Tobishima Corporation has made an agreement with Insensys on the exclusive distribution of Innovative optical fiber sensing systems in Far East Asia. Tobishima goes into an optical fiber sensing business

Tobishima Corporation (the president / Yoshiharu Tomimatsu) advocated "Tobishima aimed disaster mitigation" in a slogan, and has tackled many developments of technology in the field of disaster mitigation positively for a long time as an advanced company in that field. Tobishima has made an agreement with Insensys Limited, (COE / Martin Jones, Southampton city, U.K.) on the exclusive distribution of innovative optical fiber measurement system chiefly in Japan / Korea. Insensys is one of the major optical fiber sensing company in the fields of wind energy, oil & gas, marine and aerospace industries in E.U. and U.S.A. Recently, Tobishima often faced the social demand for the longevity life of social infrastructure such as roads, railroads, water and sewage facilities, energy facilities which had been constructed until now. The measurement trustworthily with the durability is the key technology to evaluate the soundness of infrastructure and to manage assets in the long period. Conventional methods such as devices using electric strain gauges to measure strains and deformations of the construction and the ground have some problems that long-term durability cannot be expected and cancellation of electric noise is difficult. On the other hand, the measurement systems used other optical fiber sensor did not spread out because of the high price. Tobishima has researched and developed some systems for the soundness evaluation technology or the collapse prediction technology of large slope and so on till now. Through such a research process, Tobishima has paid attention on the Insensys’ optical fiber sensing technology with high reliability and stability for the civil engineering market. Tobishima and Insensys made an agreement of distribution in the East Asia on FBG sensing technology. And the both companies will tackle the research and development of new measurement sensor and system applied Insensys' optical fibre sensors especially in the field of civil engineering. The optical fiber sensor has the following advantages as measurement system. 1) Not using metal conducting wire for a optical fiber measurement 2) Not necessary to supply electricity in a sensor part (a detection part) 3) Available multiple measurement points in a long distance optical fiber. Judging from the advantages, a lot of civil engineers and asset managers as much as other fields expect the possibility that the optical fiber sensors may take the place of the conventional electric gauge sensors. Above all, the Insensys' optical fiber measurement system applying unique epoch-making method (Time division method) has the following advantages. 1) Measurement points in an optical fiber line increase extremely in comparison with other optical fiber measurement system. 2) The price of this optical fiber system may be about half of the other optical fiber system and equal to the conventional electrical measurement system. And the total cost including the maintenances in the long period may be cheaper extremely than the electrical system. From these advantages, the new optical fiber sensing technology developed by the synergy effect of the collaboration between Tobishima and Insensys will accomplish rapid growth in civil engineering field as well as wind energy, oil & gas and aerospace field. Tobishima is going to apply the optical fiber sensing system to long-term measurement in a road tunnel this year as the first site measurement in Japan. In addition, Tobishima has a plan to sell the new optical fiber sensing system and to monitor the soundness of the infrastructure chiefly at civil engineering field together with the collaboration companies such as consultant companies, measurement companies, maintenance companies. These market is estimated about thirty billion yen. ■More information is available contact　 5472 KIMAGASE, NODA-SHI, CHIBA 270-0222, JAPAN TOBISHIMA CORPORATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY