Content of Research / Hamamatsu Optronics Cluster

Research and development in the Second Stage

Construction of Support Environment for Human Activity

This work focuses on developing new devices and systems for recognition and support of human behavioral intentions or noncontact inspection by sensing human movements, stances, line of vision, facial expressions for upgrading the quality of life.

2-1 Visualization of Invisible Information by Wide Dynamic Range Measurement Concerning Luminance and Spectrum

Project Leader:
Professor Shigeki Nakauchi, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology

URL thttp://www.bpel.ics.tut.ac.jp/jp/

Human vision mechanism acts like a sensor that skillfully adjusts to a wide range of light and darkness to recognize object images and their background contrast. The new method for visualization of invisible is constructed by new algorithms and hardware studied from the human mechanism. This allows boosting the quality of images from the wide dynamic range CMOS image sensor developed in the first stage and upgrading the image of the camera to a higher level.

Another application is for near infrared imaging technology, which captures light not visible to the human eye, visualizes objects and enhances the signal from them. The technology will ensure traffic safety.

2-2 Effective Non-destructive Detection Technique using Integrated Imaging of T- and X-ray

Project Leader:
Professor Norihisa Hiromoto, Graduate School of Science and Technology,Shizuoka University

URL http://www.ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp/~dnhirom/index.html

Associate Professor Toru Aoki, Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University

URL http://www.nvrc.rie.shizuoka.ac.jp/vision-i/

Terahertz wave is electromagnetic wave with a frequency higher than used for cell phones and satellite broadcasts, yet lower than infrared ray. Terahertz wave has the unique property of resonating with molecules that make up the objects around us. The frequency of resonance is different with the object. So, terahertz wave has the ability to find materials or substances with non-destructive inspection, which is difficult for X-ray to find.

Development of imaging technology and device systems for spectroscopic imaging is done using both waves for new application.

2-3 Vision Sensor for Recognizing Motion Picture

Project Leader:
Associate Professor Hironobu Fujiyoshi

URL http://www.vision.cs.chubu.ac.jp

New vision sensor under development is capable of analyzing and outputting motion picture images in real-time. It is made possible by forming a camera with a vision sensor having LSI chip that outputs video data and metadata. Feature detection techniques of "HOG" and "SIFT" are utilized to find human with a formula for finding oriented gradient histograms in localized sections within the moving image.

The sensor analyzes the flow of people and vehicles. New camera incorporating the sensor, therefore, has great future prospects for many applications. They are intelligent surveillance cameras for searching video data, acquiring traffic situations from aircraft, and controlling all types of operation flows during emergencies, etc.

2-4 Development of Ion-light Multimodal Image Sensor and Application in Medical Field

Project Leader:
Professor Kazuaki Sawada, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology

URL http://icg.dev.eee.tut.ac.jp/index_j.html

Professor Susumu Terakawa, Photon Medical Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine

URL http://www2.hama-med.ac.jp/w3a/photon/photon1/index.html

New multimodal ion and image sensor under development is made up of arrays of numerous tiny pH sensors and arrays of optical image sensors. The pH sensor finds the amount of acid-alkaline of a substance and the image sensor takes the picture of the substance at the same time. These sensors are capable of measuring the accurate position of a substance and finding the dynamic state of the substance at that position on an acidity scale, and showing that dynamic state on a display. Light-pH Coupled Image Sensor

This work includes utilizing these sensors in medical fields such as for judging the dynamic state of cells, investigating the causes of diseases, and measuring pharmaceutical effects.

2-5 Autonomous Distributed Cooperative Ubiquitous Sensor Network

Project Leader:
Professor Tadanori Mizuno, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University

URL http://www.mizulab.net

New module having some sensors is under development. It has an ability of self construction of a special network of many modules spread over the area. The modules mutually help each other to communicate by utilizing either line of wireless or power line communication to make the network that finds out what is happening in the area and allows a speedy response to those circumstances.

The installed software of the network is flexibly updated to grasp circumstances more accurately and ensure efficient operation of analyzing and mining similar items from information yielded by the sensors and provided services to assess the current status.

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