Creation through a "cycle of things → experiences → things"

New product development that returns to the customer's perspective

Our company launched a new business in 2023: the sale of "benchmarking reports." This is our first venture into the business of selling vehicle measurement data, and it represents our challenge to shift from a "product sales" model to a "service sales" model.

The purpose of this project is not limited to that. We also aim to create a cycle where we actually use the measuring instruments we sell, gain discoveries and insights such as "I'd like to measure this area in more detail," and then use that to develop new products.

In other words, our challenge is to simultaneously pursue both a "market-in" and a "product-out" approach.

This time, we would like to introduce our "clamp-type torque meter," which was born from our company's challenges, and the "Coriolis continuous mass flow meter," which shows a new way to utilize existing products. We are striving every day to create new value through a cycle of things → services → things.

We receive the drive shaft owned by the customer and meticulously evaluate its mounting characteristics, allowing us to utilize the shaft itself as part of the sensor. No modifications to the shaft are necessary.
A clamp-type torque meter is attached to the drive shaft.

Yamada: In relation to our MBD (Model-Based Design) and other technologies, we had long known that "it would be nice to have a product like a clamp-type torque meter." With that in mind, when considering themes for my team to work on, the idea of "doing something with optical sensors" started. After some twists and turns, we settled on the current measurement method using strain gauges.

Yamada: For example, in the case of hybrid cars, the performance of regenerative braking, which recovers energy, becomes important. However, with the braking systems that currently dominate the market, which use friction brakes in combination with regenerative braking, it was not possible to tell from the outside whether regenerative braking, friction brakes, or both were active during deceleration. By measuring the amount of twist in the drive shaft with this product, it is possible to determine, for example, whether a hybrid car is currently using 40% friction braking and 60% regenerative braking during deceleration.

Yamada: Of course, this alone cannot be used to assess the overall regenerative braking performance of a vehicle, but it does provide one important indicator. Regarding commercialization, we are currently handling it on a custom-order basis and have already started selling it to customers. If there is sufficient demand in the future, we would like to consider mass production as a standard product.

The purpose of this measurement was to "measure the flow rate of the refrigerant while it is in a liquid state," using the FZ series Coriolis continuous mass flow meter. While the goal was to measure the liquid state, there was a possibility that the pressure would drop and the refrigerant would turn into a gas as the flow rate increased. Therefore, the density data from the FZ series was used to determine whether the refrigerant was in a liquid or gaseous state. (The FZ series unit is shown in the photo above.)

Sales Headquarters
Marketing Block
Custom-made product group
Section Chief
Yuichiro Sanpei
Idea Realization Lab
leader
Takashi Kinouchi
Idea Realization Lab
leader
Tetsuya Tanaka

Kinouchi: Yes, we learned that a major feature of BYD vehicles is that they use refrigerants for both battery cooling and cabin cooling. When compiling the "thermal management" section of the benchmarking report, the initial impetus was to measure the amount of heat exchange performed by that refrigerant. I was in charge of the measurement.

Sanpei: I am in charge of planning the FZ series of Coriolis continuous mass meters, which will be discussed later. Mr. Kinouchi consulted me, and I started by investigating how to measure the amount of heat exchange. I found that if the amount of heat per unit mass is known, it can be determined by drawing a characteristic diagram of the refrigerant if the temperature and pressure are known. However, while temperature and pressure can be measured with some effort, if the crucial mass flow rate is unknown, the specific enthalpy obtained from the characteristic diagram alone is insufficient.

Sanpei: No, measuring refrigerant is difficult. When measuring flow rate, accurate measurement is impossible if the gas and liquid mix, so measurement must be done in a place where the state does not change. The easiest time to measure is when it is in liquid form. This time, I thought that the Coriolis continuous mass flowmeter FZ, which can measure both flow rate and density, would be able to measure it.

Kinouchi: That's correct. We installed it there because we assumed that "the refrigerant would be liquid after passing through the outdoor condenser and condensing."

Tanaka: This time, I was in charge of installing the measuring equipment. Since there was no place to put it on the top of the vehicle, I placed it on the bottom.

Sanpei: Because gravity affects accuracy, it needs to be installed horizontally.

Sanpei: This flow rate measurement required measurement in a liquid state. Density data was used to determine whether it was in a liquid state or a gas-liquid mixture state. The density of the refrigerant is approximately 1.3 g/cm³. "Out of specification range" means that "the measurement data cannot be guaranteed because the density calibration range is only up to 1 g/cm³." The maximum density value in the design specifications for the FZ is 5.0 g/cm³.

Creation through a "cycle of things → experiences → things"

"Manufacturing from the user's perspective"

New product development that returns to the customer's perspective

[Clamp-type torque meter]

Contributing to improving the fuel efficiency of eco-cars

The "clamp-type torque meter" we'll be discussing today—what kind of product is it?

What was the process that led to the start of development?

What are the requests from the team responsible for our contract testing and benchmarking reports?

In fact, what are the intended uses of this product?

This product will help improve fuel efficiency by measuring the drive shaft of electric vehicles, right? That's fantastic. When do you plan to release this product?

[Coriolis Continuous Mass Flow Meter FZ]

How to measure refrigerants in a gaseous or liquid state

What is specific enthalpy?

Are refrigerants easy to measure?

So, Mr. Kinouchi investigated which part of BYD's system contained the most liquid, is that correct?

What were the actual measurement results?

You mentioned this was an "out-of-spec usage," but could you elaborate on that?

In this case, it wasn't simply a matter of "we can measure it using our measuring equipment," but rather the preliminary preparations were quite challenging.