Canon 2002 Annual Report Download - page 9

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Interview with the President
employed in products launched during the year. Our newest CMOS sensor,
a full-frame 35mm image sensor for digital cameras, is featured in our
professional-use EOS-1Ds digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, which also
provides a stunning 11.1-megapixel resolution. We also developed the Color iR
Controller, an imaging system on a single semiconductor chip that serves as the
core device in our expanding lineup of imageRUNNER (iR) color digital MFDs.
Much of our recent R&D work is concentrated on nanotechnologies, such as
near-field optical technologies with the potential to improve memory media and semiconductor produc-
tion equipment. Nanometer-level technologies pervade a wide array of electronics products people use
everyday, which is why we will continue to pioneer new territory in years to come.
New Color Management Technologies
With more color images transmitted over networks and
output on different kinds of equipment, the need for
high-level color management has grown rapidly.
To respond to this need, Canon has been working on
color management systems for use throughout its product
lines and in color-measuring instruments used in R&D.
This system, based on actual color perception through the
human eye, ensures that images provided by our image
input and output products are expressed under a unified
color scheme. In other words, colors in images from Canon
digital cameras or scanners will be perceived in the same
range, whether they are displayed on-screen or output using a Bubble Jet printer, laser beam printer or
color copying machine, even though the technologies of these products are different.
We have developed a variety of color management technologies to date and are now continuing
our activities by defining color parameters based on perception differences in various regions. The results
are being incorporated into a database system for color measurement, assessment and simulation
accessible to facilities in the Canon Group. Using these color parameters, our engineers will be able to
ensure that every Canon digital imaging product presents the same high level of color reproduction
quality. Meanwhile, our customers can rest assured that the colors they expect to see will be delivered
by Canon, no matter which of our products they are using.
Corporate Governance for Corporate Health
Several financial scandals in 2002 have fueled debate as to the most appropriate method to ensure
good corporate governance. At Canon, we focus on maintaining high-quality management, as well as on
meeting the requirements of systems used to check financial reporting. Canon´s board members have
all been with the Company for 30 years or more and they have proven their reliability. This is why
Canon has always been proactive in its disclosure practices. We adopted the reporting standards of the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1969 and provide reports on our consolidated
performance on a quarterly basis. We also hold global conference calls with investors and analysts every
quarter. This stance, which has maintained the confidence of stockholders around the world, is the
foundation of our corporate governance and will remain unchanged.
Revolutionary CMOS sensor
for digital SLR cameras
Image matrix assessment is used to define colors for
the color management database.