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Ben
Sturgeon Award
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The Role of SID (UK) 1. The SID (UK) Committee will appoint two of its members to the Ben Sturgeon Award sub-committee to review nominations for the Ben Sturgeon Award and make recommendations to the SID Committee. 2. The SID (UK) committee will publicise the award through the SID Newsletter, the SID (UK) Homepage, through EPSRC, DTI and through individual networking. 3. The Ben Sturgeon Award Sub-Committee is responsible for selecting the winner(s). The decision of the Sub-Committee will except in exceptional circumstances (e.g. where the Sub-Committee is unable to come to a majority decision) be approved by the SID (UK) Committee, which is responsible for making the award. In any such exceptional case the SID (UK) Committee will make the final selection of the winner based on the information presented by the sub-committee, through a majority vote. In this case the vote will exclude the two SID (UK) nominees to the Ben Sturgeon Award sub-committee. 4. SID (UK) will present the award at their annual general meeting (usually held in April) unless the recipient cannot attend that meeting. In that case SID will make the award at the next SID (UK) Technical meeting. The Role of BLCS The Role and Constitution of the Ben Sturgeon Award Previous Winners Winners 2006
Sharp were approached by a luxury car manufacturer who wanted to produce an entertainment screen for front-seat passengers which could not be viewed by the driver. The main challenge is that there is legislation forbidding any moving-image display that can be seen by the driver while the vehicle is moving. Grant Bourhill and his team invented a solution which was based on the Sharp 3D technology, but creating a dual-view display is considerably more difficult. Instead of a stereo pair, the display provides two separate images. One of these could be a map and the other an entertainment scene. Because the images are separate, there are more stringent requirements for crosstalk to prevent ghosting occurring. In addition, the images must be separated by a wide angle to ensure that the driver cannot see the other screen and it must not be possible for rear-seat passengers to see a mixed view. During the course of the work, the team solved all these problems and they also filed no less that 25 patents to protect the technology. Sharp announced mass manufacture of the technology on 14 July 2005 at a press conference for 170 journalists in Japan. There was considerable press and television coverage of the launch. It is particularly satisfying when the hottest topic in displays in Japan was invented in Oxford!. There is enormous interest in the product from a wide range of car manufacturers. It is believed that the technology will be used in two-player gaming, in mobile phones, in electronic point of sale applications and possible even in television. In the latter case, directional speakers or headphones will obviously be necessary. Winner 2005
Graham began his career as an Optical Engineer at Crosfield Electronics Ltd working on the development of a novel high productivity 6000 dpi scanner for the printing industry. After three years he joined the newly set up Sharp Laboratories of Europe (SLE) in Oxford as Principal Researcher within the Imaging Optics Team. This very productive period saw Graham make a major contribution to Sharp's 3D imaging portfolio. This included the invention and development of several autostereoscopic 3D displays and led to Sharp producing the worlds first switchable 2D/3D display cell phone. Sharp has gone on to sale 3 million units and the technology is now in laptops and LCD monitor products. In 1998 Graham was promoted to Manager of the Novel Projector Technology Group where he led the development of several novel technologies for LCD projectors. He was responsible for around 20 granted US patents during his tenure at SLE. In 2001 with Jonathan Harrold he founded Ocuity Ltd in Oxford. Originally the company provided high-value technical consultancy services in optical and electronic projects for the electronic displays and fibre-optic telecommunications industries. After a short period Graham and Jonathan began their own internal research programme into new types of optical systems. This led to the invention and demonstration of a new class of optical architectures suitable for flat-panel displays. This new architecture is called Polarisation Activated Microlens™. This technology may be used for brightness enhancement which is particularly important for OLED and transflective displays as well as to produce very high-quality, high-efficiency, low-cost switchable 2D/3D displays. This technology has been protected by a portfolio of 12 patents, the fundamental one of which is now granted. The technology has recently been licensed to a major manufacturer in Asia for production. The work has also been published at the IDW03 and in IDW04 where it was the recipient of the SID Outstanding paper Award. Winner 2004 On leaving university, Mike joined Sharp Laboratories of Europe in 1993 where he continued his work on neural network control. His first task was to facilitate the move to production of a microwave oven, which he had designed at Oxford University. This was the first use of neural network control for domestic appliances in the UK and the work resulted in an exhibit in the Science Museum. Mike also won a Sharp Corporation Best Invention Award for a neural network control system. In 1994, Mike turned his attention to LCDs and was the principal author of a feasibility report which outlined the key technical milestones in the development of display-based applications of poly-silicon TFT technology. As leader of a small team in Europe developing the first commercially viable prototype system LCD, he was responsible for fostering close cross-cultural links with business groups and personnel in Sharp Japan. Mike was awarded the Sharp Corporation, 'Outstanding Contribution to Business Award' for the multi-format and multi-driver system LCD technology which the group had developed. In 2000, Mike was appointed Director of the System Display Group at Sharp Laboratories of Europe. The group comprises a European Design Centre for global corporate-customer support for mobile LCD design-in, together with long and medium term R&D into next generation System-LCD technologies using CG-Silicon. The group was established following successful commercialisation of CG-Silicon TFT LCD technology within Sharp. The European Design Centre was the first of a global network of design centres, which have subsequently been established. As Director, Mike was responsible for initially establishing the model of operation between various groups across Sharp to enable close customer support and design-in methods for Sharp's European display business. The commercialisation was the culmination of almost 10 years R&D. Currently, the R&D activities within the group are also expanding into next-generation RF-enabled interactive display devices, based on advanced TFT processes under development. |
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Diana Kean graduated
from Ohio State University, subsequently coming to the United Kingdom to
complete a DPhil at Oxford under Dr Steve Elston. She joined Sharp
Laboratories in 1995 and worked on a collaborative ferroelectric project.
During this time, she spent one month in Japan transferring the technology
to Sharp. Diana was recognised for her achievements with the BLCS Young
Scientist Award in 1997. Since that time, she has been the technical lead
in low-power LC modes, fast modes for LCTV and for the Sharp dual-view
display technology. In 2005, she was the recipient of a Sharp Corporation
Award for the development and commercialisation of Dual-View. Diana is
currently Principal Scientist at SLE. She is an author of numerous patents
and has had her work published in approximately 25 peer-reviewed journals.
Jonathan Mather has a
first-Class degree in Physics with Laser Science from the University of
Southampton. In 2001 he joined Sharp Laboratories of Europe to work on 3D
display technology. Soon after, he spent nine months at Sharp Cooperation
in Japan transferring this technology, with his effort resulting in the
world's first switchable 2D-3D mobile phone product. Over the next 4
years, he worked on the development of Sharp's Two-Way (Dual-view)
display, pioneering the first prototype, improving light efficiency and
reducing image mixing. Jon was the recipient of a Sharp Corporation Award
for technology transfer in 2002 and again in 2005. Jon is author or
co-author on approximately 25 patents. Jonathan is also studying part-time
for a PhD from Exeter University under the supervision of Prof. Roy
Sambles.
Heather Stevenson
graduated from Loughborough University in 1999 with a first class honours
degree in Physics. During her degree she was awarded the Siemens prize for
best student. After a spell in Germany with Siemens and in Canada, Heather
started work at Sharp in November 2000. She spent two years working on
photoalignment methods for liquid crystals and then moved on to the
research and development of Sharp's 2D-3D and Dual-view displays. Heather
became Chartered Physicist in 2004 and is currently studying part-time for
an MPhil at Oxford under Dr. Steve Elston.
Grant Bourhill: Grant
graduated with a first in Chemistry from Strathclyde University in 1988.
After completing a PhD in nonlinear optics for which he was awarded prize
for best thesis, he spent three years at the Jet propulsion Laboratory
working on structure-property relationships for organic optical materials.
After a spell in Germany, he returned to the UK in 1996 to take up a
position within the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, where he spent
five enjoyable years working on various optical sensor projects. In 2000,
he joined Sharp laboratories of Europe and has contributed to the
dvelopment and subsequent commercialisation of 3D, dual-view and
switchable privacy LCDs. Grant is currently Chair of the UK Chapter of the
SID.
Graham Woodgate read
physics at Bristol University achieving a first class honours degree in
1987. From there Graham went on to Reading University where he did an MSc
in Applied & Modern Optics gaining a distinction and picking up the
Pilkington Prize for top student in 1988.
Mike Brownlow was awarded
the Ben Sturgeon Award in 2004. He started his academic career at
University College, Oxford, where he read engineering science,
specialising in electronics and information engineering, receiving his MA
in 1984. In 1988, he was awarded the Oxford University best engineering
graduate project for his work on a speech recognition system. In 1988, he
went to Edinburgh University where he studied microelectronics receiving
an MSc with distinction in 1989 for a thesis on, 'Analogue VLSI for Neural
Networks'. He returned to Oxford where, at Linacre College, he started to
work for his DPhil. During this time he undertook consultancy work for a
number of companies on time-of-flight optical range sensors. Later, as a
Principal Researcher on neural network technology, he co-authored a
feasibility report for Sharp Laboratories of Europe on the use of neural
network technology for domestic appliances. He was awarded a DPhil in 1993
with a thesis entitled 'Time of Flight Optical Range Sensor'.