OMRON Introduces SIGNARC, a Quality Control Service Based on Proprietary Technology in the Analysis of Sound and Vibration
JapanCorp: <http://www.japancorp.net/?page_num=1> OMRON Introduces SIGNARC, a Quality Control Service Based on Proprietary Technology in the Analysis of Sound and Vibration Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 09, 2003 - (JCN Newswire) - OMRON Corporation has officially launched SIGNARC, a quality control service with technology to detect product quality by assessing and diagnosing sounds and vibrations emanating from motors, drives, or other moving parts. The SIGNARC solution is composed of an abnormal sound diagnosis system, waveform analysis diagnosis service, assessment knowledge formation service, system operations service, and system consulting service. SIGNARC is supported by two proprietary technologies developed at Omron's R&D HQ Control Technology Laboratory: 'Waveform Analysis Diagnosis' technology and Knowledge Formation¡Ç technology. To assess product condition or identify the cause of a malfunction, a microphone and an acceleration sensor are utilized, capturing waveforms of a product¡Çs sound and vibration emissions. 40 sets of characteristics are quantified with the 'Waveform Analysis Diagnosis' and the meaning of each of these waveforms is understood. 'Knowledge Formation' technology is then used to match these quantified characteristics with the know-how of trained inspectors. As a result, human comparison, conducted to achieve quality assessment on the level of "Fine" or "Not Fine", can be quantified, to answer, "Is there, and to what degree and is there something wrong?" For example, identification of the cause and the degree of the defect can be expressed as "General assessment defect level 95" or "Valve clearance defect level 80." In shifting from components sales to the service business, Omron has created a new business model. The brand name, SIGNARC, comes from the "signals" inspectors can read from the data produced by Omron's proprietary Waveform Analysis Diagnosis technology, and the long, smooth "arc" envisioned connecting Omron with customers through the provision of high added-value solutions. Effectiveness of SIGNARC Against the qualitative, relative, and implicit intelligence of conventional human inspection, SIGNARC is characterized by quantitative, absolute, format type inspections. Highly skilled examiners conduct inspections of product drive parts. With this kind of inspection, fluctuation in quality assessment standards and product defect overlooking occur due to differences in the degree of skill for each examiner, age, physical condition, etc. Among other issues, assessment feedback is inevitably qualitative and relative, and a means of passing on skilled inspectors' tacit knowledge to future generations posed a challenge. SIGNARC, on the other hand, does not respond with a simple "Fine" or "Not Fine," but answers the questions "How bad is it?" and "Where is the problem?" - specific quantitative figures indicating the level of defect and cause of malfunction. SIGNARC contributes not only through early apprehension / treatment of the malfunction in the event of a product defect, but also improves product quality by making possible quantitative management of assessment feedback. Applications of SIGNARC SIGNARC is capable of quantifying sound and identifying causes of defects, so it can be applied not just to inspection lines, but to total product quality improvement in raw material and design improvement carried out by development / design functions, product quality control / assurance functions, etc. SIGNARC is not limited to product quality assessment. The capability of quantifying sound and identifying causes of defects allows SIGNARC to be applied in various services for sensual research fields / development divisions, answering such questions as, "What sort of sound is preferred by people," "What sound best fits this product image?" Services Offered by SIGNARC - Abnormal sound inspection system construction - Consulting for abnormal sound inspection system installation - Setup, adjustment, and stability operation of the abnormal sound inspection system - Operation of the abnormal sound inspection system - Waveform analysis diagnosis - Formation of assessment knowledge - Waveform data collection and condition setup Prices of SIGNARC Services ¡¡ Offline: from 4 million yen Inline: from 6 million yen SIGNARC Business Plan With developing SIGNARC services, OMRON anticipates revenue from this business within the product inspection field in Japan to reach 1.6 billion yen in FY 2006. About Omron Corp. Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation. Established in 1933 and headed by President Hisao Sakuta, Omron has more than 23,000 employees in over 35 countries working to provide products and services to customers in a variety of fields including industrial automation, electronic components, social systems (ticket gate machines, ticket vending machines, cash dispensers, and traffic control), and healthcare. The company is divided into five regions and head offices are in Japan (Kyoto), Asia Pacific (Singapore), China (Shanghai), Europe (Amsterdam) and US (Chicago).For further information, please visit the Omron Corp. home page at: www.omron.com <http://www.omron.com> Contact Omron Corporation Christopher Udell christopher_udell@omron.co.jp 03-3436-7139 _____ Oct. 09, 2003, 16:00 (JST) Source: Omron Corp. Omron Corp. (OTC: OMRNY) www.omron.com <http://www.omron.com> From the Japan Corporate News Network www.japancorp.net <http://www.japancorp.net> Topic: New Service Sectors: Auto Manufacturing, Manufacturing Process, Factory Automation, Manufacturing Software, Electronics General, Manufacturing General, IT General © 2003 JCN Newswire. A division of Japan Corporate News Network KK. All rights reserved.