No.47 (2008)

Yokogawa periodically publishes the Yokogawa Technical Report, which contains articles that take a detailed look at the technologies employed in Yokogawa's products. At this site you will find links to all of the reports that have been published since 1997 as well as links to PDF files containing the full text of selected articles from each issue.

abstract

R&D Vision and Strategies for Supporting Industrial Infrastructure ...

  • SHIRAI Toshiaki*1

*1 Chief Technology Officer, Corporate R&D Headquarters

As a key supplier of products and solutions supporting the industrial and social infrastructure, we create our R&D visions and strategies based on a long-term perspective and our core competencies of measurement, control and information. The Corporate R&D Headquarters defines three cross-functional technology areas, namely Field-ubiquitous Computing, Micro-technology, and Photonics Technology, as the key strategic technology domains, and focuses on research to help create the industrial infrastructure for a sustainable society.


Visions and Activities on Field-ubiquitous Computing

  • NOGUCHI Akira*1
  • SAJIKI Jirou*2
  • OHTANI Tetsuya*3

*1 Ubiquitous Field Computing Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters
*2 Network & Software Development Dept., Corporate R&D Headquarters
*3 Instrument & Control Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

As the market and social environment surrounding industrial production systems change, production systems for individual users must respond flexibly. We call the environment and fundamental technologies to support this flexible change "Field-ubiquitous Computing," and are developing key technologies in this area. This paper reports on our R&D in Field Ubiquitous Computing toward creating a flat system infrastructure, a system architecture capable of continual growth, and services providing essential information.


Visions and Activities on Micro-technology

  • IMAMURA Makoto*1
  • ISOZAKI Katsumi*2
  • TANAAMI Takeo*3

*1 Advanced Device Development Div., Corporate R&D Headquarters
*2 Advanced Technology Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters
*3 Biomolecule Analysis Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

Yokogawa's Corporate R&D Headquarters has been focusing on the development of three key micro-technologies: silicon semiconductor key devices to be applied to Yokogawa's new products, a microreactor for Green Production, and gene measuring systems for personalized medicine, the safety of foods and the preservation of nature and water. These themes are necessary to achieve the R&D vision, expand technologies to help create a low-carbon sustainable society, and create technologies for revolutionizing the social structure toward individual-oriented production and services.


Visions and Activities on Photonics Technology

  • ISOZAKI Katsumi*1

*1 Advanced Technology Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

This paper summarizes the state of research in the field of photonics technology, specifically work related to photonic sensing technologies. For details on optical communication, refer to "Yokogawa Technical Report Vol. 52 No. 3 Photonics special issue." In this paper, we report a technique for measuring interference for optical components in next-generation optical communication, a unique tunable laser device that combines MEMS technology and compound semiconductor technology, a high-speed inline near infrared analyzer conforming to PAT (Process Automation Technology) proposed by FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and a detection technology for gene chips.


Capability of IPv6 for control network and the activities ...

  • MIYATA Hiroshi*1
  • ENDO Masahito*1

*1 Network & Software Development Dept, Corporate R&D Headquarters

The digital Fieldbus has expanded the potential of instrumentation. The shift from bus to network communication will maximize the advantages of digital instrumentation. We have been working on the utilization of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), the latest version of the widespread Internet Protocol, for instrumentation. This paper introduces how we are applying IPv6 to instrumentation.


Application of IPv6 to Field Instruments level network and ...

  • OKABE Nobuo*1

*1 Ubiquitous Field Computing Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

The changes in social environment, such as globalization of enterprise activities, depletion of natural resources, and eco-oriented movement will affect the structure of mass production. Control systems require flexibility and scalability in both size and function to adjust to the changes. Our goal is to free the systems from the controller-centric model where all field instruments must be accessed via controllers, as well as to achieve flexibility and scalability with the latest network technologies. The author proposes a virtual wiring technology, which consists of a network security mechanism and a plug-and-play mechanism. This technology can be applied to resource-limited devices such as field instruments. This paper describes our activities toward creating the virtual wiring technology.


System resource management for achieving Field Overlay Architecture

  • OHNO Takeshi*1

*1 Ubiquitous Field Computing Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

At production sites, secondary tasks such as energy saving, safety management and production streamlining are becoming vital in addition to the primary task of production activities. However, it is difficult to meet these requirements only by changing the functions of field devices. We therefore propose Field Overlay Architecture (FOA) which provides existing devices with a common platform and enables the functions required to handle these tasks to be added via the network at any time. This paper describes how system resources in devices are managed as an important issue for achieving FOA.


Utilization of Tracking Simulator and its application ...

  • NAKAYA Makoto*1
  • NAKABAYASHI Akio*1
  • OHTANI Tetsuya*1

*1 Instrument & Control Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

We have developed the world's first on-line tracking simulator which matches the physical world with the virtual world. This paper describes this tracking simulator and its application to plant operations in the future. As examples of its use, we describe the prediction operation which ensures optimum plant operation by knowing the future plant behavior, and a method to create more accurate models by adjusting model parameters as variables. Regarding its applications, we explain the importance of various uses of plant models during the plant life-cycle, and then describe an application to production control which is achieved by direct product quality control with frequent re-scheduling while maintaining quality.


3000 V class MOSFET switch for Semiconductor Relay using MEMS process

  • KOMACHI Tomonori*1
  • TAKAYAMA Tadahiko*2
  • IMAMURA Makoto*1

*1 Advanced Device Development Div., Corporate R&D Headquarters
*2 Product Business Center, Industrial Automation Business Headquarters

To develop a small and high-breakdown voltage semiconductor relay for scanners in recorders, we have developed a MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) with a new three-dimensional termination as a switching device. The termination consists of deep-etched side-walls and junctions on them. Using this structure, a 3200 V MOSFET measuring just 1.7 mm-square has been achieved for the first time in the world. We used a MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) process to etch a 400-μm groove, which is several ten to several hundred times as deep as that formed by a normal dry etching process.


Micro Flow Sensor for Microreactor

  • TANAKA Yoshiaki*1
  • TERAO Minako*1
  • AKUTSU Tomomi*1
  • ISOZAKI Katsumi*1

*1 Advanced Technology Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

Recently, a state-of-the-art technology called a microreactor has been drawing a lot of attention in the small-lot production processes for high value added functional materials, such as pharmaceuticals and fine chemical materials. We have been focusing on this technology, and have developed a new micro flow sensor, which is one of the most important components of microreactor systems. Conventional flowmeters made of stainless-steel narrow tubes for micro flow rate applications are not applicable to micro reactor systems where corrosive liquids are used. The key feature of the developed micro flow sensor is its high resistance to corrosive liquids thanks to the use of glass for all wetted surfaces of the sensor, and arranging the sensing elements in non-wetted areas. This paper introduces the developed micro flow sensor and reports its evaluation results.


Gene Measuring System capable of safe and reliable diagnoses

  • WAKE Hitoshi*1
  • FUKUSHIMA Kazuhisa*1
  • TANAAMI Takeo*1

*1Biomolecule Analysis Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

Many genome annotations have been accumulated through the Human Genome Project, heralding a new era of healthcare. In the medical area, personalized medicine is being introduced in hospitals and clinics, while in the areas of living, the environment, and industry, gene measuring systems are expected to help achieve healthy lives and environmental hygiene in terms of the safety of foods and the preservation of nature and water. This paper describes the current situation in the medical area which will soon be revolutionized, as well as the on-going application of biological information to industry. It then examines the technical issues of the gene measuring system required, and how Yokogawa is working to solve them by using micro-technology and photonics technology.


High speed micromechanically tunable Surface Emitting Laser ...

  • KANBARA Nobuhiko*1
  • NODA Ryuuitirou*2
  • YANO Tetsuo*1
  • SAITO Hiroki*1
  • FUJIMURA Naoyuki*1
  • NISHIYAMA Nobuhiko*3

*1 Advanced Technology Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters
*2 Product Business Center, Industrial Automation Business Headquarters
*3 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology

We have developed a novel high-speed micromechanically tunable surface emitting laser with Si-MEMS technology. This laser consists of a half VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) chip without a one-side dielectric mirror and a micromachined SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate with a concave mirror. These two chips are bonded together using a high-accuracy metal thermo compression bonding method. High-speed, wide-wavelength tuning is achieved by applying a variable voltage between the silicon membrane with the mirror and the silicon substrate. In the prototype, we have achieved high-performance wavelength modulation over 500 kHz, a wide tuning range of 55 nm without any mode-hop, and a side mode suppression ratio of over 60 dB. This is a world-class product in its field.


High-speed in-line use Spectrometer using the highly integrated ...

  • KOMIYAMA Makoto*1
  • MURAYAMA Koudai*1
  • IGA Mistuhiro*1

*1 Advanced Technology Research Center, Corporate R&D Headquarters

The fine chemical field, especially the pharmaceutical industry, is introducing advanced sensing technologies into the process line to improve safety and quality in accordance with PAT (Process Analytical Technology) promoted by FDA (Food and Drug Administration). For measuring powders without preparation during the drug formulation process, a near-infrared spectroscopic analyzer is the most promising sensing device. We are developing the key devices and fundamental technologies for a spectroscopic analyzer that has the required detection mechanism and high sensitivity for powder measurement, as well as a high-speed measuring function for blenders and 100% inspection.


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