OPTEX launches Japan’s First Automatic Door Data Platform to Allow Remote Monitoring of the Usage Status of Automatic Doors

Optex Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, President & CEO: Toru Kamimura, hereinafter “Optex”) will begin provision of an automatic door data platform, which can provide data collected from automatic doors (such as operating information, various set values such as speed, and error information), in January 2021. Using the collected data, you can visualize the automatic door usage status in real time and improve the efficiency of preventive maintenance and maintenance support on equipment and machinery, even from a remote location. In the first step, the platform is utilized to an automatic door maintenance contracting service.

JIS A 4722-(※1), the safety standard for automatic doors in Japan, clarifies the safety measures that manufacturers and other related companies should take regarding automatic doors, and has recently been requiring ever stronger safety measures such as mutual monitoring between devices using CAN communication-(※2).
Here at Optex, we have developed an automatic door data platform consisting of various data storage servers, a gateway to transmit data, and a settings app, all combined with an automatic door system using CAN communication and IoT technology. This is the first data service in Japan that can acquire the operating status of connected devices including automatic doors and sensors, the number of times they open and close, and records of any monitor abnormalities or failures of automatic doors, all in real time.

As the first service to take advantage of this data platform, we developed an automatic door maintenance contracting service based on the remote monitoring system, in cooperation with Fulltech Inc. (hereinafter “Fulltech”), who perform sales, construction, and maintenance of automatic door equipment. Data acquired from various automatic door systems is sent to Fulltech’s server via our server, and is then used to handle failures, signs, and maintenance.
Currently, for continuous maintenance, the person in charge regularly visits the site to check and inspect the automatic door, but by introducing this system, the situation at the site can be determined remotely in real time and maintenance can be made more efficient.

JIS A 4722 covers the entire process from product design and manufacturing of the elements that make up the automatic door to construction and maintenance and inspection by the operation manager to see if the automatic door is operating safely. By utilizing the expertise of both Optex and Fulltech, with whom Optex has established a partnership, it is now possible to provide automatic door maintenance services by converting personal knowledge of monitoring and inspection into explicit data that can be visualized.

[System diagram: The flow of Optex’s automatic door data platform with Fulltech’s services]

Improving the efficiency of maintenance work, and reducing risks and costs through preventive maintenance, have become global issues. Optex will continue to contribute to labor-saving and service-improvement through remote monitoring using data obtained from automatic doors, to propose safe and comfortable sensors and services to pedestrians and managers, and to contribute to the development of the industry.

■ Fulltech Inc.
Main business: Sales, construction, and maintenance of automatic door devices for buildings; manufacturing and sales of stainless steel fittings. 37 branches and sales offices in east Japan.
Representative: Shigeyuki Furuno, President and Representative Director
Website: https://www.fulltech1963.com/ (Japanese only)
* For details of the new Fi-R automatic door maintenance contracting service, please see the Fulltech website.

• 1 JIS A 4722 (Power operated pedestrian doorsets - Safety) was established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in March 2017 as the safety standard for all automatic doors. The goal is to ensure that everyone can use automatic doors with greater peace of mind than ever before, with safety ideas that consider the elderly, children, and people with disabilities, and ingenuity and consideration from the design stage on.
  Safety Guidebook (Japan Automatic Door Association) (Japanese only): http://www.jada-info.jp/topics/documents/anzen_guide_book_JISA4722_2019.pdf
• 2 CAN (Controller Area Network) is a communication technology that complies with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards, and is used in a wide range of fields such as automobiles, medical devices, FA, and industrial equipment.
• Automatic Door Data Platform is designed for Japan market.