Canon 2011 Annual Report Download - page 31

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29
Unit, ¥82.7 billion (26.9%) to the Consumer Business Unit, and ¥27.1 billion
(8.8%) to the Industry and Others Business Unit. Basic R&D expenses not allo-
cated to specific business units amounted to ¥94.6 billion (30.7%). This focus
on R&D activities has cemented Canon’s high status in the field of intellectual
property. In 2011, Canon was granted 2,813 patents in the United States.
REINFORCING CORE TECHNOLOGIES
Canon is concentrating efforts on pre-competitive fields, involving research
that can take more than ten years. At the same time, the Company is contin-
ually bolstering activities centered on key components and key devices in
order to enhance the competitiveness of its products. In 2011, a telescope
equipped with Canon’s world-class ultra-high sensitivity CMOS image sensor,
measuring around 20 cm by 20 cm, made the world’s first video recording of
meteors in dark conditions with an equivalent apparent magnitude of 10.
MEDICAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
Canon is drawing on its imaging technologies, amassed over many years, to
diversify into the medical imaging field. Recently, the Company provided
Kyoto University with a donation to establish the Clinical Research Center
for Medical Equipment Development (CRCMeD), founded in 2011. Under the
Kyoto University/Canon Joint Research Project, the Center is accelerating
clinical research into the use of an optical ultrasound mammography sys-
tem in breast cancer examinations. Because it does not expose patients to
radiation, this method significantly reduces the physical effects on patients.
Our R&D base in the United States is undertaking research on genetic diag-
nostic systems with the aim of establishing practical applications for these
systems in the near future. In addition to the current joint research project
with the University of Utah, we commenced joint research with the
University of Maryland in 2011, in order to nurture future technologies.
In the field of factory automation, Canon is working to realize intelligent
robots for industrial applications. One technology being developed for these
robots is Super Machine Vision, which employs cutting-edge image recogni-
tion and image measuring technologies to realize vision that is superior to
human vision. Canon is also considering applying such technologies to the
areas of hazard prediction and elderly nursing care.
In addition, by applying Mixed Reality (MR) technologyȄan imaging
technology that seamlessly integrates the real and virtual worlds in real
timeȄCanon is aiming to commercialize development and manufacturing
solutions for application in design and manufacturing operations.
Canon succeeded in developing an ultra-
large-scale CMOS image sensor, which is
expected to be used in surveillance cameras
for night use and other applications.
Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc. is Canon’s base for
research and development of groundbreaking
genetic diagnostic systems in the United States,
where genetic diagnosis is gaining momentum.
Strategy Business Units MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Financial Section
24 36
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM