Light to prevent accidents on the roadDid you know that Ushio light is used by police in trafficmonitoring systems to read the license plates of automobiles
and track the movement of criminals, or that it is used insystems that monitor electronic toll collection gates? “Thisarea includes a great deal of confidential information, so I
can’t go into much detail,” says the development manager.
“Ordinary visible light, and flash lights in particular cannot
be used in these applications because of the danger ofblinding drivers and causing accidents. For that reason,
infrared light that is invisible to the human eye is used withsurveillance cameras. With highway monitoring systems, thephotographic subjects (automobiles) move at high speeds.
On ordinary roads, this requires shutter speeds of 1/1000thof a second, while on expressways, an even higher 1/2000thof a second is needed. Enabling such high speed
photography requires light sources that meet manyrequirements, including brightness sufficient to illuminate
objects dozens of meters removed from the camera,
toughness to endure constant use, weather resistance foruse outdoors, and sufficient durability to eliminate the needfor frequent replacement.”
To achieve this, Ushio applies strict quality controls to theentire manufacturing process. Infrared LEDs used forillumination are constructed entirely of parts that havecleared temperature cycle testing over a range extending
from -20 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius. This strict
inspection regime reflects the depth of Ushio’s commitment
to product quality. The trust and confidence that it enjoys as
a top maker of light sources is why it is used in applicationsof a public nature, such as highway monitoring systems.
“At ETC (electronic toll collection) gates, photos taken
must be clear enough to allow positive identification of both
the driver and the license plate at the same time. The
problem is that the windshields of many modern cars arecoated with films that cut not only ultraviolet, but infrared
light as well. This is meant to help keep the temperature
down when cars are exposed to sunlight. Photographing theinterior of a car requires that infrared light enter the car
through the windshield, be reflected inside the car, and thenbe returned to the camera by passing through the windshield
again. That is, the infrared illumination must be strong
enough to pass through the windshield twice. What’s more,
light sources must be
individually adjusted tosuit varying conditions ina variety of locations,
including compensating
for light from the sun
during the daytime andglare from headlights atnight. This makes
adjustment very
challenging,” says thedevelopment manager
as he speaks of thebright future prospects
for traffic monitoring
Light installation at a toll gate
systems.
Ushio light supports videography thatprovides evidence of illegal toll gate passage.

“In the future, it might be possible to prevent traffic
accidents on ordinar y roads by leveraging the GPScapabilities built into devices such as car navigation systems
and Smartphones. We would like to see light make acontribution to road safety as well as surveillance.”

Preventing crime and natural disasters
with light
The ubiquitous security surveillance camera: You see themin train stations and air terminals, stores and elevators.
These days, it’s not unusual for the high-definition images
provided by such cameras to contribute to unmasking crimes
and making arrests for criminal offenses. Our developer saysthat looked at from a different perspective, it is not only highcamera sensitivity that enables such accomplishments, but
the variety of methods that are employed to provide
illumination for night photography.
“For example, when a person is standing in front of astrong backlight, auxiliary lighting is needed to keep themfrom appearing in the image as nothing but a dark shadow.

SafetySmuggling and theft,
malicious traffic violations.
Inspections using light and special cameras
put an end to cat-and-mouse games.

Preventing with Light

Comparison of measurement procedures

Q-body assay

Antigens

Speedy : Taking only a few seconds
AntigensampleFinish

Just mixing is enough!
Ideal simple assay

A few
seconds

Q-bodyCompetitive ELISA
Quenching

Infrared LED projector
Adoption of LEDs achieves low power
consumption and long life. It contributes toreducing running costs and maintenancecosts.

Quenching offluorescent element

FluorescencePrimary Antibody

Fluorescence increases
dependent upon aantigen quantity

What is "Q-body"?
Q-body is an immunoassay element that fluoresces in reaction to aspecific substances (an antigen). Its specificity enables precise,high-sensitivity measurements.

Secondary Antibody
AntigenColor SubstrateOver
20minutes

Immunochromatography
Antigencolloidal goldlabeled antibody

About
10minutes
Antibody

Further, when scenic or environmental considerations
preclude the use of continuous visible illumination, as is thecase with rural locations and rivers, infrared lighting must be
used instead. While infrared light is often used to conceal
knowledge of monitoring from criminals, visible light mayalso be used to serve as a deterrent.”
In addition to crime prevention, Ushio light also plays a rolein surveillance to prevent disasters due to natural phenomena
such as rising rivers and debris flows. “Situations like thisrequire sturdy bodies that can withstand natural disasters.
Sur veillance lighting requires both toughness andhigh-precision light concentrating technology. Ideally, the lightused to illuminate objects at a distance should be uniform,
highly directional and highly collimated. However, limiting
angular dispersion too much limits monitoring to a narrow
range. It is a challenge to achieve the right balance between
light output and illumination angle according to distance.”
Currently, Ushio is working on adapting LEDs to suchlighting applications. Whereas the size of conventional lamps
changes little with increased wattage, the output achievablewith LEDs is still limited, and greater output is obtained byincreasing the number of LED elements. Such lamps mustalso clear size and weight restrictions at installation sites.
Ushio’s technology team has taken up this challenge,

Safetycreating new light to serve in preventing crime and disasters.

Providing reassurance with world-first technology
Threats we face in daily life mycotoxins and harmful
additives in food, viruses and bacteria. Preventing thediffusion of such agents calls for a system that is capable ofproviding quick inspection.
Responding to this need, USHIO developed the Q-bodyinspection system, which is based on antibody fluorescencemeasurement technology (Q-body technology). Ushio's
Q-body reagent fluoresces upon binding with the antigens inspecific substances, and the presence and density of thesubstances can be detected at the nanogram level bymeasuring the change in intensity of that fluorescence. Saysthe development manager, “Q-body was born with the aim ofcontributing to society by combining light and cutting-edge
bio-technology in the creation of new value.”“Q-body does away with the troublesome work of
washing and diluting, and allows measurements with a highdegree of sensitivity. Whereas conventional immunoassays
take 10 to 20 minutes to return a result, Q-body produces
results in seconds.
Using Q-body technology, it is also possible to develop
reagents that react with a variety of types of specimens,such as toxic substances and pollutants in food, a variety oftypes of markers in blood, and infectious pathogens. This
makes it a useful means of preventing infectious diseases
and food contamination. “To guard the security of life, wewould like to see this technology adopted in diverse areas,such as the environment and food safety. Q-body reagents
can help do this by making threats to security visible on adaily basis.”Q-body is a completely new technology that overturns
conventional wisdom regarding immunoassay methods.
Carrying big possibilities in its small body, it represents awonderful blend of light and bio-technology.