Pioneer 2011 Annual Report Download - page 16

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 16 of the 2011 Pioneer annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 56

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56

Pioneer Corporation Annual Report 2011
14
Research and Development
Pioneer is strengthening its core Car Electronics business by developing new technologies for next-
generation electric vehicles and promoting development in up-and-coming areas like head-up displays. As
part of our growth strategy, we are also accelerating R&D toward early commercialization in our priority area
of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting. In addition, we are working to build on the elemental tech-
nologies we have cultivated through our product development to date in such areas as audio and imaging,
optical, device, and fine processing technologies. At the same time, we are focusing on the identification of
new research themes that apply these technologies, and aggressively pursuing R&D in new business areas
like ultra-high sensitive HEED-HARP cameras.
OLED Lighting Technology to Enter
New Phase
The need for reductions in energy consumption
has become global in scale, and reining in the
amount of electricity used is an important issue.
Pioneer is carrying out R&D in OLED lighting,
which is seen having potential as a future source of
lighting, with the aim of creating lighting devices
that use little electricity.
Pioneer is developing lighting panels in which
not only the brightness but also the color can be
changed and adjusted, for use in a variety of situa-
tions, and the Company intends to commence
mass production in the summer of 2011. OLED
lighting panels use about one-fifth of the electricity
consumed by incandescent lamps, and contribute
significantly to reducing the amount of electricity
used in a device. In addition to vapor deposition
technologies, we are partially using a printing
technology jointly developed with Mitsubishi
Chemical Corporation to manufacture higher-
quality light source panels at a low cost. Pioneer
and Mitsubishi Chemical are carrying out joint
technological development to expand the scope
of application for this technology, and to supply
lighting panels at a lower cost.
Special features of next-generation
OLED lighting
1. Environmentally friendly, with low energy
consumption and containing no mercury
2. Flat surface, for uniform illumination
3. Slim design saves space