JRC REVIEW No.71 2020 Technical Reports

Special Issues : Technology Strategy

Technology Strategy of JRC

- Special Issues : Technology Strategy -

In recent years, the business environment surrounding JRC is changing rapidly, such as the progress of digitalization including IoT and AI, diversification of usage scenes / requirements, and the emergence of new business schemes. In response to such circumstances, while supporting the medium-term growth strategy of the business, the technology strategy to contribute to future continuous growth / development is important. In this article, regarding JRC technology strategy, while showing three growth strategic markets that are targets, we describe the three core technologies “communication / network”, “sensing”, “data analytics”, and the direction of their technological progress. The “digital transformation” that solves social issues by creating new customer value is also described.

Nobuyuki Adachi
Narumi Umeda

Communication and Network Technology of JRC

- Special Issues : Technology Strategy -

This article describes the communication and network technology of JRC. We introduce the tackles related to LTE / 5G systems, which are important as future IoT communication infrastructures, tackles related to millimeter-wave solutions utilizing millimeter-wave proximity ultra-high-speed communications, and as for other radio technologies, we introduce tackles related to radio platforms and the realization of software and large capacity for satellite communication systems and JRC existing communication systems on land and sea.

Eiki Takahashi
Masaki Tatemori
Sadayuki Katsumata
Koichiro Akahori
Satoru Yokono
Yasuhide Tanaka

Sensing Technology of JRC

- Special Issues : Technology Strategy -

This article describes the concrete tackles related to "sensing technology", which is one of JRC core technologies. JRC offers various sensors in each market of mobility, infrastructure & safety, and life & health care. Regarding the typical products that apply JRC sensing technology, we introduce the outline of our technology which JRC holds and JRC tackles to the technology development. Furthermore, the direction of sensing technology required for the future is described.

Hiroki Sugawara
Masahiro Genda
Yutaka Ishiuchi
Naoya Hiraki
Masaru Kawaguchi
Akihiko Takahashi

Approach of Data Analytics Technology and Digital Business in JRC

- Special Issues : Technology Strategy -

While this article describes the direction of “data analytics technology”, which is one of JRC core technologies, and as examples of tackles utilizing digital data, the utilization of IoT data acquired from marine equipment, utilization of time series data acquired from weather / river information system, utilization of image data acquired from an ultrasonic array sensor, and utilization of sensor data acquired from an acoustic sensor with broadband frequency characteristics are introduced respectively. Furthermore, the deployment of digital business utilizing data analytics as digital transformation is described, and future tackles and issues are shown.

Keizo Hirano
Kengo Tsushima
Kazuya Kojima

Technical papers

Development of an Ultrasonic Array Sensor Capable of 3-Dimensional Observation about the Inside of Concrete with High Accuracy

- Technical papers -

Many concrete structures such as bridges constructed during the period of high economic growth are aging, and observing the internal conditions efficiently without destroying the structure is demanded. JRC has developed an ultrasonic array sensor capable of 3-dimensional observation for the inside of concrete in high accuracy using ultrasonic technology. In order to perform 3-dimensional observation, it was necessary to develop beamforming by high-speed signal processing associated with arraying, and ultrasonic probe with good S/N. In signal processing, by combining Full waveforms sampling and processing (FSAP), and JRC's own high-accuracy processing, and the technology of porous materials and highattenuation backing materials for probes, JRC has realized high-accuracy of images inside concrete. In the future, by combining the ultrasonic method, which excels in cavity detection, and the electromagnetic wave radar method, which excels in reinforcing bar detection, JRC will realize efficient maintenance of infrastructure construction and aim for further social contribution.

Takanori Akiike
Takashi Shimada
Akinari Yamagiwa
Takayuki Onishi

Development of Multiband Radio Equipment

- Technical papers -

When a large-scale natural disaster or accident occurs, smooth mutual communication is important in order for multiple organizations such as the police and fire fighting to cooperate and advance measures. However, in radio communication, since the frequency band to be used differs depending on the organization, it was necessary to use different frequency bands depending on a communications partner, hindering smooth mutual communication. In order to meet the demand to solve this problem, JRC has developed a multiband radio equipment that has a wide communication band from 136 MHz to 944 MHz on a single unit and is the same size as a conventional model with a single communication band.

Toru Shibanuma

Application to Education Utilizing Multi-functionalized Onboard LAN System

- Technical papers -

In the field of onboard education, such as onboard training in the ship industry, to acquire a wide variety of skills under the environment where there are many restrictions, utilization of ICT is increasingly important in recent years. An onboard LAN system has a function to collect various data during navigation and observations and centrally manage them, thus enabling such collected data to be monitored in various places on the ship. This function is also applied to education onboard. In order to meet the needs for diversification of voyage information required in onboard education, JRC has achieved multi-functionalization of the “onboard LAN system” after continuous development.

Tomoki Tanishita
Toshiyuki Ipponyari
Kaoru Hatsuno

Development of Marine VHF Radiotelephone

- Technical papers -

Marine VHF Radiotelephone is required to install as the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) on SOLAS vessels and this equipment is used for communication with nearby ship station and/or coast station. Conventionally, the marine VHF radiotelephone is used for distress and safety communication, port operations service, and pilotage communication as standalone equipment. However, currently the network technology onboard has progressed and functions as the whole marine system are required. Therefore considering such things, JRC has developed the new marine VHF radiotelephone providing the functions of radiotelephone channel selection and the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) to call the selected ship(s) by remote-controlling via LAN from our navigation systems such as the ECDIS and Marine Radar equipment having the dedicated VHF menu screen on the GUI.

Hideo Otsuki
Osamu Watanabe
Takeshi Okude
Takashi Miura

Observation Results by Phased Array Weather Radar

- Technical papers -

In recent years, in Japan, the frequency of generating heavy rain due to developed cumulonimbus has increased, and this has contributed to serious meteorological disasters. The equipment which can observe such a cumulonimbus threedimensionally with a short time interval is Phased Array Weather Radar (hereafter PAWR). Conventional weather radars with a parabolic antenna take about 5 minutes to observe a cumulonimbus in three dimensions, whereas newly developed PAWR takes only 30 seconds. It is therefore considered extremely useful for early detection and short-time prediction of the phenomena. This article reports the observation results specific to PAWR which have not been possible by using the conventional weather radar with a parabolic antenna, such as the process of a cumulonimbus rapidly developing in a short period of time and the descent of high intensity precipitation core in the cumulonimbus.

Video : Cumulonimbus observed by Phased Array Weather Radar in the Tokyo Urban Area, Japan in the summer of 2018. (3MB)

Kazuomi Morotomi
Shigeharu Shimamura
Takashi Shimada

Field Trial of Emergency Vehicle Communication System with 200-MHz Band Private LTE Communication Network

- Technical papers -

In the event of a disaster such as a large-scale earthquake, there is a possibility that the transmission of medical information becomes difficult due to the disruption of the public communication network in the area concerned. For the purpose of solving the problem, a field trial of the system has been conducted that enables the sharing of information required for medical activities by connecting the disaster area and the outside through a private communication network including JRC’s 200-MHz band LTE system. In this field trial, it has been confirmed that not only audio data but also video data could be stably transmitted from a traveling vehicle equipped with terminal station equipment to the core network via the base station in a radius of approximately 5 km from the base station.

Isamu Fukushima
Shogo Kawakami
Kenji Terada
Kenji Inoue
Hitoshi Saito

Development of traffic monitoring system using millimeter wave radar

- Technical papers -

Reverse running on highways is said to occur almost once every two days, which can easily lead to serious accidents and has become a social problem in recent years. JRC has developed the traffic monitoring system that detects abnormal running vehicles such as reverse running using millimeter-wave radar and notifies a road administrator along with warnings to running vehicles. This system is possible also for measurement of traffic, and by using millimeter-wave radar, it has achieved high-precision measurement that is less susceptible to environmental factors such as sunlight and weather. By automatically detecting abnormal events on the road, while preventing serious accidents caused by such as reverse running, the improvement in efficiency of road administrative work can be expected.

Mitsuhiro Nakamura
Isao Tsuchiya
Takahiko Kato
Tomoaki Koshitoge
Takashi Matsuda

Group Companies Technical papers

Development of Next-Generation Field Irrigation System

- Group Companies Technical papers -

The field irrigation system automatically performs irrigation in outdoor cultivation areas such as fruit trees and in plastic greenhouses, and contributes greatly to improving productivity and maintaining the quality of crops. However, from the viewpoint of efficient use of water resources, a function that optimizes the water spray operation according to the rainfall and soil moisture was demanded. Moreover, in recent years, the extended functions such as monitoring of water spray conditions using smartphones connected to the internet by applying ICT technology were demanded. In response to such needs, while performing optimal control of the water spray operation based on information on the rainfall and soil moisture collected from sensors, NJRC is advancing development of a next-generation field irrigation system that can expand the irrigation function using dedicated software and perform real-time monitoring of irrigation conditions using a smartphone.

Hiromu Ohata
Takashi Tano
Shinichi Tanaka
Hideaki Nagasawa

Improvement in Performance of Medical Diagnostic Equipment by Characteristic Adaptation Technology of Ultrasound Transducer

- Group Companies Technical papers -

An ultrasound diagnostic equipment for medical use which diagnoses a fine lesion precisely is required to have the high performance capable of outputting a high resolution image. In order to meet this requirement, improvement in performance of IC for signal processing, optimization of circuit design, and functional improvement by software control had been advanced. In addition to this, the improvement in performance of an ultrasound probe that determines the performance of the equipment has been a major issue. By applying the production technology cultivating over many years, UJRC has made a composite of the piezoelectric material that constitutes the transducer of the ultrasound probe, greatly improving the performance of the ultrasound probe.

Toshihiko Miyashita

Other Technical Information