「モノ→コト→モノの循環」による創出

New product development from the customer's perspective.

Our new business "Benchmarking Report" sales, which started in 2023. The vehicle measurement data sales business is our first attempt, and it is an initiative that challenges the shift from "selling products" to "selling experiences."

The purpose of this business is not just that. By actually using the measuring equipment we sell, we aim to discover insights like "I want to measure this more" and connect that to new product development in a cycle.

In a way, it is an attempt to simultaneously conduct "market-in" and "product-out," which is our challenge.

This time, I would like to introduce the "Clamp-type Torque Meter" born from our challenge, and the "Coriolis Mass Flow Meter" that has found new applications for existing products. We are striving daily to create new value through the cycle of products to experiences to products.

Yamada: Regarding our MBD and related topics, I had previously understood that it would be nice to have products like clamp-type torque meters. With that in mind, when considering the themes my team would work on, we started planning to see if we could do something using optical sensors. After various twists and turns, we settled on the current measurement method using strain gauges.

Yamada: Around the time the development of this product started, a project for selling benchmarking reports was launched, and we have been progressing while incorporating the opinions of the responsible personnel. They work directly with automotive manufacturers every day, so they really understand what customers are looking for and what would make them happy.

Yamada: For example, in the case of hybrid cars, the performance of regenerative braking, which recovers energy, becomes important. However, in the braking systems that currently dominate, which use a combination of friction brakes, it is not possible to tell from the outside whether the regenerative brake is activated, the friction brake is activated, or both are activated during deceleration. By measuring the twist of the drive shaft with this product, it can be determined, for instance, that during deceleration, a hybrid car is applying '40% friction brake and 60% regenerative brake'.

Yamada: Of course, this alone cannot measure the total regenerative performance of the vehicle, but it provides an important indicator. Regarding commercialization, we are currently responding to custom orders and have already started selling to customers. If there is a high demand in the future, we would like to consider mass production as a standard product.

Kinochi: Yes, it was understood that a significant feature of BYD is that the cooling of the battery and the cabin is done using refrigerants. The initial motivation for compiling the benchmarking report on "thermal management" was to measure the amount of heat exchange performed by that refrigerant. I was in charge of the measurements.

three bottles: I am in charge of planning the Coriolis mass flow meter FZ series, which will be discussed later. After receiving advice from Mr. Kinouchi, I first investigated how to measure heat exchange. I found that if we know the temperature and pressure, we can determine the heat per unit mass by drawing the characteristic diagram of the refrigerant. However, while temperature and pressure can be measured with effort, it is not sufficient to rely solely on the specific enthalpy obtained from the characteristic diagram without knowing the crucial mass flow rate.

three bottles: No, refrigerants are difficult to measure. When measuring as a flow rate, accurate measurement cannot be achieved if gas and liquid are mixed, so it can only be measured in a location where the state does not change. The easiest state to measure is when it is liquid. This time, I thought that it would be possible to measure both flow rate and density with the Coriolis continuous mass flow meter FZ.

Kinochi: "That will be the case. It was installed there because the refrigerant would be in liquid form after passing through and being condensed by the vehicle's external condenser."

Tanaka: This time, I was in charge of attaching the measuring instruments. Since there was no place to put them on the upper side of the vehicle, I placed them on the lower side.

three bottles: It is necessary to install it horizontally because the influence of gravitational acceleration affects the accuracy.

three bottles: This flow measurement required that it be measured in a liquid state. To determine whether it was in a liquid state or a gas-liquid mixture, density data was utilized. The density of the refrigerant is about 1.3g/cm ³. Being out of specification means "the calibration range of density is up to 1g/cm ³, so we cannot guarantee the measurement data." The maximum density value according to the design specifications of FZ is up to 5.0g/cm ³.

「モノ→コト→モノの循環」による創出

User-centered manufacturing

New product development from the customer's perspective.

Clamp Type Torque Meter

contribute to the improvement of fuel efficiency performance of eco-cars.

What kind of product is the 'clamp-type torque meter' that we will be discussing this time?

What circumstances led to the start of the development?

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

In fact, what kind of applications is this product used for?

By measuring the drive shaft of electric vehicles with this product, it contributes to improving fuel efficiency. That's wonderful. When is this product expected to be commercialized?

Coriolis Continuous Mass Flow Meter FZ

How to measure refrigerants in a gas-liquid state?

What is specific enthalpy?

Are refrigerants easy to measure?

So, Mr. Kinoshita investigated where the most liquid part is within the BYD system.

What were the results of the measurement that was actually taken?

This time, I heard about "use outside of specifications", but could you please clarify what that specifically means?

In this case, it is not just that "you can measure by simply using our measuring equipment"; rather, a lot of preparatory work was necessary beforehand.