TPT January 2025

ARTICLE

Murata

Central control room – the brain of equipment management operations

The sensors and cameras that we have looked at so far are all wirelessly connected to the central control room via a router (the camera is Wi-Fi and the sensors use 920MHz specified low-power radio). There is no need to install any network cables, as communication is done wirelessly. Power cables are also unnecessary, as everything is battery powered. How can the data collected by these sensors and cameras be utilised? The following section explains some of the benefits. Centralised management of all sensors and meters plus AI analysis Yamamoto: The images from the numerical recognition cameras mounted on the meters of equipment can be viewed in the central control room. Furthermore, the image feed from the cameras is analysed by an AI that will notify the central control room if there are any abnormalities. Haga: The many air-conditioning units, electrical equipment and other utilities are installed over a wide area and there are a considerable number of meters. Therefore, it takes a long time to go around to them all. Mounting numerical recognition cameras on each meter and monitoring them from the central control room reduces the number of inspections that need to be made and the time taken for each inspection can also be shortened.

Example of water leak sensor installation

Yamamoto: It has a wide range of uses, such as for outdoor units that handle hot and cold water and pipes both large and small. Furthermore, the water leak sensor can detect even the smallest of leaks. Numerical recognition camera – significantly reduces the effort of meter reading Yamamoto: A numerical recognition camera is a camera that is capable of reading meter displays. It can read both analogue and digital meter displays. Multiple meters can be read with a single camera, which not only greatly reduces the hassle of meter reading, but also allows for the constant monitoring of meter values.

Energy saving realised through understanding demand levels

Haga: The sensors allow for data to be collected at short intervals, and the data can be visualised in real time on a graph. This makes it possible to get an accurate picture of the demand levels 1 (the average amount of power or steam consumed in a certain 30-minute period) for power, heating and cooling and steam. Being able to visualise energy costs not only helps achieve optimal energy conservation, but it also allows one to feel the impact of energy-saving efforts.

Meter reading with a numerical recognition camera

Displaying multiple meters at once

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JANUARY 2025