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Sony’s IMX742 Puts Digital Imaging in a 1 mm Sensor for Single-Use Endoscopes
Sony’s IMX742 is a 1 mm square, 720 × 720 CMOS sensor for single use endoscopes, with 30 or 60 fps output and a planned November 2026 start for sample shipments. The sensor is Sony’s first product for disposable endoscopes, expanding its earlier supply for reusable scopes; it is a component for device makers, not a...
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Key takeaways
- Sony’s IMX742 is a 1 mm square, 720 × 720 CMOS sensor for single use endoscopes, with 30 or 60 fps output and a planned November 2026 start for sample shipments.
- The sensor is Sony’s first product for disposable endoscopes, expanding its earlier supply for reusable scopes; it is a component for device makers, not a finished or approved medical device.
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openai.comCreate a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: What is Sony Semiconductor Solutions’ IMX742 CMOS image sensor, announced in Atsugi, Japan, on October 22, 2026, with sample shipments plann. Article summary: The IMX742 is Sony Semiconductor Solutions’ ultra-small CMOS image sensor for single-use medical endoscopes, announced in Atsugi, Japan, on October 22, 2026, with sample shipments planned for November 2026.[4][8] It mark. Topic tags: general, general web. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks, charts with fake numbers, clic
Sony Semiconductor Solutions announced the IMX742 on October 22, 2026, as a CMOS image sensor for medical single-use endoscopes. The 1 mm-square chip combines about 0.51 megapixels with digital output and a claimed 5 m transmission capability; sample shipments are planned for November 2026.1
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6 It is Sony’s first product for single-use scopes, extending its earlier endoscope sensor supply for reusable systems.
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IMX742 at a glance
The back-illuminated sensor measures 1.00 × 1.00 mm and has 720 × 720 effective pixels. It supports 30 or 60 frames per second and uses a six-pin wafer-level chip-scale package (WCSP).1
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33 Sony is targeting narrow endoscopes, including bronchoscopes and ureteroscopes, where a small camera module and dependable image transmission are important design goals.
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How Sony fits digital output into a tiny sensor
A digital-output sensor needs circuitry to convert the pixel signal into digital data, in addition to the light-sensitive pixels. Sony says it miniaturized the analog-to-digital converter and other peripheral circuitry while retaining space for the pixel array, helping make a 1 mm-square design possible.1
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Sony also uses proprietary bidirectional communication to carry both video and control signals over the same cable. The company says this approach helps keep the sensor’s external terminal count to six.2
33 It is a compact interconnect design; the available sources do not establish a universal comparison with a particular number of signal wires in other endoscope systems.
What the 5 m digital-transmission claim means
Sony describes the IMX742 as the first medical endoscope CMOS image sensor to combine digital output with transmission over a 5 m cable.2 That distance was confirmed in Sony’s evaluation environment using AWG44 cable, according to the reported test conditions.
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10 It is a manufacturer test result, not a guarantee that every endoscope design or cable setup will achieve the same distance.
Sony says digitizing the image signal on the sensor enables low-noise imaging at 60 fps and stable transmission over the 5 m cable.2
24 The sources do not provide a quantified comparison of low-light performance against an analog-output sensor, so the claim should be understood as Sony’s stated product capability rather than an independent head-to-head result.
Why single-use endoscopes matter to Sony’s expansion
Single-use endoscopes are used for one patient rather than cleaned and reprocessed for reuse. Their adoption is associated with infection-prevention needs and with reducing the work involved in cleaning, disinfection and equipment management after use.6
7 Those are potential workflow benefits of the endoscope model, not evidence that the IMX742 sensor itself prevents infection.
A market forecast reported from MarketsandMarkets’ October 2025 research estimated that the global single-use endoscope market would grow from $950 million in 2025 to $2.67 billion by 2030, at a stated compound annual growth rate of 22.9%.11 These figures are projections, not confirmed market outcomes.
The sensor is not a finished medical device
The IMX742 is a component intended for incorporation into medical-device systems. Sony’s product disclaimer says the sensor itself is not a medical device and has not been evaluated or approved for medical use.15 Its intended use in endoscopes should not be confused with regulatory approval for a finished endoscope or imaging system.
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Sony’s IMX742 is a 1 mm square, 720 × 720 CMOS sensor for single use endoscopes, with 30 or 60 fps output and a planned November 2026 start for sample shipments.
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Sony’s IMX742 is a 1 mm square, 720 × 720 CMOS sensor for single use endoscopes, with 30 or 60 fps output and a planned November 2026 start for sample shipments. The sensor is Sony’s first product for disposable endoscopes, expanding its earlier supply for reusable scopes; it is a component for device makers, not a finished or approved medical device.
Sources
watch.impress.co.jpソニー、使い捨て内視鏡用CMOSセンサー 5m伝送とデジタル出力対応
sony-semicon.comNews Releases - Sony Semiconductor Solutions
news.mynavi.jp内視鏡カメラを1mm角へ、ソニーが5mのデジタル伝送に対応するイメージセンサを商品化
news.yahoo.co.jpソニーが使い捨て内視鏡センサー参入 1mm角で業界初5mデジタル伝送（家電 Watch） - Yahoo!ニュース
kunkoku.jpソニーセミコンダクタソリューションズ、医療用の使い捨て内視鏡向け 1mm角CMOSイメージセンサー「IMX742」を発表。業界初の5mデジタル伝送、有効約51万画素・60fps。 - ソニーが基本的に好き。| ソニーショップくんこく