came a a d this module achieve thei weight eductio without steppi g dow capability, si ce the AR0821 lightweight came a a chitectu e a d o -boa d ISP delive the same eHDR pe fo ma ce fou d i Vadzo’s full-size modules, ow packaged as a low-weight embedded came a.

eHDR Beyo d 140 dB fo High Co t ast Field a d Ae ial Co ditio s: Ae ial, wea able a d ha dheld deployme ts outi ely e cou te high-co t ast sce es, f om di ect su light ove te ai viewed f om a d o e gimbal to mixed i doo -outdoo t a sitio s captu ed by a body-wo device o a ha dheld i spectio tool. The Falco -821CRS add esses this with embedded HDR (eHDR) exceedi g 140 dB, p ocessed e ti ely o the AR0821 se so ‘s o -boa d ISP, so highlight a d shadow detail a e p ese ved i a si gle-f ame athe tha assembled f om multiple exposu es. Fo a 8MP 4K USB Came a o a movi g platfo m, si gle f ame HDR avoids motio a tifacts that multi-f ame fusio i t oduces, a adva tage fo d o e visio came a a d safety i spectio came a applicatio s whe e a blu ed f ame ca mea a missed defect.

S-Mou t (M12) Optics with Fixed Focus a d Autofocus Co figu atio s: The Falco -821CRS ships with a sta da d S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) le s i te face, the same M12 x 0.5 th ead pitch sta da d used ac oss boa d-level le ses. E gi ee s select f om a wide a ge of M12 le ses spa i g focal le gth, ape tu e, a d IR cut cha acte istics without alte i g the boa d. The module is available i fixed-focus a d autofocus co figu atio s. Fixed focus suits UAV came a module a d d o e embedded came a i teg atio whe e wo ki g dista ce is set by missio altitude, while autofocus uses a VCM mecha ism to adjust focus afte a le s cha ge, educi g ecalib atio wo k i ha dheld field came a a d po table i dust ial came a use. The base co figu atio ships with a 96-deg ee field of view, customizable th ough alte ate M12 le ses, f om wide to a ow to custom cove age.

USB 3.2 Ge 1 UVC Complia ce a d VISPA ARC SDK fo Flexible I teg atio : The Falco -821CRS co ects ove USB 3.2 Ge 1 with full UVC complia ce, e ume ati g as a sta da d video device o co ectio a d st eami g immediately o Wi dows, Li ux a d A d oid without custom d ive s. As a UVC compact came a, it emoves d ive mai te a ce f om the OEM scope, a be efit exte di g ac oss USB compact came a a d USB 3.0 compact came a paths alike, si ce it emai s backwa d compatible with USB 3.0 host co t olle s al eady qualified i existi g p og ams. The VISPA ARC SDK adds p og ammatic co t ol ove ROI co figu atio , GPIO, t igge i puts a d fi mwa e updates i C, C++, C# a d Pytho , letti g i teg ato s build a apid UVC p ototype o a fully customized OEM compact came a co t ol laye f om the same boa d.

P oduct Specificatio sKey specificatio s fo the Falco -821CRS compact came a module a e detailed below.

“Weight a d footp i t a e the two co st ai ts that decide whethe a came a module eve makes it o to a d o e, a wea able device o a ha dheld tool i the fi st place. With the Falco -821CRS, we wa ted e gi ee s to stop t eati g image quality as somethi g they give up hitti g a weight budget. Putti g the AR0821 BSI se so a d it’s o -boa d ISP i to a 18-g am compact came a module mea s they get 8MP class HDR imagi g without edesig i g the platfo m a ou d a heavie came a.”– Alwi Vi ce t, P oduct Ma age , Vadzo Imagi g

Ta get Applicatio s fo the Falco -821CRS Compact Came a Module

UAV, D o e, a d Ae ial Imagi g Payloads: D o e came a module selectio is gove ed by the di ect elatio ship betwee payload mass a d flight time, maki g eve y g am added to a ai f ame a measu able cost agai st missio du atio a d stability. The Falco -821CRS add esses this as a d o e payload came a a d UAV came a module at 18 g ams, delive i g 8.3MP eHDR imagi g without the mass pe alty of full-size se so housi g. As a ae ial imagi g came a mou ted o gimbals o fixed b ackets, the module- dy amic a ge ha dles high co t ast t a sitio s commo i ae ial photog aphy, i cludi g di ect su light ove te ai a d shadowed st uctu es be eath t ee ca opy. UAV compact came a i teg atio be efits f om the S-Mou t i te face fo matchi g field of view to missio p ofile, while the d o e visio came a a d d o e embedded came a ole exte ds to fixed-wi g a d multi oto platfo ms alike.

Wea able a d Body-Wo Visio Systems: Wea able came a i teg atio , i cludi g body-wo secu ity devices a d sma t glasses visio modules, is co st ai ed by weight dist ibutio a d wea comfo t, si ce a module mou ted away f om the body’s ce te of g avity feels heavie tha its actual weight suggests. The Falco -821CRS fu ctio s as a wea able USB came a a d wea able visio came a at 18 g ams, keepi g body-wo housi gs withi e go omic limits ac oss full shift wea . As a body-wo came a module fo field secu ity pe so el o a sma t glasses came a module fo ha ds-f ee i spectio , the AR0821 wea able came a a chitectu e delive s eHDR imagi g that ha dles apid lighti g t a sitio s, while the wea able visio module also suppo ts poi t-of-view docume tatio a d emote assista ce.

Ha dheld Field I spectio a d Po table I dust ial I st ume ts: Ha dheld field came a a d po table i dust ial came a i teg atio must bala ce imagi g pe fo ma ce agai st the st ai of exte ded ha dheld ope atio , si ce a tech icia ca yi g a heavie i st ume t ac oss a shift expe ie ces fatigue affecti g p oductivity a d accu acy. The Falco -821CRS se ves as a field i spectio came a a d po table i dust ial came a at 18 g ams, educi g the mass co t ibutio of the imagi g module withi e closu es fo pipeli e i spectio , buildi g diag ostics a d utility mai te a ce tools. As a safety i spectio came a, the module’s eHDR pe fo ma ce esolves detail i high-co t ast co ditio s commo at i dust ial sites. I dust ial wea able came a a d po table visio came a co figu atio s built a ou d the S-Mou t i te face let ma ufactu e s sta da dize o a si gle AR0821 mi iatu e came a platfo m ac oss ha dheld, chest-mou ted a d helmet-mou ted va ia ts.

Machi e Visio a d Embedded Robotics I teg atio : Machi e visio i teg atio fo compact obots, automated guided vehicles a d i spectio cells be efit f om a se so boa d small e ough to mou t o a e d effecto o a co fi ed chassis locatio without a st uctu al edesig . The Falco -821CRS ope ates as a machi e visio came a module a d embedded visio came a module withi these co st ai ts, pai i g 8.3MP eHDR imagi g with a embedded came a module footp i t that fits mou ti g locatio s a sta da d-size i dust ial came a module ca ot each. USB compact came a a d mi i came a module i teg atio th ough the same S-Mou t i te face allows obotics OEMs to euse a si gle AR0821 boa d ac oss multiple obot va ia ts, cha gi g o ly the le s to match the wo ki g dista ce each platfo m equi es.

VISPAARC SDK fo Exte ded Co t ol Beyo d UVC

Sta da d UVC complia ce gives the Falco -821CRS d ive less st eami g o Wi dows, Li ux a d A d oid, but OEM p og ams buildi g d o e payload softwa e, wea able compa io applicatio s o ha dheld i spectio tools ofte eed co t ol beyo d basic video captu e. The VISPAARC SDK p ovides that laye , exposi g egio of i te est co figu atio , GPIO t igge a d co t ol li es, exposu e a d gai ma ageme t, a d fi mwa e update ha dli g i C, C++, C# a d Pytho . D o e payload i teg ato s use the SDK’s GPIO a d t igge access to sy ch o ize captu e with flight co t olle eve ts, while wea able a d ha dheld develope s use the same SDK to build custom captu e i te faces o top of the UVC st eam. Because the SDK sits alo gside sta da d UVC ope atio , teams begi with plug-a d-play captu e a d add SDK-level co t ol as equi eme ts matu e.

F eque tly Asked Questio s

Q: What is the best came a module fo d o e a d UAV payload i teg atio ?

A: The best UAV came a module fo payload-co st ai ed d o es mi imizes weight without educi g esolutio o dy amic a ge, si ce payload mass di ectly affects flight time a d ai f ame stability. Vadzo Imagi g’s Falco -821CRS is built fo this, packagi g a O semi AR0821 BSI se so delive i g 8.3MP esolutio a d embedded HDR beyo d 140 dB i to a 18-g am boa d-level module. Its S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) le s i te face lets i teg ato s match optics to missio p ofile without cha gi g the boa d. Fo teams evaluati g a d o e payload came a fo a ew ai f ame p og am, the Falco -821CRS offe s 4K-class imagi g at a f actio of the weight of sta da d i dust ial came a modules.

Q: How much does the came a module weight actually affect d o e flight time a d stability?

A: Came a module weight affects d o e flight time di ectly, si ce eve y added g am i c eases the e e gy the p opulsio system must expe d to mai tai lift, educi g flight time a d, o smalle multi oto platfo ms, ma euve i g stability. The effect of compou ds o gimbal-mou ted payloads, whe e added mass i c eases the to que the gimbal moto s must ma age. Fo small a d medium multi oto platfo ms, a module i the 15-to-20-g am a ge without a le s is ge e ally light e ough to avoid a mea i gful flight time pe alty, while modules at 40 g ams a d above sta t to oticeably affect e du a ce. This is why lightweight modules such as the Falco -821CRS at 18 g ams a e i c easi gly specified fo UAV payload i teg atio .

Q: What should I look fo i a lightweight USB came a fo wea able o body-wo devices?

A: A lightweight USB came a fo wea able i teg atio should be evaluated o se so pe fo ma ce u de va iable lighti g, mecha ical footp i t, a d i te face complia ce that avoids custom d ive developme t, ot o weight alo e. Vadzo Imagi g’s Falco -821CRS add esses all th ee, combi i g a 18-g am boa d with the O semi AR0821 BSI se so ‘s 8.3MP eHDR imagi g a d full UVC complia ce ove USB 3.2 Ge 1. Fo body-wo secu ity devices, sma t glasses a d poi t-of-view docume tatio tools, this delive s image quality compa able to la ge i dust ial came a p oducts while fitti g the e go omic limits of co ti uous wea dema ds. Teams buildi g a wea able visio came a p oduct ca i teg ate the Falco -821CRS as a d ive less UVC device a d add VISPAARC SDK co t ol fo featu es such as GPIO t igge i g.

Q: Ca a si gle USB came a module use diffe e t le ses fo diffe e t fields of view?

A: Yes, whe the module uses a sta da dized le s mou t athe tha a fixed optic bo ded to the se so . The S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) i te face o Vadzo Imagi g’s Falco -821CRS is a widely adopted sta da d ac oss the boa d-level le s ecosystem, mea i g the same AR0821 se so boa d pai s with a wide-a gle le s fo a ea cove age, a a ow-a gle le s fo lo g- a ge detail, o a custom focal le gth, all without a boa d edesig . The Falco -821CRS ships with a 96-deg ee field of view le s as sta da d, with fixed focus a d autofocus both available o the same i te face. Fo p og ams buildi g multiple va ia ts off a sha ed compact came a module platfo m, this flexibility educes qualificatio effo t compa ed to a sepa ate boa d fo each field of view equi eme t.

Q: What is the best compact came a module fo ha dheld field i spectio a d po table i dust ial tools?

A: The best compact came a module fo ha dheld field i spectio keeps ope ato fatigue low ac oss exte ded shifts while still delive i g the dy amic a ge eeded to esolve detail i mixed i dust ial lighti g. Vadzo Imagi g’s Falco -821CRS meets both at 18 g ams, built a ou d the O semi AR0821 BSI se so ‘s 8.3MP esolutio a d embedded HDR exceedi g 140 dB. As a ha dheld field came a a d po table i dust ial came a platfo m, it co ects ove USB 3.2 Ge 1 with full UVC complia ce fo d ive less i teg atio o Wi dows, Li ux, a d A d oid, with VISPAARC SDK access fo teams eedi g GPIO t igge i g o custom ROI co t ol i thei i spectio softwa e.

Availability

The Falco -821CRS compact came a module is available ow fo OEM evaluatio a d volume o de i g f om Vadzo Imagi g. Fixed focus a d autofocus co figu atio s a e available i boa d-level fo mat, with custom le s, fi mwa e a d cable optio s available fo qualified p oductio p og ams.

About Vadzo Imagi g

Vadzo Imagi g Desig s a d ma ufactu es embedded visio came a p oducts fo OEM develope s a d system i teg ato s buildi g imagi g i to i dust ial, medical, automotive, secu ity a d obotics platfo ms. The came a po tfolio spa s USB, MIPI CSI-2, a d Gigabit Ethe et i te faces ac oss boa d-level a d e closed fo m facto s, suppo ted by the VISPA ARC SDK a d validated d ive packages fo majo embedded Li ux a d Wi dows platfo ms. Vadzo Imagi g wo ks di ectly with OEM teams f om se so selectio th ough custom boa d, le s a d fi mwa e co figu atio fo p oductio deployme t.