DoCoMo Future Technologies
Deep involvement in the launch of 3G has inspired us to create an infrastructure that will allow people and all kinds of objects to communicate a wealth of information. Extended systems will link the home, the office and any number of other locations to bring greater convenience to all aspects of everyday life. For the future, it is our aim to incorporate information gathered by all five senses to achieve an array of services far beyond anything envisaged to date.
NTT DoCoMo is already making rapid progress in such areas through a wide range of innovative research, building expertise and techniques as we move forward towards exciting new business opportunities.
Innovating dreams
Our goal is to create a broad array of exciting new services − services that will bring undreamed-of convenience to people everywhere.
In addition to Audio Barcodes and 3D Display System introduced in this website, cutting-edge technologies beyond the imagination are already under development. These include a system that makes distant objects feel like an extension of the human body for ultra-realistic experiences, and advanced chips that will allow items such as household appliances to communicate. What’s more, we are actively realizing 4G technology such as MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) multiplexing technology and a wireless access communications system, as well as contributing to the establishment of specifications for global standardization.
Researchers at NTT DoCoMo have a clear vision of the future. A future that will unite all of the above advances and many more, to create a world where people can communicate at a higher level, regardless of time and space.
Audio Barcode
A barcode that allows data to be carried and transmitted on sound waves in the audible range.
Audio Barcode
NTT DoCoMo has been researching and developing "Audio Barcode," a technology that allows data, such as text information describing website URLs, to be carried and transmitted on sound waves in the audible range (music and spoken word).
Use of 2D barcodes - two-dimensional figures that represent data such as URLs - is widespread in Japan. The 2D barcodes appear frequently in advertisements and magazines, and allow users to access related websites by scanning these figures with mobile phone cameras. Audio barcode represents and transmits data in a similar way. Data embedded in sound waves are picked up by target devices with a microphone (mobile phones, for example), analyzed by special software, and then extracted.
Data to be transmitted is superimposed (embedded) by Acoustic OFDM, the technology behind Audio Barcode, in such a way that it is not detected by listeners. With a transmission rate greater than 1kbps, a URL or simple text transmission takes a mere one to two seconds.
Data to be transmitted is converted to sound waves using a modulation technique known as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing - the "OFDM" in Acoustic OFDM. OFDM is used by terrestrial digital broadcasting and wireless LANs such as IEEE 802.11a/g. Sound waves are then embedded and transmitted by means of a "carrier" - an original sound source. This data modulation technique enables highly-efficient use of frequencies, and expectations are that data transmission rates will continue to improve. OFDM is resistant to signal reflection and can transmit data with little or no error - even in an indoor environment where sound waves are subject to frequent reflection.
Merely adding sound waves to normal speech or music results in increased noise and will likely cause listener discomfort. The process behind Audio Barcode, however, removes a portion of the original audio source from the high-frequency range, which is difficult for the human ear to detect, replacing it with modulated data audio signals. Enhanced data cloaking is achieved through a new scheme we have developed that processes the audio signals to match the characteristics of the original audio source it will be replacing. Together, these technologies ensure that Audio Barcode is easy on the ears.
Information to be transmitted is relatively light, such as characters, and transmission time is very brief, several seconds at the most. Because the barcode uses the audible band of the sound spectrum, information can be extracted without need for special equipment. This benefit holds down the cost of deployment, and makes the technology suitable for widespread use.
If Audio Barcode is commercialized, we expect its use scenarios to include automatic transmission of website URLs to a mobile phone that is directed at a television set or radio. We also expect the barcode to add a new dimension to the mobile phone. For example, at an art museum, the mobile phone could be held before an audio guide in one language but display information in another language.
The day is at hand when the sounds of your everyday environment will be chock full of information.
3D Display System
A portable display system that enables 3D images to be seen without glasses.
3D Display System
Displays used in mobile phones, handheld games, and other mobile devices have shown remarkable progress as resolution has become sharper and clearer with each passing year. Now another breakthrough is stirring interest and excitement - the emergence of three-dimensional displays. Adding considerable new value to images and video, NTT DoCoMo has developed a portable 3D display system that enables viewers to view 3D images from any direction without having to wear those cumbersome glasses.
Traditional 3D display systems are based on the principle of stereoscopy, whereby the 3D effect derives from the difference between the images registered by the left and right eye as the result of their horizontal separation, a phenomenon known as binocular disparity. This type of 3D display has been incorporated into a host of products but is far from ideal because it usually requires viewers to wear special glasses to enjoy the 3D effect or, if 3D glasses are dispensed with, limits observation of the 3D effect to a very narrow range. The 3D display developed by NTT DoCoMo overcomes these shortcomings. Although we continue to rely on the principle of stereoscopy, we have adopted a new approach - known as high-density directional images display - that endows the object with very smooth and natural appearing motion as the observer's position changes (motion parallax) without the need for 3D glasses.
High-density directional images displays employ a large number of directional images - projections of a display target - with each image projected from a slightly different angle. As the viewer moves around the static display, the transition from one image to the next is so smooth and imperceptible that the viewer has the illusion of moving around a 3D object. Our most recently developed display allows objects to shift dynamically to match the viewing angle of the observer, and 3D action can be observed over a significant range (within a 60-degree horizontal angle and 30-degree vertical angle). A built-in camera senses the position of the viewer (the angle from which the viewer is observing the display), and automatically adjusts to that viewing angle in real time to maintain the 3D effect.
The 3D display is a high-definition liquid-crystal display to which a lenticular sheet has been attached, the latter essentially being a ribbed panel consisting of dozens of optical-grade cylindrical lenses arrayed in parallel vertical lines. The cylindrical lenses exhibit the 3D effect when viewed from a horizontal perspective, and diffuse light in the manner of ordinary glass when viewed from a vertical perspective.
In the case of ordinary 2D images, each point on the surface of a displayed object is represented by a single luminance value (pixel) in a one-to-one relationship, and viewers see exactly the same pixel regardless of the angle from which they are viewing the display. 3D images are fundamentally different from 2D images in that they have several subpixels. A cluster of multiple subpixels is known as a 3D pixel, and the lenticular sheet is attached to the display in such a way that each cylindrical lens overlaps several subpixels, each of which is emitting light in a different horizontal direction.
We think NTT DoCoMo's 3D display system has enormous potential. Objects have such a convincingly three-dimensional appearance that you want to reach out and touch them. We envision all sorts of imaginative applications for this technology to mobile phones including realistic games where the characters and images are rendered in 3D or mobile Internet shopping that allows customers to view potential purchases from virtually any direction.
Toward 4G
Visionary research into the technology that will enable the future: fourth-generation mobile telephone technology.
Toward 4G
At NTT DoCoMo, we aim to achieve a world of ubiquitous communications, where all manner of devices can connect seamlessly, anytime, anywhere. To do this, we are aggressively engaged in R&D on 4G technology. To enable a smooth transition from 3G to 4G, we are also evolving 3G technology within the context of current services.
One particular aspect of 3G development that we are promoting is Super 3G / LTE. The purpose of Super 3G is to simultaneously ease the transition to 4G and maintain 3G's long-term competitiveness relative to other wireless technologies by developing services based on W-CDMA, use of which is still growing steadily worldwide.
We are upgrading our current 3G services by initiating the introduction of High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which increases the downlink data rate of packet services, and by finalizing specifications for High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), which enhances uplink speed. HSDPA and HSUPA not only increase transmission speed, however - they also increase transmission efficiency in the cover area by 3-4 times relative to W-CDMA, making them effective technologies for reducing cost per bit. As you can see, we are steadily achieving a data-efficient, cost-saving upgrade of W-CDMA in the run-up to full implementation of the 4G network.
Super 3G also proactively incorporates new technologies into wireless access systems in order to handle multimedia and ubiquitous traffic - data types that are rapidly becoming indispensable to modern life. Super 3G hopes to achieve a maximum downlink transmission speed of not less than 300 Mbps - a result that would realize dramatic improvements in performance. Super 3G is also counted on to further increase spectrum efficiency while substantially reducing latency. Achieving low latency is essential for improving transmission quality because it reduces the time required to initiate a session, enabling stress-free packet data transmission.
Our expectation is that Super 3G - the link between 3G and 4G - can be introduced with minimal investment in equipment and at low operational cost because it uses the same frequency band as 3G and can be deployed over already existing W-CDMA equipment.
Super 3G proposes to eliminate complexity from wireless networks and mobile handsets, enabling the construction of a simple, low-cost system. For example, a typical 3G network provides packet and voice services separately, whereas Super 3G is based on an ALL-IP network covering both packet and voice services. Moreover, introduction of an ALL-IP network for Super 3G will facilitate a smooth transition to 4G using a configuration that enables 4G wireless access capacity.
In pursuit of Super 3G standardization, NTT DoCoMo proposed a Super 3G Basic Concept to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in November 2004; 26 companies to date have agreed to consider standardization under the name Long Term Evolution (LTE). In June 2006, basic agreement was reached on the fundamental concept and its realization; the process has now advanced to discussion of technical specifications, which are expected to be finalized in September 2007.
NTT DoCoMo is meanwhile conducting R&D on 4G, with the aim of introducing it from 2010 onward. Designed performance ratings are 1 Gbps in motion at low speed and 100 Mbps at high speed. On December 25, 2006, NTT DoCoMo became the first in the world to achieve a packet signal speed of 5 Gbps in an outdoor test in a low-speed environment (10 km/h). The test was undertaken to demonstrate the expected maximum transmission speed in an actual cell environment, taking into account interference from peripheral cells. Looking ahead, NTT DoCoMo will continue its R&D on 4G, and collaborate proactively in international standardization.
NTT DoCoMo is already making rapid progress in such areas through a wide range of innovative research, building expertise and techniques as we move forward towards exciting new business opportunities.
Innovating dreams
Our goal is to create a broad array of exciting new services − services that will bring undreamed-of convenience to people everywhere.
In addition to Audio Barcodes and 3D Display System introduced in this website, cutting-edge technologies beyond the imagination are already under development. These include a system that makes distant objects feel like an extension of the human body for ultra-realistic experiences, and advanced chips that will allow items such as household appliances to communicate. What’s more, we are actively realizing 4G technology such as MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) multiplexing technology and a wireless access communications system, as well as contributing to the establishment of specifications for global standardization.
Researchers at NTT DoCoMo have a clear vision of the future. A future that will unite all of the above advances and many more, to create a world where people can communicate at a higher level, regardless of time and space.
Audio Barcode
A barcode that allows data to be carried and transmitted on sound waves in the audible range.
Audio Barcode
NTT DoCoMo has been researching and developing "Audio Barcode," a technology that allows data, such as text information describing website URLs, to be carried and transmitted on sound waves in the audible range (music and spoken word).
Use of 2D barcodes - two-dimensional figures that represent data such as URLs - is widespread in Japan. The 2D barcodes appear frequently in advertisements and magazines, and allow users to access related websites by scanning these figures with mobile phone cameras. Audio barcode represents and transmits data in a similar way. Data embedded in sound waves are picked up by target devices with a microphone (mobile phones, for example), analyzed by special software, and then extracted.
Data to be transmitted is superimposed (embedded) by Acoustic OFDM, the technology behind Audio Barcode, in such a way that it is not detected by listeners. With a transmission rate greater than 1kbps, a URL or simple text transmission takes a mere one to two seconds.
Data to be transmitted is converted to sound waves using a modulation technique known as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing - the "OFDM" in Acoustic OFDM. OFDM is used by terrestrial digital broadcasting and wireless LANs such as IEEE 802.11a/g. Sound waves are then embedded and transmitted by means of a "carrier" - an original sound source. This data modulation technique enables highly-efficient use of frequencies, and expectations are that data transmission rates will continue to improve. OFDM is resistant to signal reflection and can transmit data with little or no error - even in an indoor environment where sound waves are subject to frequent reflection.
Merely adding sound waves to normal speech or music results in increased noise and will likely cause listener discomfort. The process behind Audio Barcode, however, removes a portion of the original audio source from the high-frequency range, which is difficult for the human ear to detect, replacing it with modulated data audio signals. Enhanced data cloaking is achieved through a new scheme we have developed that processes the audio signals to match the characteristics of the original audio source it will be replacing. Together, these technologies ensure that Audio Barcode is easy on the ears.
Information to be transmitted is relatively light, such as characters, and transmission time is very brief, several seconds at the most. Because the barcode uses the audible band of the sound spectrum, information can be extracted without need for special equipment. This benefit holds down the cost of deployment, and makes the technology suitable for widespread use.
If Audio Barcode is commercialized, we expect its use scenarios to include automatic transmission of website URLs to a mobile phone that is directed at a television set or radio. We also expect the barcode to add a new dimension to the mobile phone. For example, at an art museum, the mobile phone could be held before an audio guide in one language but display information in another language.
The day is at hand when the sounds of your everyday environment will be chock full of information.
3D Display System
A portable display system that enables 3D images to be seen without glasses.
3D Display System
Displays used in mobile phones, handheld games, and other mobile devices have shown remarkable progress as resolution has become sharper and clearer with each passing year. Now another breakthrough is stirring interest and excitement - the emergence of three-dimensional displays. Adding considerable new value to images and video, NTT DoCoMo has developed a portable 3D display system that enables viewers to view 3D images from any direction without having to wear those cumbersome glasses.
Traditional 3D display systems are based on the principle of stereoscopy, whereby the 3D effect derives from the difference between the images registered by the left and right eye as the result of their horizontal separation, a phenomenon known as binocular disparity. This type of 3D display has been incorporated into a host of products but is far from ideal because it usually requires viewers to wear special glasses to enjoy the 3D effect or, if 3D glasses are dispensed with, limits observation of the 3D effect to a very narrow range. The 3D display developed by NTT DoCoMo overcomes these shortcomings. Although we continue to rely on the principle of stereoscopy, we have adopted a new approach - known as high-density directional images display - that endows the object with very smooth and natural appearing motion as the observer's position changes (motion parallax) without the need for 3D glasses.
High-density directional images displays employ a large number of directional images - projections of a display target - with each image projected from a slightly different angle. As the viewer moves around the static display, the transition from one image to the next is so smooth and imperceptible that the viewer has the illusion of moving around a 3D object. Our most recently developed display allows objects to shift dynamically to match the viewing angle of the observer, and 3D action can be observed over a significant range (within a 60-degree horizontal angle and 30-degree vertical angle). A built-in camera senses the position of the viewer (the angle from which the viewer is observing the display), and automatically adjusts to that viewing angle in real time to maintain the 3D effect.
The 3D display is a high-definition liquid-crystal display to which a lenticular sheet has been attached, the latter essentially being a ribbed panel consisting of dozens of optical-grade cylindrical lenses arrayed in parallel vertical lines. The cylindrical lenses exhibit the 3D effect when viewed from a horizontal perspective, and diffuse light in the manner of ordinary glass when viewed from a vertical perspective.
In the case of ordinary 2D images, each point on the surface of a displayed object is represented by a single luminance value (pixel) in a one-to-one relationship, and viewers see exactly the same pixel regardless of the angle from which they are viewing the display. 3D images are fundamentally different from 2D images in that they have several subpixels. A cluster of multiple subpixels is known as a 3D pixel, and the lenticular sheet is attached to the display in such a way that each cylindrical lens overlaps several subpixels, each of which is emitting light in a different horizontal direction.
We think NTT DoCoMo's 3D display system has enormous potential. Objects have such a convincingly three-dimensional appearance that you want to reach out and touch them. We envision all sorts of imaginative applications for this technology to mobile phones including realistic games where the characters and images are rendered in 3D or mobile Internet shopping that allows customers to view potential purchases from virtually any direction.
Toward 4G
Visionary research into the technology that will enable the future: fourth-generation mobile telephone technology.
Toward 4G
At NTT DoCoMo, we aim to achieve a world of ubiquitous communications, where all manner of devices can connect seamlessly, anytime, anywhere. To do this, we are aggressively engaged in R&D on 4G technology. To enable a smooth transition from 3G to 4G, we are also evolving 3G technology within the context of current services.
One particular aspect of 3G development that we are promoting is Super 3G / LTE. The purpose of Super 3G is to simultaneously ease the transition to 4G and maintain 3G's long-term competitiveness relative to other wireless technologies by developing services based on W-CDMA, use of which is still growing steadily worldwide.
We are upgrading our current 3G services by initiating the introduction of High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which increases the downlink data rate of packet services, and by finalizing specifications for High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), which enhances uplink speed. HSDPA and HSUPA not only increase transmission speed, however - they also increase transmission efficiency in the cover area by 3-4 times relative to W-CDMA, making them effective technologies for reducing cost per bit. As you can see, we are steadily achieving a data-efficient, cost-saving upgrade of W-CDMA in the run-up to full implementation of the 4G network.
Super 3G also proactively incorporates new technologies into wireless access systems in order to handle multimedia and ubiquitous traffic - data types that are rapidly becoming indispensable to modern life. Super 3G hopes to achieve a maximum downlink transmission speed of not less than 300 Mbps - a result that would realize dramatic improvements in performance. Super 3G is also counted on to further increase spectrum efficiency while substantially reducing latency. Achieving low latency is essential for improving transmission quality because it reduces the time required to initiate a session, enabling stress-free packet data transmission.
Our expectation is that Super 3G - the link between 3G and 4G - can be introduced with minimal investment in equipment and at low operational cost because it uses the same frequency band as 3G and can be deployed over already existing W-CDMA equipment.
Super 3G proposes to eliminate complexity from wireless networks and mobile handsets, enabling the construction of a simple, low-cost system. For example, a typical 3G network provides packet and voice services separately, whereas Super 3G is based on an ALL-IP network covering both packet and voice services. Moreover, introduction of an ALL-IP network for Super 3G will facilitate a smooth transition to 4G using a configuration that enables 4G wireless access capacity.
In pursuit of Super 3G standardization, NTT DoCoMo proposed a Super 3G Basic Concept to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in November 2004; 26 companies to date have agreed to consider standardization under the name Long Term Evolution (LTE). In June 2006, basic agreement was reached on the fundamental concept and its realization; the process has now advanced to discussion of technical specifications, which are expected to be finalized in September 2007.
NTT DoCoMo is meanwhile conducting R&D on 4G, with the aim of introducing it from 2010 onward. Designed performance ratings are 1 Gbps in motion at low speed and 100 Mbps at high speed. On December 25, 2006, NTT DoCoMo became the first in the world to achieve a packet signal speed of 5 Gbps in an outdoor test in a low-speed environment (10 km/h). The test was undertaken to demonstrate the expected maximum transmission speed in an actual cell environment, taking into account interference from peripheral cells. Looking ahead, NTT DoCoMo will continue its R&D on 4G, and collaborate proactively in international standardization.
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