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In 1987, during the analog camera era, Canon developed the BASIS bipolar amplification sensor as the focusing sensor for the EOS650, its first autofocus SLR camera. Recognizing the potential of this sensor, the company's engineers embarked upon a detailed analysis and enhancement project marking the start of the CMOS sensor.
Subsequently, Canon decided to use the CMOS sensor the company developed in-house as the image sensor in the digital SLR camera planned for release in 2000. At the time, imaging elements in Digital SLR Cameras requiring high image quality and high sensitivity were primarily CCDs, and the incorporation of a CMOS sensor was revolutionary.
Compared with CCD image sensors, although CMOS sensors generally offered the advantages of low power consumption, fast reading speeds, and low cost, their high levels of noise and poor sensitivity were pointed out as disadvantages at the time. To overcome these shortcomings, the company thoroughly reviewed all processes required for manufacture and developed a 4-transistor pixel structure and a correlated double sampling noise-cancellation system, thereby successfully reducing noise.
Meanwhile, it also became necessary to produce clean transistors with a leak current approximately 1/1,000th of that of transistors used in standard PCs and memory elements. Leaking of current is caused by heavy-metal contamination during the manufacturing process and irregularities in the structure of silicon crystals; however, the establishment of thorough cleaning and processing technologies for the removal of metal contamination paved the way for the launch of the EOS D30.

If the image sensor of a digital camera acts like film, then the device responsible for the development process that creates a visible image is the image processor. By the mid-1990s, digital cameras of other companies commonly used a microcomputer, which required several seconds per shot. Canon, in contrast, initially employed the LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) used in video camcorders to process video signals with a new additional LSI; however, there were numerous problems in this approach related to development workload and other factors. Then, in 1996, a project was launched with the aim of developing a single-chip system LSI for image processing, even though there were no formal plans for an actual digital camera product.
While microcomputers utilized von Neumann architecture for sequential processing, Canon adopted a different approach from the very beginning, instead choosing to utilize a unique architecture perfectly suited to all-purpose image processing. In addition, the project was likely the world's first to begin development using a C programming language, enabling rapid, high-quality verification.
One of the most important development objectives for the project was beautiful image quality without sacrificing processing speed. Compromises such as exploiting low expectations for the image quality of digital cameras or assuming that waiting several seconds for each shot was unavoidable were never considered.

1999 saw Canon's first image processor within an actual product, and in 2003, the third-generation image processor known as DIGIC was born. And then in 2011, the company introduced DIGIC 5, its newest image processor, offering improved noise reduction and further reducing noise when shooting with high sensitivity. DIGIC 5 also offers Multi-area White Balance functionality for optimal white balance performance even when capturing images in areas illuminated by two differing light sources within a frame, such as for flash photography, and further enhanced intelligent contrast performance.

DIGIC 5 Image Processor

In 2004, Canon introduced a new optical technology for its liquid crystal projectors. At the time, many conventional projectors used transmissive liquid crystal panels, which produced a lattice-like grid pattern due to the drive circuits between the pixels. In line with its emphasis on image quality, Canon made use of Liquid Crystal On Silicon (LCOS) reflective liquid crystal panels supporting high resolutions, which seamlessly blend individual pixels together to produce an image.
The difficulties in using LCOS stem from the difficulty in balancing brightness and size reductions with contrast. Canon set about resolving the problem, resulting in the birth of the unique AISYS (Aspectual Illumination System) optical system, which makes independent use of the vertical and horizontal directions of light from the light source used to illuminate the LCOS panel.
The first generation of AISYS, which was developed in 2004, succeeded in improving contrast by controlling light converging from the light source independently in the vertical and horizontal directions while maintaining the same level of brightness. At the same time, new color separation/combination and projection lenses were developed, making possible the realization of compact liquid crystal projectors capable of delivering bright images with high levels of contrast and excellent gradation characteristics. In 2006, Canon developed the second-generation of AISYS, which targeted improved illumination efficiency and high-grade image brightness. This succeeded in achieving both high levels of brightness and contrast while also realizing illumination uniformity.
The third generation of AISYS of 2008 combines elements such as a fly-eye lens and a projection lamp with superior color rendering performance in order to achieve best-in-class brightness levels using a compact, low-cost illumination system.
2011 saw the development of the fourth generation of AISYS. By reducing color separation/combination system size and refining optical design, Canon has significantly reduced the distance from the light source to the projection lenses while making further improvements to brightness.

Artist's Impression of AISYS

Mixed Reality (MR) is an imaging technology that seamlessly merges the real and virtual worlds in real time.
In 1993, Canon filed a patent application for a proprietary free-form prism developed by the company that was employed in a head-mounted display (HMD) launched approximately three years later.
In 1997, Canon jointly founded Mixed Reality Systems Laboratory Inc. with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's Japan Key Technology Center. Although Mixed Reality Systems Laboratory was dissolved at the end of a scheduled research term of about four years, Canon took over R&D for MR technology in April 2001 and since 2004 has focused research on augmented reality (AR) technology with development targeting manufacturing applications.
These efforts eventually led to the announcement in June 2012 of the launch in Japan of Canon's MR System, which went on sale the following month. Canon marketing subsidiaries overseas are currently considering the introduction of the system in their own markets.
As product life cycles grow shorter, manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to bring new products to market in a timely manner. The adoption of the MR System during the design process can reduce the number of prototypes required, shorten the amount of time spent on development, and even can contribute to minimizing costs and environmental impact.
Canon is also developing practical applications in various fields by customizing the MR System and related solutions for specific customer applications.