Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation said it will release a CMOS image sensor called the IMX742 for medical single-use endoscopes. The chip is 1 mm square and has approximately 0.51 effective megapixels, and the company said it is the first in the industry to support digital output and data transmission through a 5 m cable, based on its own research as of the announcement date.
What the company says is driving it
Demand for disposable, single-use endoscopes is growing as a way to help prevent infections and to cut the burden of reprocessing and managing equipment after use, according to the company's announcement. Cameras on such endoscopes need sensors small enough for increasingly narrow insertion parts, along with better image quality and stable signal transmission, the company said. Sony said it shrank peripheral circuits, including the A/D converter, and used its own bi-directional communication to send control and video signals over the same cable, holding the sensor to six pins.
On-chip digitising and frame rate
Digitising image signals on the sensor allows lower-noise imaging than analog output and supports a frame rate of 60 fps, the company said. Sony said digital output also gives stable video transmission over a 5 m cable, which it says adds flexibility in how systems are configured. The company said the features are intended for the thin endoscope cameras used in bronchoscopes and ureteroscopes.
Shipment timing and product status
Sample shipments are planned for November 2026, the company said. Sony said it has supplied image sensors for reusable endoscopes and will extend its offerings to single-use applications. The release states that the product is not a medical device and has not been evaluated or approved for medical applications, and that it is provided as a component to be embedded in devices such as medical devices. It also states that the product is not intended for medical applications in Hong Kong and that the release is not an advertisement for it there.
