Cover Story
DC Power Supply Is Trump Card for Energy Conservation
Spread
Welcome to the World of DC Power Transmission
Many Devices Around Us Already Work with DC Current
Part 1: General Discussion--Transmitting Electricity to All Users, from Data Centers to Homes, while Eliminating Conversion Loss and Reducing Power Consumption
The so-called “DC power transmission” concept, in which electrical power is supplied to devices as DC current, is gaining attention.Efforts to adopt this concept are being made in many areas, including data centers, offices, factories, stores, and homes. Changing to DC power transmission reduces the number of AC-DC conversions and also reduces power consumption through highly efficient conversion.With the increasing urgency for finding ways to help mitigate global warming, DC power transmission can become an extremely effective means. For data centers, introduction of high-voltage, DC power transmission at 300-400V may begin in 2009, while homes may begin using DC power of 60V or lower in 2010 as photovoltaic cells become more widely used.
Part 2: Development Trends--Market Formation is Just Around the Corner, with Standardization and Safety Being the Last Remaining Hurdles
Development of DC power transmission systems for all types of applications is progressing at a fast pace.Introduction of 48-V systems into data centers has already begun. Two major hurdles remain before the market can expand, however: the standardization of DC voltage and safety. Clearing these issues is especially important for data centers, which use high-voltage DC current (HVDC), and for homes.Resolving these two issues will bring the age of DC power transmission much closer.
Special Feature
Evolution of Capsule Endoscopes Aided by Electronics Technologies
From Observation Functions to Drug-Administration and Tissue-Collection Functions
All a patient has to do is swallow one. No pain.Areas that were previously unobservable can now be observed. With these advantages, capsule endoscopes will have a major impact on both patients and medical service providers.Development of such a dream device would not have been possible without the advent of electronic technologies, which will also help capsule endoscopes evolve further. To achieve the next-generation capsule endoscopes envisioned by both patients and medical service providers, it will be essential to fuse capsule endoscopy with various other electronic technologies.
JPEG XR Leads to Development of 8-Bit Grayscale Ultra Cameras
JPEG XR, a new image coding specification, will debut soon.This new standard achieves both a high compression rate and low cost.Many lessons have been learned from JPEG 2000, which was once touted as the next-generation JPEG standard but never caught on in consumer appliances.Another important difference from JPEG 2000 is that JPEG XR has the support of Microsoft Corporation.The true benefit of JPEG XR is not its high compression rate, however. Rather, it is its ability to help a user recover a botched photograph by accentuating its expressive features. JPEG XR eliminates the restrictions of JPEG, which is limited to 8 bits per color and a total of only 16.77 million colors.
Documentary
YokohamaScienceFrontierHigh School Opens (Part 2)
Sense of Crisis Leads to Curriculum Creation
Tutorial
EMC Support Becoming Complicated (Final)
Dealing with European Union’s New EMC Directive, with Deadline of July 2009 Looming
Electrical devices to be shipped to the European Union (EU) must often satisfy its EMC Directive.In this last installment of the series, we asked a corporate engineer who carries out various tests on electrical devices, including EMC testing, to provide an overview of EU’s EMC Directive.
Key Points of A-D Conversion Everyone Should Know: Session 6
Characteristics of Unconventional Left-Hand Metamaterials; Epoch-Making Applications Emerge
How to Read Data Sheets (Part II): In DC applications, the focus must be on noise characteristics
Up to the last installment, we explained how to read the data sheets of A-D converters for AC applications. This installment explains how to read the data sheets of A-D converters for DC applications. In DC applications, it is more important to understand the noise characteristics than the data conversion speed.
Academy
Session 14: Problems Caused by Exclusive Control
Keyword
Super Resolution
Promising as New Competitive Feature for TVs
Key Person
Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Chief Engineer Jun Ashihara: Our Goal Is to Develop Assistance Capabilities of Robots that Will Be Gentle and Natural
NE Interview
Yahoo! Japan, Digital Home Business, Vice President Hiroyuki Bando: We Will Continue Battling Manufacturers to Ensure the Evolution of Home Appliance User Interfaces
Yahoo is actively promoting the melding of the Internet with home appliances. The company has been pushing its Yahoo! Everywhere concept, in which Yahoo content is delivered to all types of display devices, including personal computers, TVs, cellphones, and car navigation systems. This campaign is being led by Hiroyuki Bando, who is a former Sony software engineer and was the general manager of the Business Strategy Department for the VAIO laptop computer.
World Report
From Korea: Fighting a Difficult Battle, Google Counterattacks with Map Service
News
- Five Overseas Cellphone Manufacturers Rank Standby-Power Consumption of Cellphone Chargers
- Two Ultracompact Projector Models Disassembled
- Why Sharp and Nichia Are Cross-Licensing Light-Emitting Devices
- Intel’s Halt of R&D on UWB Also Affects Related Manufacturers
