FRAMOS, Your Premier Sony Image Sensor Distributor 

As the heart of every vision system is the image sensor. This means you need to have access to the latest sensors and the broad sensor portfolio to best support your customers in their development of their vision projects. Sony’s AI-equipped sensors enable a diverse range of applications, from industrial automation to retail analytics, expanding the possibilities for advanced imaging solutions.

As a long-standing distribution partner for Sony for image sensors, block cameras, and OLED micro displays in North America and Europe, FRAMOS Inc. can fulfill all market requirements, including operations and service in Canada, with office locations such as Suite 200 in Toronto.

To find out more about this valuable partnership, we spoke with Darren Bessette, Senior Partner Manager for Sony, who represents our key suppliers within our organization while providing feedback about FRAMOS and its customers to them.

His more than twenty-five years of experience in various roles, from software development, system design, FAE, and sales engineering to product and line management, enable him to fully understand the application, product, and business requirements of our customers to ensure that the best advice is offered for each challenging situation.¯ In addition, he helps customers select the sensors best suited for their specific use cases, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility.

FRAMOS: Can you please provide an overview of FRAMOS’ partnership with Sony in distributing image sensors?

Darren: FRAMOS has been a long-term Sony partner for more than 40 years in Europe, and for the last 10 years has expanded to the Americas. This partnership has been very successful in not only providing sensors to our customers but also in supporting them to quickly implement them into their vision systems and camera products.

FRAMOS: What sets Sony image sensors apart from others in the market, and how does FRAMOS leverage these advantages?

Darren: The quality of Sony image sensors sets them apart from all others on the market. They provide better image quality with low noise, which is sought after by many. They listen to their customers and create specific sensors that include unique features that target specific applications like security and surveillance, machine vision, and factory automation markets, just to name a few. In addition, Sony sensors are developed through advanced R&D, resulting in significant differences between sensor generations, such as improved pixel size, speed, and functions like AI processing. The addition of BSI (Backside-Illuminated) technology enhances light sensitivity and image quality. Sony’s global shutter sensors enable high-speed, distortion-free capture of moving objects, which is especially beneficial in situations involving motion, such as traffic or industrial inspection. Depending on the application, customers can choose between global and rolling shutter technologies to eliminate motion artifacts or optimize for cost. The transition from CCD to CMOS sensors has enabled higher speed, lower noise, and better cost optimization for industrial imaging. The chip architecture, including parallel A/D conversion and row-by-row readout, further improves performance and image data handling. The freedom provided by Sony sensors allows users and manufacturers to innovate and capture high-resolution images naturally, while the diverse range of pixels and pixel sizes impacts resolution and application suitability. These sensors are enabling advanced imaging features such as low-light performance, 3D imaging, and real-time AI processing, making them suited for a wide variety of industry applications.

FRAMOS: What specific benefits does FRAMOS gain as the official distributor of Sony image sensors?

Darren: FRAMOS gains inside access to the greatest and latest sensors ahead of many others, while receiving more in-depth knowledge on how they work, directly from the Sony engineers who designed them. One of the privileges we get is that we hear about and gain access to the latest sensors to hit the market along with being provided with a rich portfolio of products that include imagers found in their industrial, automotive, consumer, and security divisions. This includes sensors for industrial image processing, which offer high resolution, short exposure times, and advanced functions for demanding applications.

This allows us to be more flexible in how we solve our customers’ vision needs and requirements by using devices that were designed for other markets which may not be suggested directly by Sony or other distributors.

FRAMOS: How does the partnership with Sony enhance FRAMOS’ customers in increasing their competitiveness in the market?

Darren: We are sensor experts so we can understand our customers’ needs and make suggestions on the best combination of products to address their requirements during their design stage. As they progress into production, we provide the best prices that leverage our full buying power from Sony, optimizing cost for our customers.

Our large warehouses are strategically located around the world and are leveraged to keep lead times short. They are also Sony certified meaning that they successfully passed Distribution Quality Audit based on Requirements for Semiconductor Products performed yearly by Sony.  

We can store, repack, dropship, and/or adjust deliveries to match our customer production needs.  

FRAMOS: Can you share any examples that highlight the impact of Sony image sensors on FRAMOS’ clients and their projects?

Darren: Because of our Sony partnership, we provide the best sensors in the world to our customers, and we get the best images out of them by leveraging our broad knowledge of camera design and image processing. We know how to combine the best sensors with the right lenses, lighting, filters, and back-end processing algorithms to achieve the best image output for every application. Sony sensors are enabling the capture of high-speed images and data, which is critical for applications like motion analysis and object inspection. The high resolution and advanced pixel technology allow for detailed imaging and accurate detection of objects in industrial and traffic monitoring scenarios. Selecting the right sensor, suited for the application, ensures optimal performance and image quality.

FRAMOS: How does FRAMOS ensure the availability and accessibility of Sony image sensors to its customers?

Darren: The way we achieve availability and accessibility is through very accurate forecasting and planning for the sometimes unknown or unforeseen demands of our broad customer portfolio.  Also, our multiple warehouses allow us to store a large supply of sensors to manage the ebbs and flows of the ever-changing customer demands across various geographical locations. This includes Canada, where we maintain a strong presence to support local industry needs.

FRAMOS: In what ways does FRAMOS support its customers in integrating and utilizing Sony image sensors effectively?

Darren: We do this by providing the best sensor selection for our customers’ applications and then matching them with the best peripherals. We have extensive knowledge in camera design and development and use it to ensure our customers finish with a successful product. And lastly, we are very flexible with managing our inventory stock levels to work within their ever-changing production cycles and delivery times throughout our customers’ product life cycles. Our technical support covers a diverse range of sensor types, including Contact Image Sensors (CIS) for close-range scanning, and we encourage customers to contact us for tailored business solutions.

FRAMOS: How does FRAMOS collaborate with Sony to improve and provide new technologies and developments in image sensors?

Darren: We are constantly providing market feedback, customer feedback, and suggestions for adding new features and technologies as imaging marketing evolves over time. The input we give today will drive the sensor designs of tomorrow. Sony sensors are developed in parallel with evolving market needs, incorporating significant differences in functions, such as AI processing, innovative triggers, and enhanced light sensitivity. The chip design, including stacked CMOS architecture, enables compactness and advanced features. Technical specifications, such as sensitivity thresholds, are defined by industry standards to ensure reliability and performance. The architecture of these sensors, with pixels organized in rows and parallel A/D conversion, allows for high-speed, low-noise image data processing. The addition of features like BSI technology and global shutter further enhances performance, enabling distortion-free imaging of fast-moving objects. The importance of pixel size, speed, and resolution is evident in applications requiring detailed spatial imaging, such as machine vision and surveillance. Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, utilizing the flight of light, play a key role in depth perception and 3D imaging. Depending on the application, customers can select sensors with global or rolling shutters to best suit their needs. These innovations are enabling a new level of freedom for users and manufacturers to capture creative and high-quality images across a diverse range of industry scenarios.

FRAMOS: What kind of technical support or resources does FRAMOS provide to customers who are using Sony image sensors?

Darren: As a sensor expert, we understand our customers’ needs and suggest the best products to fulfill them. Our partnership with Sony provides us early access to the best and most advanced sensors being made in the world which we share with our customers early on. Our teams not only support our customers by answering their technical questions but can also help design, develop, and manufacture their imaging products. Finally, we can adapt to their changing production needs by storing, packing, or drop shipping products to anywhere in the world. We also assist with optimizing image data processing by helping customers select regions of interest (ROIs) to reduce data size and increase processing speed. Our support covers a wide range of sensor technologies, including cmos sensors, BSI, and global shutter sensors, ensuring that customers benefit from the latest advancements in light detection, pixel architecture, and cost-effective system design.

FRAMOS: Looking ahead, what are the prospects and goals for FRAMOS’ partnership with Sony in image sensor distribution and innovation?

Darren: Being able to provide more manufacturing and brand solutions to our customers. By using our imaging experts, we can work with customers to review their imaging designs and ensure that they are manufactured with the highest quality and yields. We can quickly identify manufacturing issues and address them rapidly with our in-house engineering teams to keep the production lines moving. We’re excited to making latest and innovative imaging technology from Sony easily understandable and accessible to our customers. As the industry continues to evolve, we anticipate even greater integration of advanced functions, higher speed, and improved resolution, enabling new applications and greater freedom for our customers to innovate.