Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications

Last updated

Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, HHI
20200531 IMG 0307 by sebaso-2.jpg
Main building of Fraunhofer HHI in Berlin, Germany (2020)
Established1928;96 years ago (1928)
Focus Information and communications technology, Telecommunications engineering
Executive DirectorsMartin Schell and Thomas Wiegand
Staff410
Location,
Website www.hhi.fraunhofer.de

The Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, HHI, also known as Fraunhofer HHI or Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, is an organization of the Fraunhofer Society based in Berlin. The institute engages in applied research and development in the fields of physics, electrical engineering and computer sciences.

Contents

Competencies

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute develops mobile and stationary broadband communication networks and multimedia systems. Focal points of independent and contract research conducted by Fraunhofer HHI are photonic components and systems, fiber optic sensor systems, and image signal processing and transmission. Future applications for broadband networks are developed as well. Research in this area focuses on 3D displays, UHD panorama video production, human-machine interaction through gesture control, optical satellite communication and data transmission technologies such as visible light communications.

Scientists at the institute work together with national and international research and industry partners. For example, institute researchers were involved in the development of the H.264 AVC video compression standard and its successor H.265 HEVC as part of the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and the Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG). Work on the various video compression standards received the Technology and Engineering Emmy award multiple times. [1] [2] [3]

Research

The research and development work of the Fraunhofer HHI takes place in six departments. [4]

The research focus of the Photonic Networks and Systems department are high-performance optical transmission systems for use in in-house, access, metropolitan, wide-area and satellite communication networks. The focus is on increasing the capacity as well as improving security and energy efficiency.

The Photonic Components department develops optoelectronic semiconductor components as well as integrated optical circuits for data transmission. Another focus is on infrared sensor systems, terahertz spectroscopy and high-performance semiconductor lasers for industrial and medical applications.

The research on novel photonic sensors used in measuring and control systems for early hazard detection, energy management, robotics and medical technology is a focus of the Fiber Optical Sensor Systems department (branch). The sensors are characterized by extreme miniaturization, excellent communication and network capabilities and high energy efficiency.

The research focus of the Wireless Communications and Networks department is on radio-based information transmission. The department provides contributions to the theory and technical feasibility of radio systems and develops hardware prototypes. This is supplemented by scientific studies, simulations and evaluations at the link and system levels.

The Video Coding & Analytics department is researching actively the efficient encoding, transport, processing and analysis of video signals as well as machine learning.

The focus in the Vision & Imaging Technologies department is on complex 2D/3D analysis and synthesis methods, on computer vision as well as innovative camera, sensor, display and projection systems. The department is researching for the entire video processing chain from content creation to playback.

Partnerships

Fraunhofer HHI employees hold professorships at the following universities:

Fraunhofer HHI is a member of the following internal Fraunhofer groups and alliances

Infrastructure

The total budget of Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute in 2015 was around EUR 49.2 million. The external funding ratio was 75 percent. 49.8 percent of the budget came from industrial revenues, 13 percent from federal and state contract research, and 6.5 percent from funds provided by the European Union. Around 270 employees and 140 students worked at the institute in 2015.

History

Establishment of the institute

The founding phase of the Heinrich Hertz Institute began on 1 August 1927 with the written intention of the Study Society for Oscillation Research to establish an institute for the research on electrical and acoustic oscillation at the Technical University of Berlin. Members of this society were the German Reichspost, the Prussian Ministry of Science, Art and National Education, the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft, the Technische Hochschule zu Berlin, the large corporations of the electrical industry, and the German Electrical Engineering Association. [5]

Effectively, the institute was founded on 23 February 1928 as Heinrich Hertz Institute for Oscillation Research. The opening took place in 1930 in Berlin-Charlottenburg, Franklinstrasse 1, with four departments: High-Frequency Engineering, Telecommunications and Telegraph Technology, Acoustics and Mechanics. Research focused on radio and television technology, room acoustics and electronic music among other things. The institute was reorganized in 1936 and the name Heinrich Hertz was wiped out from its designation in the course of National Socialist "cleansing" in the interest of the Third Reich.

Post World War II

After the institute building was entirely destroyed in 1945, the Heinrich Hertz Institute for Oscillation Research was newly founded in the same year by Gustav Leithäuser with the former department structure. During the time of the currency reform and Berlin Blockade in 1950, the institute was split into an eastern section (Berlin-Adlershof) and a western section (Berlin-Charlottenburg, Jebensstrasse 1). In 1968 the institute moved into the new building at Einsteinufer 37 in Berlin.

Institute with state and federal participation

The institute was renamed to Heinrich-Hertz-Institut for Nachrichtentechnik Berlin GmbH (Heinrich-Hertz Institute for Communication Technology) in 1975 with the state of Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany as shareholders. Realignment of the entire HHI research profile by Horst Ohnsorge. Systematic work on current problems of modern communication technology. Vision of a universal broadband communication network on a fiber optics basis. 5 specialist departments: General Principles; System Structures; Image and Sound; Relaying and Transmission; Planning. Support for optical communication engineering as a key technology at HHI in the 1980s. Restructuring of the institute with formation of two divisions: Communication Systems with the departments of Relaying and Transmission, Signal Processing and Terminal Equipment, Economic and Social Sciences Accompanying Research, and Human Engineering, and the division: Integrated Optics.

In the 1990s research focused on the following fields: photonic networks, electronic imaging technology for multimedia, mobile broadband systems, and integrated optics.

Transition to the Fraunhofer Society

The institute became part of the Fraunhofer Society in 2003 and received today’s name, Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, HHI. The institute has been cooperating with the neighboring Technical University of Berlin for decades.

A data transmission system was successfully developed in 2006 with a never-before-seen speed of 2560 Gb/s, which means transmitting a data volume corresponding to the content of 60 DVDs takes one second. What’s more, a breakthrough was achieved in video compression making it possible to store motion pictures in the high-resolution HDTV format with 2 million pixels per image on DVD.

On 10 November 2016 scientists of the Fraunhofer HHI established a bidirectional 1.7 Tbit/s free-space optical communications link over the air. The eye-safe optical beam transmission was transmitted over a distance of 380 meters. Eye-safe operation through 380-m air was successfully demonstrated at a total antenna output power of less than 10 mW. The signals in both directions consisted of 40 wavelength channels of 43 Gbit/s. [6]

List of directors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinrich Hertz</span> German physicist (1857–1894)

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. The unit of frequency, cycle per second, was named the "hertz" in his honor.

A communications system or communication system is a collection of individual telecommunications networks systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole. The components of a communications system serve a common purpose, are technically compatible, use common procedures, respond to controls, and operate in union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photonics</span> Technical applications of optics

Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Photonics is closely related to quantum electronics, where quantum electronics deals with the theoretical part of it while photonics deal with its engineering applications. Though covering all light's technical applications over the whole spectrum, most photonic applications are in the range of visible and near-infrared light. The term photonics developed as an outgrowth of the first practical semiconductor light emitters invented in the early 1960s and optical fibers developed in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless</span> Transfer of information or power that does not require the use of physical wires

Wireless communication is the transfer of information (telecommunication) between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most common wireless technologies use radio waves. With radio waves, intended distances can be short, such as a few meters for Bluetooth or as far as millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications. It encompasses various types of fixed, mobile, and portable applications, including two-way radios, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless networking. Other examples of applications of radio wireless technology include GPS units, garage door openers, wireless computer mouse, keyboards and headsets, headphones, radio receivers, satellite television, broadcast television and cordless telephones. Somewhat less common methods of achieving wireless communications involve other electromagnetic phenomena, such as light and magnetic or electric fields, or the use of sound.

The Fraunhofer Society is a German research organization with 76 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science. With some 30,800 employees, mainly scientists and engineers, and with an annual research budget of about €3.0 billion, it is the biggest organization for applied research and development services in Europe. It is named after Joseph von Fraunhofer who, as a scientist, an engineer, and an entrepreneur, is said to have superbly exemplified the goals of the society.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to electrical engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visible light communication</span> Use of light in the visible spectrum as a telecommunication medium

In telecommunications, visible light communication (VLC) is the use of visible light as a transmission medium. VLC is a subset of optical wireless communications technologies.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. is a technical school which specializes in engineering, technology, communications, and transportation. The school is located on the main campus of the George Washington University and offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiber-optic communication</span> Transmitting information over optical fiber

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is preferred over electrical cabling when high bandwidth, long distance, or immunity to electromagnetic interference is required. This type of communication can transmit voice, video, and telemetry through local area networks or across long distances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tingye Li</span> Chinese-American scientist

Tingye Li was a Chinese-American scientist in the fields of microwaves, lasers and optical communications. His innovative work at AT&T pioneered the research and application of lightwave communication, and has had a far-reaching impact on information technology for over four decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Wiegand</span> German electrical engineer (born 1970)

Thomas Wiegand is a German electrical engineer who substantially contributed to the creation of the H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, and H.266/VVC video coding standards. For H.264/AVC, Wiegand was one of the chairmen of the Joint Video Team (JVT) standardization committee that created the standard and was the chief editor of the standard itself. He was also a very active technical contributor to the H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, and H.266/VVC video coding standards. Wiegand also holds a chairmanship position in the ITU-T VCEG of ITU-T Study Group 16 and previously in ISO/IEC MPEG standardization organizations. In July 2006, video coding work of the ITU-T was jointly led by Gary J. Sullivan and Wiegand for the preceding six years. It was voted as the most influential area of the standardization work of the CCITT and ITU-T in their 50-year history. Since 2018, Wiegand has served as chair of the ITU/WHO Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (FG-AI4H). Since 2014, Thomson Reuters named Wiegand in their list of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” as one of the most cited researchers in his field.

Stewart David Personick is an American researcher in telecommunications and computer networking. He worked at Bell Labs, TRW, and Bellcore, researching optical fiber receiver design, propagation in multi-mode optical fibers, time-domain reflectometry, and the end-to-end modeling of fiber-optic communication systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss Electromagnetics Research and Engineering Centre</span>

The Swiss Electromagnetics Research and Engineering Centre (SEREC) is the sole organization for handling electromagnetic research and concerns in Switzerland.

The European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) is a not-for-profit association with headquarters in Paris, France. EPIC serves the photonics community through a regular series of workshops, market studies and partnering. EPIC focuses its actions on LEDs and OLEDs for lighting, optical fiber telecommunications, laser manufacturing, sensors, photovoltaics and photonics for life sciences. EPIC coordinates its activities internationally through its membership in the International Optoelectronics Association.

David F. Welch is an American businessman and research scientist. Welch is a pioneer in the field of optical devices and optical transport systems for telecommunications networks. Welch first made it possible to commercially deploy reliable 980 nm laser pumps, needed in low noise optical amplifiers employed in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) telecommunications systems. He also achieved the first commercial optoelectronics integrated circuit, several years ahead of any competing research or developments laboratory.

The Rice University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is one of nine academic departments at the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University. Ashutosh Sabharwal is the Department Chair. Originally the Rice Department of Electrical Engineering, it was renamed in 1984 to Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Kazuro Kikuchi is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems at the University of Tokyo and a long-time researcher on fiber-optic communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of TU Darmstadt</span>

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (etit) is a department of the Technische Universität Darmstadt. It was the first faculty of electrical engineering in the world and offered the first course of study in electrical engineering.

Giuseppe Caire is an Italian telecommunications engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wibool Piyawattanametha</span> Professor

Wibool Piyawattanametha is the head of Advanced Imaging Research (AIR) Center, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand.

References

  1. Emmy for MPEG-2 Transport Stream Standard Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine – hhi.fraunhofer.de, 17 January 2014.
  2. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) honors Dr. Detlev Marpe Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine – hhi.fraunhofer.de, 16 January 2015.
  3. Awards for researchers of the Fraunhofer HHI Archived 22 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine – hhi.fraunhofer.de, 15 July 2015.
  4. Research Departments of the Institute hhi.fraunhofer.de, 31 January 2017.
  5. History of the Heinrich-Hertz Institute Archived 31 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine – www.freunde.hhi.de, as of 31 January 2017.
  6. 2x1.7-Terabit/s eye-safe optical link demonstrated over 380 meters at Fraunhofer HHI – hhi.fraunhofer.de, 2 February 2017.