■Assist Wheel Drive

With labor shortages and population aging becoming issues, the impact of heavy labor on workers' environment is by no means insignificant.
In manufacturing sites, while automation is progressing in operations such as processing and assembly, heavy loads are still moved manually using trolleys between each step of processes.

With the Assist Wheel Drive's all-in-one structure, various existing trolleys built for specific loads and purposes can be easily converted into electric power-assisted trolleys.
Reduction of transport burden enables any workers to transport heavy loads regardless of their physical strength. In addition, with the assistance of an electromagnetic brake, a trolley can be stopped safely if workers sense danger and need to stop it immediately, or accidentally release their hand from the trolley.

By enhancing safety in transport and improving working environment through labor-saving, we will contribute to improvement of worker well-being and productivity.

 

■Emergency-stop assist system

Our emergency-stop switches (hereafter referred to as "switches") that reliably stop the machines have achieved a high market share by incorporating our proprietary safety technology.
However, with the rapid progress of automation of transport processes using automatic guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots, the operator's attempt to press the switch to stop the machine in an emergency may itself pose a risk  if the switch is installed in a low position or the machine itself is moving.

IDEC's emergency-stop assist system allows operators to stop machines from a safe location by operating the switch from a remote location in the field.
This system, which conforms to Safety 2.0 to realize collaborative safety  between man and machine, ensures the safety of operators and improves work efficiency by allowing machines to be stopped quickly even from a distance.

This system plays an important role in manufacturing sites in terms of both operator safety and productivity improvement. With this system, the IDEC Group will contribute to solving social issues.

 

■Bluetooth-equipped pulsed multi-use mmWave radar sensor “1A1M series”

Developed leveraging strengths of both ALPS ALPINE and IDEC, this sensor has excellent environmental resistance, employing the radar that can detect objects and distances even outdoors with rain or snow, or at dusty production sites. In addition, as its spread of radio waves has been narrowed down to minimize false detection due to false images and multipath, which is a weak point of radar, its usability has been considerably improved.

The sensor provides safety by detecting the distance between the aerial work platform and the ceiling at construction site to prevent operators from getting caught, improves work efficiency by detecting the distance between the mortar sprayer and the wall, the water level in the tank, etc., as well as reduces environmental impact by replacing underground loop coils and eliminating the need for burying work at parking lots. Moreover, its Bluetooth communication function allows user-friendly radar control from PCs or smartphones. Through these features, this product has the potential to offer solutions to challenges across industries and create new value together with customers.

By providing these new HMI values, we are committed to contribute to the development of safe and secure society.

 

■φ22 Touchless Switch "CW1H/CW4H type

　Due to the spread of COVID-19 infection, non-contact needs are increasing as a preventive measure for infections.Touchless switches are expected to be one of the infection inhibitors, especially for push-button switches operated by an unspecified number of people, which increase the risk of infection.Demand for touchless devices is also growing for open/close buttons of clean rooms’ doors and operational parts of food machine which cannot be operated with fingers for hygienic reasons.

The Touchless Switch "CW1H/CW4H type meets these social needs and is effective in reducing the risk of infection and in measures for hygiene. Near-infrared ray reflection method is used to detect up to 270 mm by a human hand, and the detection range is limited to the front of the product to prevent malfunctions.In addition, the dustproof/waterproof protection structure IP65/67 and UL certification of NEMA standard Type 4X enable the product to be used not only indoors but also outdoors.Moreover the two-color LED lighting can be externally controlled to provide feedback on output, standby, and other statuses, making it easy for the user to recognize the status.

　The IDEC Group will contribute to solve diversified social issues with our products based on the control and safety technologies that we has cultivated over the years, improve the safety, ANSHIN, and well-being of all people, and realize a society in which everyone can live healthy, happy, and actively.

 

■HS5L-K Type Safety Switch with Key

　Due to the automation of production lines and the shortage of labour, there is a growing demand for a safer and more secure working environment in the manufacturing industry.　In addition, demand for safety switches that contribute to the reduction of work-related accidents is increasing globally.
Safety switches are installed on the front doors of machine tools or on the doors of safety fences around industrial robots to detect the opening and closing of doors and to ensure the safety of workers on the production floor. IDEC's keyed safety switches ensure the safety of workers by preventing them from being trapped in a hazardous area or from unintentionally activating equipment.　
Normally, equipment and robots are isolated from sources of danger by means of protective doors (guards). The operator unlocks the door with a key, disables the equipment, and then removes the key to enter the hazardous area. As long as the operator does not step out of the door and lock the door with the key, the device is also deactivated and the operator with the key can work safely in the hazardous area.

　Through the development of IDEC's products and the promotion of various initiatives, we aim to improve the safety, security and wellbeing of all people, and to create a society where everyone can live a healthy, happy and active life.

 

■The wireless vibration sensor ”ES3M” with intrinsically safe
　explosion protection structure

　At oil plants and chemical factories handling dangerous goods such as flammable gas, the risk for fire accidents, etc. is increasing caused by the insufficient maintenance due to labor shortage and decrease of skilled engineers in addition to aged equipment recently.
　In order to reduce such accidents, early detection of condition abnormality in equipment and machines is required. However, detection depends on the experience of workers in many cases, and patrol inspection at dangerous places and confirmation of equipment dotted in the huge premise require a lot of time and man-hour, which has been a great issue.
　The wireless vibration sensor ”ES3M” with intrinsically safe explosion protection structure can be used in dangerous places (Zone 2*) at oil plants and chemical factories, by which vibration data such as speed, acceleration data, and installing surface can be collected easily through wireless, and enables “prediction maintenance” which prevents malfunctions by the early detection.
　The product is small and battery-driven with low power consumption. It can be installed easily through a magnet, and is available instantly without power and network works. Free installment and easy introduction enable to install several pieces in a large place. It improves the work efficiency by reducing time and man-hour relating to maintenance significantly as well as realizes the prediction maintenance at explosion protection areas.

【*Zone 2】　
　The places with little possibility of forming an explosive atmosphere and with only a short time duration in case of forming it.

 

■Smart RFID Reader “KW2D series"

　As a countermeasure against the new coronavirus, products involved in IDEC components have been installed in all IDEC's domestic production and distribution bases as non-contact automatic temperature detection systems.
　The system combines IDEC products such as the KW2D smart RFID reader, which can manage the history by reading ID cards such as employee ID cards for, the FC6A Plus programmable controller that supports the MQTT protocol, and the HG1G programmable display with commercially available thermal cameras.
　The smart RFID reader reads the employee's ID card, the programmable display unit registers the ID card to authenticate the individual, and the thermal camera measures the presence or absence of a mask and the body temperature. If the temperature is above 37.5 degrees Celsius, a red alert is displayed, and the information is sent to a cloud server by a programmable controller, allowing remote confirmation and management of the temperature of employees who have arrived at work.
　By developing IDEC products and promoting various initiatives, we aim to improve the safety, security, and wellbeing of all people, and realize a society where everyone can be healthy, happy, and active.

 

■Wearable terminals

　At the assembly center, we have introduced IDEC's wearable terminal-based picking operations and RFID card/tablet-based assembly to prevent hand-borne infections, improve efficiency and productivity, and solve the following five social issues.

・Reorganization of the work instructions used in each process into a system centered on RFID cards to go paperless
・Uniformity of work without relying on skilled workers too much and support for multiple languages through instructions on tablets
・Automatic collection of work hours and inspection records
・Visualization of work progress on a large screen display
・Parallel operation of multiple orders by using wearable terminals which can significantly shorten working hours and reduce errors

　Due to the global spread of the new coronavirus, people's awareness, lifestyles, and social needs have changed dramatically. But changes are a great opportunity for the next stage of growth.
　By contributing to the resolution of diversifying social issues with a variety of products and solutions based on the control and safety technologies that the IDEC Group has cultivated over the years, we aim to achieve sustainable growth as a truly global company.