Exploring the Equipment Management of Smart Buildings: A Tour of the Minato MIRAI Innovation Center Machine Room

The Murata Manufacturing Minato MIRAI Innovation Center located in Kanagawa Prefecture is a smart building that realizes comfort, energy conservation, and safety through the use of IoT technologies, and the equipment that supports that functionality is to be found in the basement. In this article, Haga, who is in charge of equipment management at the center, and Yamamoto, who is in charge of sales at the Tokyo branch office, tell us about the various technologies employed in the machine room and central control room, which together can be thought of as the heart of the building.

A well-organized floor and safety considerations

Haga: When one thinks of machine rooms where equipment is installed, one tends to think of gloomy places with dust and oil stains on the floors, but the machine room here has a futuristic appearance and is clean and well-organized.

Yamamoto: All equipment and pipes that become hot or cold are shielded with thermal insulation, preventing the risk of injury to workers, and also preventing deterioration caused by condensation.

Haga (left), who is in charge of equipment management, and Yamamoto (right), who is in charge of sales

Sensor usage examples

Walking around this floor, the thing that one notices is the sheer number of cameras and sensors installed everywhere. The data collected by these sensors is fed to the central control room and analyzed by AI.
Let's take a look at some of the main functions and usage examples of the sensors and cameras. We will also explain what kind of sensing and detection is possible and the associated benefits.

Vibration sensors – Early detection of abnormal vibrations

Yamamoto: The vibration sensor is used to measure the vibration of a motor and motor shaft. It uses a magnet for easy attachment and detachment, so if the mounting position is inappropriate or the sensor becomes unnecessary, the mounting position can easily be changed, or the sensor removed entirely. Using the sensor to detect vibrations allows maintenance tasks such as lubrication to be performed at the appropriate time. Additionally, it allows the effectiveness of the maintenance to be verified, which is useful for predictive maintenance.

Vibration sensor (left) and example of mounting a vibration sensor to a motor (right)

Water leak sensors – Can detect even minor leaks

Haga: The water leak sensor detects water leaks with a leak detection band that is attached to the main unit. For example, if it is installed on the floor around a water supply pump, any sudden leaks can be swiftly detected and dealt with.

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.

Example water leak sensor installation

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 analog 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.

Meter reading with a numerical recognition camera

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 utilized? The following section explains some of the benefits.

Centralized management of all sensors and meters + 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 analyzed 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.

Displaying multiple meters at once

Energy saving realized through understanding demand levels

Haga: The sensors allow for data to be collected at short intervals, and the data can be visualized in real time on a graph. This makes it possible to get an accurate picture of the demand levels^*1 for power, heating and cooling, and steam. Being able to visualize energy costs not only helps achieve optimal energy conservation, but it also allows one to feel the impact of energy-saving efforts. This leads to increased motivation among workers involved in equipment management.

*1 Demand level: The average amount of power or steam consumed in a certain 30-minute period.

Graph 1: Demand levels calculated based on sensor data

Automatic generation of accurate reports

Yamamoto: You can easily create reports on power and heat source usage for each department based on the data collected from each sensor. It is also possible to automatically create energy consumption rate reports. By creating these reports automatically, we are eliminating individualization and ensuring timely reporting to the relevant departments and stakeholders. In addition, it reduces the effort and errors of manually entering handwritten data.

About equipment management at the Minato MIRAI Innovation Center

Haga: The smart equipment management practices enabled thanks to the introduction of IoT tools began at Murata's production sites. The electronic components manufactured at the factories are sensitive to temperature and humidity, and production line stoppages lead to large losses. A more advanced, data-driven style of equipment management was required to ensure that the equipment at such factories runs smoothly without disruptions, and the implementation of smart management practices was essential for achieving that goal.

Yamamoto: We based the implementation of smart equipment management at the Minato MIRAI Innovation Center on the existing equipment management technology at Murata's plants, further adapting it to be suitable for use in smart buildings.
There are still plenty of issues that we need to address in the future, such as labor saving through the use of surveillance robots and centralized management of equipment in remote buildings and plants via cloud services.