NEWS
Participation in Field Trial for Increasing Collection Efficiency
of Industrial Waste Using LPWA
Using Waste Weighing Sensors Developed by Nissha
November 22, 2017
Nissha Co., Ltd.
Nissha Co., Ltd. (hereafter, “Nissha”), along with the NTT West Group, EX Research Institute Ltd., and Think & Act, Inc, was selected as a business operator for the “Project to Verify the Effects of a Recycling Promotion Model Utilizing Smart Sensors, FY2017”*1 for which Kyoto Prefecture made a public solicitation.
The field trial was started on October 20, 2017, in Kyoto Prefecture to demonstrate the efficient collection of industrial waste using a diverse range of sensors and an LPWA*2 network that can cover a wide range with a small amount of power. In this field trial, a waste weighing sensor developed by Nissha and compliant with the LoRaWAN™*3 was utilized.
Nissha is working to expand sensors using LoRaWAN™ widely among industrial fields and diversify uses, utilizing its expertise in sensing technology, to contribute to increasing work efficiency in a range of industries and solving social issues.
*1. This is a project to verify a waste treatment model where the optimum transportation route is selected through the introduction of IoT technology in order to promote recycling initiatives in Kyoto Prefecture’s FY2017 “IoT/Smart Industrial Waste Reduction Measures Project”
*2. LPWA, an acronym of “low power, wide area,” is a collective term for long-distance wireless communications technology requiring little power.
*3. This is one of the communication standards for IoT established by the LoRa Alliance, which consists of IBM, the semiconductor manufacturer Semtech, and others.
LoRaWAN™ is a trademark of Semtech Corporation.
The field trial was started on October 20, 2017, in Kyoto Prefecture to demonstrate the efficient collection of industrial waste using a diverse range of sensors and an LPWA*2 network that can cover a wide range with a small amount of power. In this field trial, a waste weighing sensor developed by Nissha and compliant with the LoRaWAN™*3 was utilized.
Nissha is working to expand sensors using LoRaWAN™ widely among industrial fields and diversify uses, utilizing its expertise in sensing technology, to contribute to increasing work efficiency in a range of industries and solving social issues.
*1. This is a project to verify a waste treatment model where the optimum transportation route is selected through the introduction of IoT technology in order to promote recycling initiatives in Kyoto Prefecture’s FY2017 “IoT/Smart Industrial Waste Reduction Measures Project”
*2. LPWA, an acronym of “low power, wide area,” is a collective term for long-distance wireless communications technology requiring little power.
*3. This is one of the communication standards for IoT established by the LoRa Alliance, which consists of IBM, the semiconductor manufacturer Semtech, and others.
LoRaWAN™ is a trademark of Semtech Corporation.
Background
At present, the treatment costs for industrial waste, which make up the bulk of waste by volume, are believed to around 5.3 trillion yen*4 annually over the entire Japanese market. Reducing transportation costs, which account for about half of this amount, is a serious issue faced by all local governments. However, businesses that collect and treat industrial waste also have issues with increased collection costs due to the inefficient “piston collection” method whereby they return to the collection point each time, regardless of the amount of waste collected, and the fact that they have to respond each time a company requests them to come and collect waste.
In response to this sort of inefficient operation, Kyoto Prefecture made a public solicitation for a project to verify the optimization of collection and transportation and to increase the efficiency of work utilizing IoT. A joint corporate proposal utilizing the waste weighing sensors developed by Nissha was adopted, and field trials started in October 2017.
*4. Source: Ministry of the Environment: Report on the Status of Industrial Waste Treatment Businesses (2011) (Japanese only)
In response to this sort of inefficient operation, Kyoto Prefecture made a public solicitation for a project to verify the optimization of collection and transportation and to increase the efficiency of work utilizing IoT. A joint corporate proposal utilizing the waste weighing sensors developed by Nissha was adopted, and field trials started in October 2017.
*4. Source: Ministry of the Environment: Report on the Status of Industrial Waste Treatment Businesses (2011) (Japanese only)
Details of the field trial
Outline
Construct an IoT platform that would connect all stakeholders, including both waste producers and waste collectors, in order to reduce the costs of waste treatment and improve the recycling rate.
- Install sensors that can tell how much industrial waste is being stored.
- Develop a communication environment for these sensors (comparative verification of LPWA and 3G networks)
- Introduction of a system that can understand the optimal transportation route based on the sensor information.
- Verification of the effectiveness of the waste treatment model carried out in the above environment (reductions in treatment costs, reductions in amount of CO2 emission, etc.)
Features
- Visualization of the amount of waste from multiple waste producers. Install weighing sensors in the storage locations of the waste producers to allow visualization in real time of the amount of industrial waste at each producer on an IoT platform.Move from collection per request to collection per actual need.
- Move from collection per request to collection per actual need. The data collected from the weighing sensors is analyzed by AI to forecast waste production several days in advance and select the optimal vehicle travel route, allowing effective collection plans to be proposed.
- Total solution that combines optimal networks and sensors. . Allows a combination of optimal sensors and networks such as LPWA and 3G to suit the environment of each storage site.
Field trial period
October 20, 2017 -- March 30, 2018
Nissha’s roles
- Carry out studies towards expanding into new areas of utilization for ultrasonic sensor devices.
- Designing, developing, and producing wireless sensor devices such as waste weighing sensors using LoRaWAN™.
- Designing installation methods, installing, and maintaining LoRaWAN™ sensor devices.
Future developments
Building on the results of this field trial, Nissha will work to further increase the efficiency of industrial waste treatment using IoT as well as the recycling rate for valuable waste, thus enabling us to construct a new system to improve recycling rates where waste producers, collectors, and processors work together. We shall roll this out into a range of areas, aiming to expand our scope to cover the collection of general waste as well.
Nissha will contribute to solving a range of social issues through diversifying the uses for LoRaWAN™ sensors into a wider range of industrial fields.
Nissha will contribute to solving a range of social issues through diversifying the uses for LoRaWAN™ sensors into a wider range of industrial fields.
Inquiry
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