press release

Fujikura Ltd. (President and CEO: Masahiko Ito) has begun offering a heatstroke prevention IoT solution that measures the heat index (WBGT), which is used to prevent heatstroke, with a completely wire-free sensor node equipped with Fujikura's proprietary dye-sensitized solar cell, which does not require power or communication lines, and makes the measurement visible and issues an alarm.

In recent years, the increase in the number of people being rushed to hospital with heatstroke has become a major issue related to safety in daily life. Relevant ministries and local governments have also stepped up their efforts to resolve the issue, and various measures, such as measuring and using the heat index, are being considered and implemented. The risk of developing heatstroke is highly dependent on the environment, and even in places that require special caution, such as schools, construction sites, and nursing homes, the environment varies greatly from place to place. Therefore, it is important to understand the heat index through detailed measurements for each individual location in order to prevent heatstroke.

To solve this problem, Fujikura developed a heat index sensor node with a black ball to "visualize" the heat index, monitor it, and develop an IoT solution for preventing heatstroke that sounds an alarm and notifies people when the measured value exceeds a threshold and the risk of developing heatstroke increases.

1. Sensor Node
The sensor node we developed is equipped with a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), an energy harvesting device developed in-house, so it can run on its own power source if there is a certain amount of illuminance, and since data transmission is performed via wireless communication in the 920MHz band, it can be easily installed without the need for power wiring or communication wiring work. This allows for installation in a short construction period, keeping introduction costs low, and also significantly reducing maintenance costs required for battery replacement.
In addition, the incorporation of a black globe temperature sensor that measures radiant heat enables accurate WBGT measurement (compliant with JIS B 7922 Class 2). By integrating this black globe temperature sensor with the sensor node, not only has the complexity of installation been reduced, but implementation costs have also been further reduced.
For data transmission, we offer two models: a multi-hop communication model with high obstacle avoidance performance and a LoRaWAN™ communication model that enables long-distance communication of several hundred meters to 10 km, allowing you to choose the wireless method that is best suited to your installation environment.

2. "Visualization" cloud application
At the same time, we have also started offering a cloud application called "Visualization" that can be used effectively to prevent heatstroke. Using this application, you can view current and past heat index data from multiple locations where sensor nodes are installed on the management terminal screen anytime, anywhere via the Internet. In addition, when the heat index exceeds a set threshold, the application has a function that changes the display color on the management terminal screen, sounds an alarm, and sends an alarm by email in a timely manner, making it possible to encourage relevant parties to take prompt action.

As part of its heatstroke prevention IoT solution, Fujitsu will contribute to preventing heatstroke by providing a comprehensive range of solutions, from high-performance device hardware to cloud services that make the most of this hardware.

This solution can be found on the "Heat Stroke Prevention IoT Solution" website.
(https://eh-iot.fujikura.jp/heat/ ) for more details.