Science & Technology News from Japan - International Relations

Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
Confédération suisse
Confederazione Svizzera
Confederaziun svizra
Embassy of Switzerland in Japan
State Secretariat for Education and Research SER
and FM receive and transmit. CSR’s EOMIN technology results in a module that is tough and shock resistant,
highly reliable and features a significantly lower profile than competing, non-CSR-based solutions.
One Third Less Power Consuming LCD TV
Sharp Corp. will release new energy-efficient LCD televisions under its Aquos line. The new
TVs will come with 40-, 46- and 52-inch screens. The 46-inch model uses 145 kilowatt-hours
a year, which is 32.6% less than a conventional LCD TV of the same size and about the
same as a typical 37-inch set. Power consumption was reduced by improving the efficiency
of the backlight, which illuminates the LCD from the rear. And the TVs have a function in
which the intensity of the backlight changes based on how bright the room is, allowing for
less electricity to be used when the room is dark.
Bluetooth 8-Inch Color E-Paper Device
Fujitsu Frontech Ltd started selling a of the "FLEPia," a mobile information device equipped with
a color electronic paper display. The device features an 8-inch display with 768 x 1024-pixel
XGA resolution. Display colors and the time to replace a page can be selected from 64 colors for
high-speed replacement of menu pages. 4,096 colors for high-contrast viewing and 260,000
colors for displaying images. The battery can run the device for about 40 hours if a page is
replaced every minute in 64-color mode. It takes about three hours to charge the battery. The
viewer measures 158 x 240 x 12.5mm and weighs 385g. The latest model complies with
Bluetooth 2.0 specifications.
(March 23, 2009)
(March 23, 2009)
Parallel Image Codec System For HDTV Using Only PC
(March 25, 2009)
NEC Corp. developed a parallel image coding/decoding system that enables distribution of HDTV video by using
only a personal computer and software. The system is intended for use in personal computers equipped with a
multi-core processor. The new coding/decoding system is compliant with the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC standard. The
system re-performs image processing for the boundary areas of an image divided during parallel processing,
thereby significantly reducing noise in the areas. With a parallel computer having eight cores, the processing speed
can be approximately six times as high as before.
Technology For 50% Brighter E-Paper Device
(March 26, 2009)
Ricoh Co. has developed the technology for a color electronic paper that is 50% brighter than conventional devices
and can retain graphics even with the power turned off. Ricoh's new e-paper employs the same principles as a
color copier, using cyan, magenta and yellow as the base hues instead of red, green and blue. These colors are
created using electro chromic compounds. They typically revert to transparent when the voltage is removed, but
Ricoh has altered the molecular structure to create compounds with a memory property to retain their color. With
less glass, it is thinner and lighter than existing devices and the reduced light loss provides a brighter appearance.
Next-Generation Flat Panel-Production Postponed
(March 26, 2009)
Amid intensifying competition in next-generation flat panels, Sony Corp. is nixing a project while a joint venture of
Toshiba Corp. and Panasonic Corp. has delayed plans for scaled-up production. Sony will halt plans to massproduce
field emission displays through its joint venture with an investment fund. FEDs can display high-speed
motion with no blur and consume less power than LCDs, but have higher production costs than other types of flat
panels. Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co. has decided to postpone the start of commercial production of
OEL (organic electro-luminescent).
Longest Distance Bridged By Free-Space Optical Communications System
The Visible Light Communication Consortium (VLCC) of Japan succeeded in an experiment
in visible light communication between image sensors as receivers and LEDs used in a
lighthouse and a traffic light. When information was transmitted via a beam from the
lighthouse, the transmission speed was 1,022bps at a communication distance of 2km and
1,200bps at 1km. The distance of 2km is the world's longest of the distances attained by
free-space optical communications systems that use light sources with a wide range of
diffusion. Other experiments have also been conducted by using traffic lights as transmitters.
(March 26, 2009)
Science & Technology News from Japan, Template 2009 • Felix Moesner, Science & Technology Attaché Page 10 of 28