MI Column 9
MI Sensor Innovation Industry-academia-government cooperation and patent (intellectual property) theory
In 2019, it was reported that Aichi Steel Corp. began commercializing the production and sales of the Magnetic Guidance System for Automated Driving in fiscal 2020 (https://www.nikkei.co.jp).
This magnetic guide system is an MI sensor array on-board of an autonomous driving vehicle (bus), which remotely detects the magnetism of inexpensive ferrite magnet road markers to control the vehicle's travel with high accuracy and reliability to within 5mm even with the varying levels of magnetic noise on the road surface. It will be commercialized on the basis of a number of national on-site public road demonstration tests sponsored by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Cabinet Office in 2017-2019 passing without accident. It was mounted on a medium-sized bus modified by Advanced Mobility Co., Ltd. in 11 field tests including a road station in Shiga Prefecture, a road station in Nagano Prefecture (2 times), Okinawa Prefecture, a road station in Hokkaido (2 times), Kitakyushu City, the Tohoku BRT (2 times), Haneda Airport restricted area and Tama New Town. It cleared all of the test items without issues faced by other sensor systems, operating even in areas where GPS radio signal acquisition is difficult (such as tunnels, indoor structural areas, and densely wooded mountain areas) or in areas where visual pattern recognition is difficult (such as snow covered roads and densely fogged roads) and at night time.
It is said that the age of electric vehicles and automotive vehicles will become full-scale from fiscal 2020, making it a worldwide goal for the efforts of the automotive industry. Social progress in autonomous driving technology depends on absolute assurance of driverless and accident-free driving. The existence of the company's magnetic guide system is valuable worldwide, as traffic accidents of autonomous vehicles using other guidance methods have been reported.
Attempts at magnetic guide systems themselves have been made in the past. At the 2005 Aichi Exposition (Aichi Earth Exposition), there were no accidents with the autonomous bus convoy used for traveling between venues. However, because conventional low-sensitivity magnetic sensors were used for the on-board magnetic sensor array at that time in combination with sealed ultra-strong rare earth magnets for the road markers, the magnetic guide system became an expensive one far from practical use. Traffic obstacles in which the ultra-strong marker magnets attracted magnetic waste materials on the road were also a problem. This time, because a ultra-high sensitivity magnetic sensor (MI sensor) array was used, low cost ferrite magnets were sufficient as road markers and the cost of the system was reduced to 1/100th the cost and became practical. The fast response characteristics of the MI sensor are also important factors, such that there is no limitation on the speed of the vehicle passing over the magnet markers.
Now, this new magnetic guide system is "a new application system of MI sensor", and when viewed from the side of MI sensor, it is a one horse race, as it is a system which can only be realized by the MI sensor. This situation, when viewed at the three stages of innovation ("Devil River," "Valley of Death," and "Darwinian Ocean"), is a "Darwinian Ocean" voyage (sole operation), so that the expression "MI Sensor Innovation" seems to be appropriate here. In other words, by summarizing the history of the development of the MI sensor so far, it is possible to specifically discuss the abstract "individuality of innovation", and it is also possible to specifically discuss whether there is "industry-academia-government cooperation" for advancing innovation. In addition, although this also tends to be abstract, it is also possible to specifically discuss "what are discovery and invention, the role of invention in innovation."
1. Japan's Nation of Creating Science and Technology, Nation of Intellectual Property and Innovation.
For about 40 years from the 1960s to the 2000s, we have succeeded in high-growth, and consequently, we are shifting to an era of pursuing "sustainable development of a super-aging society." In 2001, the Basic Act on Science and Technology was enacted, with "Creating a Science and Technology Nation" and "Intellectual Property Nation" as national policies, and a five-year plan for the promotion of science and technology (Basic Plan on Science and Technology; budget: ¥1 trillion per year, ¥5 trillion for five years) was implemented. In 2001, the government set up the "Cabinet Office" and set "Science and Technology Innovation" in the pillar of the planned development of the science, technology, and industry community to implement a five-year plan of the Strategic Innovation Program called SIP. This system is modelled on Europe and America, and came about 20 years later.
By the way, to disseminate the "theory of economic development by science and technology" known as "innovation”, in the column Table of Contents No. 07 of the 2006 White Paper on Science and Technology, MEXT explains "What is innovation" as follows:
What is innovation?
he word innovation was defined for the first time by the Austrian economist Schumpeter (1832-1850 Harvard University). In his book Theory of Economic Development, it is stated that economic development is primarily driven by internal factors such as innovation rather than by external factors such as population growth and climate change. Innovation means the production of new products or the production of existing products by a new method. Production means the combination of production and power. Examples of innovation include: 1. the development of new products through creative activities; 2. the introduction of new production methods; 3. the development of new markets; 4. the acquisition of new (supply sources of) resources ; and 5. the reformation of the organization.
In the 3rd Basic Program for Science and Technology, we will link the potential scientific and technological capabilities to our contribution to the solution of a wide range of social problems, such as the superiority of full-scale industrial competitiveness, safety, and health, through the realization of our nation-driven innovation in a wide range of fields of economics and societies...
Behind this commentary by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is an emphasis on innovation in the 2006 U.S. Presidential State of the Union address. However, like the State of Innovation, it is difficult to understand intuitively, and there is nothing but to strive to understand with familiar innovation models. Since "innovation" is the method (spirit) of the science and technology civilization in Europe and America which has emerged since the Industrial Revolution, it seems there is nothing but to investigate the long-term flow of science and technology civilization in Europe and America and to grasp it intuitively.
"Innovation" is defined by Schumpeter in the book "Theory of Economic Development" (1912) and analyzes various aspects, but it is Toynbee that clearly pointed out the rise of science and technology in Europe and the United States as the "Industrial Revolution," and it is Drucker’s "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" (1985) that analyzed the management methods of entrepreneurs who create innovation. In other words, it would be necessary to read through the writings of at least three economists, Toynbee, Schumpeter, and Drucker as well as Keynes, to understand what innovation is. The author also made such efforts, but in terms of "discovery and invention", which is the work of the author, there is no statement regarding "innovation and patents (intellectual property)" in the above-mentioned book of Drucker, which is a mystery. It is probably because of the importance of social innovation in the era and the underdevelopment of technological innovation. However, consideration of the illustrative examples of differences in risk in "discovery" and "invention" is valuable.
2. Devil River, Valley of Death, Darwinian Sea
Even in my own way, it is a term widely distributed and used in companies, etc. and in business fields. In particular, it is convenient for self-inspecting and self-evaluating the progress of new businesses. It can also be viewed as an innovation in terminology. However, it’s source is unknown. It has the fashionable aspect of a popular song.
The author also checked the books of the above mentioned three economics authors, but it was not to be found. That is, although not academic, it is a convenient practical term. The "Devil River" is the stage where it is decided whether a theoretical discovery goes to the development stage in industry. It is also the stage which hints at the relationship between "discovery" and "invention". There is an interesting theory that this "Devil River" is the Mississippi River. This is corresponds to the "western expansion" of the U.S. known for its innovation. Correspondingly, the Death Valley (the barrier between development and commercialization) would be the Colorado Valley, and the Darwinian Ocean (the barrier that develops into unrestrained business expansion ) would be the Pacific Ocean where the Galapagos Islands are located.
3. MI Sensor Innovation Theory
A summary of the development of the MI sensor (Fig. 1) shows that this three-step term fits closely.
From the history of the development of the MI sensor, it can be said that “Innovation is foreseeing and predicting new trends in society, discovery and invention to accelerate the trend (respond to social needs) and propelling this over the long term through industry-academia-government cooperation. Based on this experience, it can be said that it induces the development of applied inventions that generate innovation and develops a unique business."
This innovation process is proven by the investigation of the history of social change in the overview of innovation, and in the case of MI sensor, this is the "deregulation of communications" in Japan in 1985 (in the U.K. and U.S.A. in 1984). With this deregulation of communications, the car phone triggered the popularization of the portable telephone, and enthusiasm for the development of an "electronic compass", a portable phone service originating in Japan, was started. This was one of the business goals of the new companies established accompanying the privatization of the telecommunications industry. The long-awaited "high sensitivity micro geomagnetic sensor", which is the key to its realization, was the international "societal need" from academic societies, etc.
The author made a discovery in 1993 that met this societal need. It was the "magnetic impedance effect of amorphous wire". As a preliminary step to this discovery, the author's laboratory at Nagoya University had studied various magnetic effects of amorphous wire (developed by Professor Ken Masumoto, Tohoku University in 1981). The results of this research were presented at an invited lecture at the MRS International Conference on the West Coast of the United States in 1992, and the author also heard Prof. A. Fert’s lecture on Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMRs) at said conference. GMR was noticed as a finding in response to the above societal needs. As a result of hearing the lecture, it proved that the sensitivity of the GMR magnetic sensor was insufficient, and the author newly decided to make a new finding.
The author made an immediate request for a patent application to the National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (JST) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and it was announced at RQ-8 (Sendai) in the same year. Then, planned by a key member of the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Magnetic Society who had heard the lecture, a Special Session on Magneto-Impedance was held at the International Conference on Applied Magnetics (Magnetics Society) INTERMAG'94 in Albuquerque the following year and the author made an guest lecture. There, it was confirmed that "the magnetic impedance effect of the amorphous wire" was a discovery that met the societal need. The value of this finding was also confirmed as the author was awarded IEEE Fellow Award in 1995 the following year. (IEEE Life Fellow in 2010 15 years later)
In 1994, JST officials took notice of the holding of INTERMAG'94, Special Session on Magneto-Impedance and suggested support for the study and, as an incidental condition, requested that "the new discovery be advanced to the stage where it is easier for companies to develop". Appropriate "bureaucratic pressure" in a good sense. In response to this government pressure, the author carried out "the invention of pulse magnetic impedance effect of amorphous wire and the invention of high-sensitivity micro magnetic sensor electronic circuit (MI sensor) capable of integrated circuit manufacturing by CMOS IC electronic circuit" in 1997 after 4 years. "High-tech consortium by advanced technology deployment test system" by JST was held in 1998, and so-called industry-academia-government cooperation was established. Then, Aichi Steel Corporation, who participated in this high-tech consortium, succeeded in the development of "Magnetic Impedance Element for Automotive (MI Element)" under JST’s Commissioned Development System between 1999 and 2002. Then, following the trend of social mobile phone culture mentioned above, the “electronic compass business” was developed.
Based on the MI sensor manufacturing technology developed in the electronic compass business, the Company is working on a new societal requirement in the creation of an absolutely safe autonomous driving vehicle (bus) technology, and has succeeded in inventing and developing a new magnetic guide system as an application of the MI sensor, and published a roadmap of the development of the unique business of the MI sensor.
4. On the Value of Discoveries, Inventions, and Patents
In particular, since the incorporation of National Universities in 2004, we have set up intellectual property departments at each university making it easier to apply for intellectual property such as patents. Intellectual property, represented by patents, and the Patents Act amended in 1959, contains a statement in Article 1 that "the purpose is to encourage inventions by protecting and exploiting inventions and thereby contribute to the development of industry." Since 2001, the national policy has been "a nation based on science and technology creation" and "a country based on intellectual property." Industry will be developed by promoting innovation creation through industry-academia-government collaboration. Therefore, although innovation and patents (intellectual property) have a close relationship, it is not clear whether there is a specific relationship or not.
In the above-mentioned "MI Sensor Innovation", patents play an important role in the promotion of innovation.
The MI sensor innovation was started by the "amorphous wire magnetic impedance effect" discovered in 1993, but the author discovered this effect (the experimental result was analyzed and confirmed by skin effect impedance theory) and promptly requested JST to apply for a patent. "Originality of research" is a lifeline for researchers of "science" in National Universities, etc. Since the originality of this research (discovery) is protected with patents, applications for patents are a particularly urgent and important task. The more "discovery" responds to societal demands, the more attention the researchers around the world get, and the more they immediately compete for originality. If they are not careful, originality will be neglected, and the raison d'etre of researchers will become obscure. It is the life of researchers. It is not enough to be an invited speaker at prominent international conferences in Europe and the United States. The higher the level of attention, the more invited speakers for the special sessions that are held, and the more obscure creative researchers will become. In particular, since 2001, the intellectual property departments have been located at each university, and a system has been in place to apply for patents before significant discoveries are published at academic associations, etc.
The high quality of innovation, especially "Science and Technology Innovation," depends on whether or not the industry-academia-government collaborative organization holds basic patents. The first job of an "academic" researcher is "patent application for discovery." This provides protection for the originality of the innovation and provides a basis for the development of business internationally in the future.
Furthermore, at the crossing of the "Devil River", the first barrier (stage) of innovation, it becomes essential to make an "invention" so that the industry can easily develop a worldwide "discovery" with state-of-the-art technology. In the MI sensor innovation, the relationship between "discovery" and "invention" was clear. This advancement from the "discovery" to the "invention" stage is an important principal role of "science" even with the support of "officials." This is a role beyond the "freedom of academia" of engineering researchers, and it is necessary to reform the consciousness of researchers of "science".
Conclusion:
Since the time to set the viewpoint of "MI sensor innovation" has come, the investigation was carried out on the rationality of viewpoint setting and various effects of the viewpoint setting. As a result, based on experience at the Science and Technology Promotion Organization (JST) where the author also worked, the author noticed that there were many important questions such as "What is science and technology innovation", "What are societal needs and their transitions", "How should Industry-academia-government collaborate", "What are "Devil River”, "Valley of Death", "Darwin’s Ocean" and how to use them””, and "Special significance of inventions and discovery, especially advance from discovery to inventions", and that they were resolved based on my experience in Science and Technology Promotion Administration and so I decided to write this comment.
Firstly, the social transition was large, and the high growth period in the 1960s-2000s saw the economy grow greatly, and science and technology grew into a power to change society. During this period, we happened to experience innovation in Japan. As an inevitable result of this high-growth, we are now entering the era of pursuing the advent of an ultra-aged community and the sustained development of the community through science and technology. The policy of "realizing this sustainable development through science and technology innovation through industry-academia-government cooperation" can be agreed.
As for "how inter-industry-academia-government cooperation should be", it is necessary for “academia” to advance the epoch-making "discovery" to the stage of “invention” so that "industry" may easily develop with the latest technology (stage spanning "Devil River"), and at this time, timely "bureaucratic pressure" by "government" is effective. Since "Industry" senses social demands and plans business development, so "academia" needs to make discoveries in response to societal demands, and it is necessary to train in such a way (by examining "academic freedom" and "independent research in science and technology").
"Discovery" and "invention" and "patent (intellectual property)" are one set of concepts. It is necessary to keep in mind that "academia" is tasked with making innovative discoveries and inventions in response to societal demands, and it is necessary to immediately ensure and guarantee "the originality of research." "Patent application" is a powerful method. "The securing of the international originality of research is the life of researchers. Innovation of high social significance is determined by whether or not the organization of industry-academia-government cooperation that promotes it holds basic patents.
In 2019, a number of disasters occurred due to several rain typhoons. We are keenly aware of the limitations of human science and technology in terms of disaster prevention alone. Science and technology power is insufficient and underdeveloped for natural disasters. It is effective under certain conditions within the range of artificial environments in large cities. While recognizing the limitations of this scientific and technological power, it is necessary to maximize "absolute safety" and the like under the conditions of artificial systems such as manufacturing and autonomous driving.
2019.11.14