By ATN Editorial Team
Summary: LYNRED has launched the CAPT640 thermal imaging sensor, its first infrared detector qualified for automotive use, and will unveil it at AutoSens in Barcelona from 22 to 24 September 2026.
Key engineering takeaway: The CAPT640 thermal imaging sensor is a microbolometer detector with a 12 µm pixel pitch and VGA resolution of 640×480, certified to AEC-Q100 Grade 3 (-40 to +85°C) and meeting the IATF 16949 automotive standard, which lets LYNRED provide customers with a Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). LYNRED says it passed more than thirty tests across roughly 3,000 components, including temperature cycling at the extremes both powered and unpowered. Where the existing market consists mainly of thermal imaging modules, CAPT640 is marketed as a bare die, which LYNRED says allows it to be easily manufactured and integrated in very large volumes.
Why it matters: LYNRED says thermal imaging detects the heat emitted by living beings and objects to identify pedestrians, cyclists, animals or obstacles where a visible-light camera is hindered by darkness, headlight glare, backlighting, rain or fog. LYNRED describes the dual IATF 16949 and AEC-Q100 certification as a mark of confidence for automotive suppliers and manufacturers, with whom it is already engaged in several projects. LYNRED says CAPT640 will also help manufacturers anticipate regulatory changes currently in the works, including FMVSS 127, Euro NCAP, UNECE and GB, in the United States, Europe and Asia. LYNRED says the CAPT640 can be mounted in a camera located on the front grille, the windscreen or the roof.
This innovation will be unveiled at the AutoSens trade show in Barcelona from September 22 to 24, 2026 (Booth 152).
According to the World Health Organization, traffic accidents cause more than one million deaths worldwide each year, 53% of which are vulnerable road users (VRUs). Faced with this major public safety challenge, automakers are working every day to improve their obstacle detection systems in order to reduce the number of collisions, particularly at night when visibility is poor.
Alongside them, LYNRED, the European leader in infrared imaging, offers a concrete solution to these challenges: facilitating the integration of thermal imaging into driver-assistance systems. Today, the company is launching its first thermal imaging sensor compatible with the needs of automotive applications: the CAPT640.
Why Thermal Imaging Sees What A Camera Cannot
Where a visible-light camera is hindered by darkness, headlight glare, backlighting, rain, or fog, thermal imaging detects the heat emitted by living beings and objects to reliably identify the presence of pedestrians, cyclists, animals, or obstacles, regardless of lighting conditions or weather.
With more than twenty years of expertise in microbolometers and research partnerships, notably with CEA-LETI, LYNRED is now applying this proven technology to the automotive sector with the goal of promoting its adoption by automakers.
A 12-Micron Detector Sold As A Bare Die
CAPT640 expands the range of thermal imaging components available on the market for “night vision” applications. This 12-micron pixel pitch detector enhances the perception capabilities of driver-assistance systems. This technology thus ensures reliable detection of obstacles in the vehicle’s path, without requiring lighting and while consuming very little energy.
It converts naturally emitted thermal energy, focused by an optical system, into a high-quality digital image thanks to its VGA resolution (640×480). Combining a wide dynamic range with high NETD (thermal sensitivity), the result is exceptionally rich in detail and enables reliable long-range detection.
While the existing market consists mainly of thermal imaging modules, the CAPT640 stands out because it is marketed as a bare die, allowing it to be easily manufactured and integrated in very large volumes.
IATF 16949 And AEC-Q100 Grade 3 Qualification
With CAPT640, LYNRED has taken a strategic step forward by offering a component that complies with the automotive industry’s two main standards.
As a reminder, in late 2025, LYNRED became the first European thermal imaging manufacturer to obtain a certificate of compliance with the IATF 16949 automotive standard, a true mark of quality for product design and manufacturing, which the CAPT640 now meets. This enables LYNRED to provide customers with a “Production Part Approval Process” (PPAP) that complies with automotive industry standards.
CAPT 640 is also part of the very select group of products certified to AEC-Q100 Grade 3 (-40 to +85°C), an international standard attesting to its robustness and reliability under the thermal, mechanical, and electrical stresses encountered in vehicles. The product has successfully passed more than thirty tests across various production batches, covering a total of approximately 3,000 components, including, notably, temperature cycling tests at extreme temperatures, both during operation and when powered off.
This dual certification serves as a true mark of confidence for automotive suppliers and manufacturers, with whom LYNRED is already engaged in several projects.
From Night Vision To Automatic Emergency Braking
Suitable for use in night vision systems, the CAPT640 is already paving the way for much broader applications.
When combined with other sensors (visible-light cameras, RADAR, LIDAR, etc.), it can help improve automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems, advanced driver-assistance features, and future autonomous vehicles.
The CAPT640 can be mounted in a camera located on the front grille, the windshield or the roof.
It will also enable manufacturers to anticipate regulatory changes currently in the works (FMVSS 127, Euro NCAP, UNECE, GB, etc.), particularly in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
“With CAPT640, we are taking a major step forward in our growth strategy for the automotive market. For several years, LYNRED has been investing to adapt its long-standing expertise in infrared imaging to the extremely high demands of this industry. This launch represents a significant growth driver for our company and is accompanied by major industrial investments. More than 100 million euros have been allocated to the expansion and modernization of our Campus in Grenoble in order to double our cleanroom capacity and meet the future mass-production needs of automakers.” – Nadia Souhami, Director of Microbolometer Products at LYNRED.
CAPT640 Thermal Imaging Sensor: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CAPT640 thermal imaging sensor?
CAPT640 is a microbolometer thermal imaging sensor from LYNRED that converts naturally emitted thermal energy, focused by an optical system, into a digital image. It has a 12 micrometre pixel pitch and VGA resolution of 640×480, is qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 3 and made under IATF 16949, and is sold as a bare die rather than as a finished camera module. It is aimed at night vision, automatic emergency braking and wider driver assistance functions.
What does a 12 micrometre pixel pitch mean for a thermal detector?
Pixel pitch is the centre-to-centre spacing of the detector elements, and in a thermal array it sets the trade-off between resolution, optics cost and sensitivity. A smaller pitch puts more pixels in the same die area, so the sensor is cheaper per unit and the lens can shrink, which matters because infrared optics use germanium or chalcogenide glass and are a large part of the camera cost. The cost is collected signal: a smaller pixel intercepts less radiation, so sensitivity has to be recovered through the pixel design and readout.
What is NETD, and does a higher or lower figure mean better sensitivity?
NETD is noise-equivalent temperature difference, the smallest temperature difference a thermal detector can resolve before it is lost in the sensor’s own noise. It is quoted in millikelvin and lower is better, so a 40 mK detector resolves finer thermal contrast than a 60 mK one. It is the single most useful number for comparing microbolometers, because it sets how far away a pedestrian can be distinguished from a background at a similar temperature. LYNRED describes CAPT640 as combining a wide dynamic range with high thermal sensitivity.
Why does selling a thermal sensor as a bare die matter?
LYNRED says the existing market consists mainly of thermal imaging modules, in which the detector is supplied already assembled into a camera unit. A bare die is the unpackaged detector, delivered to be placed and packaged on the customer’s own line alongside the rest of the camera. That allows the module maker to design its own optics, thermal path and electronics, and it is the normal route for any component that has to ship in millions rather than thousands. LYNRED says marketing CAPT640 as a bare die allows it to be easily manufactured and integrated in very large volumes.
What does AEC-Q100 Grade 3 cover, and how does it compare to the other grades?
AEC-Q100 is the automotive qualification standard for integrated circuits, defining stress tests a part must survive to be considered automotive grade. The grades are ambient operating temperature ranges: Grade 3 is -40 to +85 degrees Celsius, Grade 2 is -40 to +105, Grade 1 is -40 to +125 and Grade 0 is -40 to +150. Grade 3 therefore covers the narrowest ambient temperature range of the four grades. Passing it involves batteries of tests such as temperature cycling, high-temperature operating life, humidity and electrostatic discharge, run across multiple production lots.
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