The wireless network demanded by the field can only be seen from the field--Satoko Itaya(Wireless Network Research Center, Network Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan)
ODAIBA IX Core/Industrial Transformation (IX) Leaders
Leaders Transforming Industrial Technology (No. 7)

How are wireless networks used in factories and various social settings, and what kind of solutions are needed to ensure safe and smooth work in these settings? We asked Satoko Itaya, a research manager who studies wireless systems at the Wireless Network Research Center of the Network Research Institute of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), about the key points for wireless networks to support work in the field.

Radio "looking" at complex systems from the physics of complex systems

-Mr. Itaya, you are a researcher at NICT's Wireless Network Research Center, but have you been involved in wireless since you were a student?

Itaya:In college, I specialized in mathematical physics and studied the physics of complex systems. It is a broad field of study and can be applied to many different areas, from stock price fluctuations to weather phenomena, fluids, chemical reactions, and more. Radio was one of the subject areas. When I finished my master's degree and joined Seiko Epson, I was even working on XML, so I had nothing to do with wireless for a while.

When I started working and doing research for a living, I began to think that it would be better to get a Ph. So I left after a year to return to the Ph.D. program, and after earning my M.S. degree, I was assigned to work at ATR (Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International) on applications of biological elements to communication. After three days, however, I was given a handbook on IEEE 802.11 and became involved in wireless research. I then moved to NEC's research lab and started doing research at NICT in 2014.

-What is your current involvement with wireless?

Itaya:What is happening in the field with wireless networks cannot all be reproduced by taking the child and parent devices back to the manufacturer or laboratory. It is a mistake to isolate the equipment in the first place, and the wireless network must be viewed as a whole, including the field.

This is the reason why the IoT is being used to ensure that people involved in work at manufacturing sites, where the IoT is increasingly being used, can work smoothly and with peace of mind.Flexible Factory Project (FFPJ)This is the genesis of the project, a collaboration between NICT, several manufacturers, and service providers. If I am asked to come to FFPJ, I go to the field and try to solve issues at the manufacturers' sites. The wireless network in the field is a complex system, so there is no single optimization. It is a problem that occurs only when the whole system is integrated, and that happens when the wireless is integrated into the system. Therefore, we do not aim for the best, but search for the better. We cannot observe everything in the environment, so we use the data we can obtain to see if we can take the worst from the worst to an acceptable state. When I presented my efforts at a telecommunications conference, I was surprised that my perspective was that of physics.

To improve the factory's wireless network

-Why target factory wireless networks?

Itaya:It was just around 2014, when I moved to NICT, when we were switching from wired to wireless. That's when I thought maybe wireless. To study wireless networks in the field, you need a lot of people to help you. So we decided to focus first on the most important site for manufacturers: the factory.

I have been researching wireless networks in factories ever since, but I am not advocating wireless in the first place. Wired networks are fine where they can be done with wires. I think that wireless should be used only where it is absolutely necessary and where there are advantages to wireless. When vendors of wireless equipment come to a factory, they are told that they can do everything. However, the needs onsite are diverse, and sometimes the needs are not noticed or not well explored. We need to think together. Perhaps this is symbolized by the comment, "When a vendor comes, the conversation is over in 10 minutes, but when Itaya-san comes, the conversation goes on for half a day, and just the fact that Itaya-san moves makes it more meaningful. Perhaps it is a strange way to be evaluated (laughs).

-What kind of members are involved in FFPJ activities?

Itaya:I created the vision and the project is made up of volunteers from more than 20 manufacturers' researchers in addition to NICT researchers. They have all been brought in to do the work. Rather than picking and choosing sites to visit, I imagine that we are working together with the manufacturers who are cooperating with us.

-What is the significance of NICT's involvement in FFPJ?

Itaya:I believe there are advantages to my being at the National Institute. For example, even if NTT Docomo or NEC is doing research on wireless networks in factories, they will have a certain color; because I am at NICT, FFPJ can be established on a volunteer basis, and the manufacturers who volunteer also get the value of cooperating with the NIED.

Perspective that radio is used because it is needed in the field

-What do you focus on in your factories?

Itaya:I have been stuck at the plant for a week or two. Apparently, my interests are too maniacal. I was impressed when I saw a manufacturer make screw classifiers out of empty cans at one of their factories. When I was stuck on a cutting machine for a week, I was once told to stop because it was bad for my health.

I seem to like craftsmen. I get excited when I hear about the particular points of craftsmanship. When Toyota first cooperated with us, I once commented, "A factory is like an amusement park," and a great person at Toyota sympathized with me, and we got into a conversation about how much love went into building the factory. So it's a long story (laughs).

-What will be discussed about the wireless network?

Itaya:I asked, "Why not just use a wired cable? Why do we need to go wireless just for communication when we have a power line?" I asked him. The answer I received was that the power supply is 100 V from anywhere, but the communication needs to deliver the necessary information to the desired location, so wireless is necessary. There is definitely a need for wireless in the field, but it is not the same as what we think there is. They don't use it because it is fast or new, but because they need it for safety, sanitation, and other factory needs.

The National Institute's unique support of wireless networks in the field

-In March 2025, the "FSPJ Bring Your Own Experimental Meeting" will be held at YRP in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture (Note 1).

Itaya:This is the Flexible Society Project (FSPJ) effort to develop FFPJ for factories to support society with wireless communications YRP has become a local 5G test bed, but it is not being used much. So products that become obsolete in a few years will not be used for cutting-edge experiments in 5 or 10 years when they are maintained. However, NICT has to bear the burden of maintenance and licenses every fiscal year. The starting point is that it is not good if things continue as they are.

Therefore, in the experimental sessions, we will conduct unusual experiments that are possible only because NICT has a local 5G testbed. For example, we are considering experiments such as trying Fujitsu's old local 5G base stations and NEC's latest base stations in the same environment for interoperability, or trying Wi-SUN and IEEE802.11ah (WiFi Halow), a 900 MHz band wireless communication method, simultaneously to experience the advantages of each We are also planning to experiment with Wi-SUN and IEEE802.11ah (WiFi Halow), a 900 MHz band wireless communication method, simultaneously to experience the advantages of each.

This is where the significance of NICT's continued maintenance of old standards and equipment comes into play: In a site that has been in operation for 10 or 20 years, there is a mixture of old and new equipment, different wireless communication methods, products from different vendors, and the historical IEEE802.11b and the new 11ax and 11be coexist. 11ax and 11be coexist with the historical IEEE802.11b. It is the same for Wi-Fi and local 5G. There is no need to follow the newer ones because the wireless networks are being deployed because of that need in the field. By making the old ones available to NICT, we will have an environment where we can verify their coexistence when new products and standards are available. This experimental session is one such opportunity, and we believe it is a contribution NICT can make to the successful use of wireless networks in various sites.

(Note 1) Members of the XGMF/ODAIBA IX Core project can also participate in this "FSPJ Bring Your Own Experiments Meeting" as guests. For details, please contact the secretariat (TeleGraphic Editorial Department).