Technical news

Dream machine and what it means

Murata Boy: a working example of the application of Murata technology and components.

Imagine - you are walking around a technical exhibition anywhere in the world. Among a throng of legs moving in all directions, you see a figure on a small bicycle.

The figure weaves in and out of the people, never touching, too slow not to fall off but not falling. Sometimes he stops, remaining upright but not putting a foot to the ground. He even moves backwards. When there is no room to move he stays completely still with both feet on the pedals, balancing on the two wheels and not moving a millimeter. It's a good trick if you can do it!

If you'll be visiting Munich Electronica 2006 , you may well have just this experience because our Robotic Boy will be there, on his bicycle. He will be on our stand B5-107. If you won't be at Munich, you can see him on our website at http://www.murataboy.com.

We like to call him Murata Boy. He is designed to demonstrate the skills among the Murata people who design and build the automated production machinery in our factories around the world. He is also a working example of the application of Murata technology and components.

What drives Him?

At the heart of Murata Boy is a multi task communication module from MTC Solutions Co. (a Superwave Corp./ Murata Manufacturing Joint Venture) allowing him to be instructed from a PC. This is an inexpensive, reliable and convenient security system for this age of strict information management. A multi-task module is housed in each item or key device providing continuous bi-directional wireless authentication; this is the future for remote control security systems.

A key module provides security authentication, while a target module in the controlled item provides/ restricts access. When the modules are too far apart for mutual authentication (send/receive) the target module restricts operation and an alarm signal is sent to the key module. Unlike systems requiring operator input for security, continuous authentication requires no action from the user. Key and target modules can be combined in almost any permutation.

How does he stay upright?

Modern airliners, with all their sophistication, still use the spinningmass gyroscope very much as it was when Messieur Foucault invented it in 1852. Strangely, so does Murata Boy when he is stationary. When he is on the move though, he's a lot more up to date with a number of our Gyrostar® piezoelectric vibrating gyroscopes inside.

These are Murata ENC-03M angular velocity sensors and tell him how far he has turned. They use the phenomenon of the Coriolis force generated when a rotational angular velocity is applied to a vibrator.

The weight is just 0.4 grams, height under 3mm and they sit on a footprint of 12.2 x 7.0mm. Reflow soldering is recommended and they can be machine mounted.

How does he 'see'?

He has a pair of 'eyes' in his chest (Murata MA40 ultrasonic sensors). The right eye emits a 40kH wave and the left eye receives its reflection. The time between transmission and reception gives him the distance. This is how rear sonar reversing hazard warning works, and this is the sensor that does it.

How does he handle rough surfaces?

He has a Murata PKGS shock sensor to detect how rough the surface is so that he can stabilise himself at slow speed. This is a high sensitivity highly durable two terminal surface mounting device for detecting acceleration and shock and providing an electrical output. There is a number of inclined primary axis to suit differing applications. Tape and reel packaging is standard, they can be reflow soldered and have a 6.4 by 2.8mm footprint.

This is the sensor used to protect hard drives in vulnerable products like laptop computers. They are also good for pick-up control in disc storage digital cameras and virtually any application requiring acceleration detection.

What it all means

Murata Boy is an exercise in exploring the use of components invented for very professional applications to do the apparently impossible. It could perhaps be called lateral thinking, or thinking outside the box.

Either way, Murata Boy has no obvious direct use in our everyday world and yet the project has produced the apparently impossible. A robot that doesn't just sulk like Marvin the Paranoid Android but does tricks on a bicycle. In doing so, he demonstrates the skills and versatility of those Murata people that conceived the idea and brought it to life. It also shows what can be done with a few sensors out of our huge range.

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Murata acquires SyChip Inc.

Murata has added unique VoIP and IPD software capability to its well-established advanced low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology. This is expected to extend Murata's product offerings in 'best of class' communications modules for mobile device applications.

In April this year, Murata announced its acquisition of US Venture Backed SyChip Inc.

SyChip designs, develops and markets Radio Frequency Chip Scale Modules and Integrated Circuits for the wireless mobile market.

The company's RF modules are differentiated by proprietary integration, modular architectures and low loss Silicon technologies. These capabilities, coupled with world class RF system design, proprietary multifunction ASICs, software and smart utilities drastically reduce component count, offer very small footprints and are easy to integrate into mobile devices.

There is a natural synergy between SyChip technologies and Murata's unique low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology (LTCC). This combination of new low-firing materials and advanced cintering processes (unique to Murata) provides significantly higher accuracy, with all the advantages that gives.

These processes offer relatively low cost SMT modules for applications where dielectric properties, size, weight and performance are critical. They also allow the integration of thermal management, bare die and cavities.

One of Murata's great strengths is total material capability. Many manufacturers buy essential materials. Murata makes them; thus retaining complete control of consistency and quality and getting a synergy between stages. Shrinkage during firing is eliminated to give larger, flatter and closer tolerance substrates.

The combination of these two companies, each with unique but complimentary technologies, is expected to produce new and exciting designs that can only be achieved by the technologies that they bring together.

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