In this section we introduce examples of initiatives for “creation of new value” — the foundation of CSR in the NGK Group.
New Product and New Technology Development
A NOx sensor
NGK has become the first company in the world to massproduce and commercialize an in-vehicle NOx sensor that detects the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in vehicle exhaust in real time with high precision. The sensor is used for control and failure diagnosis of exhaust purification systems. The sensor complies with stringent exhaust gas regulations planned for introduction in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in future.
Highly acclaimed as an innovative, original technical development contributing to the realization of clean diesel vehicles, the NOx sensor won the Japan Fine Ceramics Association’s Award for Technical Advancement in May 2008 and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize, the highest award in the Chunichi Industrial Technology Awards (sponsored by Chunichi Shimbun Co., Ltd.), in December 2008.
A SOFC stack
Fuel cells, which generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen, are attracting attention as a next-generation electric power source. NGK has taken full advantage of advanced ceramics technologies to develop a uniquely structured solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), achieving world-class power generation efficiency of 63% and high fuel utilization of 90%.
An SOFC stack has been provided to a major oil company and is currently being evaluated for power generation performance. NGK will undertake further improvement in SOFC performance with the aim of commercialization at businesses and homes, promising sites for fuel cell installation.
Red-light and blue-light semiconductor lasers have already been commercialized, but the low-cost production of green laser light and other colors was considered difficult. NGK has developed a wavelength conversion device (PPLN*) that has overcome this obstacle and is now aiming to achieve commercial application of compact, low-power-consumption blue and green lasers. The device is expected to find application in miniaturization of industrial testing equipment and in new image display devices such as laser televisions and micro-miniature projectors.
PPLN (Periodically poled lithium niobate)
A laser television that uses PPLN
*PPLNs are elements with a ridge-shaped five-micrometer-wide light channel formed on a single-crystal substrate made of doped lithium niobate. It is possible to efficiently convert infrared light into blue light and green light by passing it through a PPLN.
Tadashi Odagiri
General Manager New Products
Development Center
Corporate R&D Division
In the Medal of Honor ceremony in the spring of 2008, I was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon for the development of zirconia. Zirconia is a ceramic material used in a wide range of applications, including in oxygen sensors for purifying automobile exhaust and the ferrules of optical fiber connectors. I became involved in development in 1979, soon after joining NGK, and devised an experimental method of accelerated deterioration. I tested various materials under different firing temperatures and composed of different raw materials, and in 1980 succeeded in developing tetragonal zirconia having unprecedented high strength and durability and applied for a patent. It gives me great pride as a developer to consider that oxygen sensors produced using zirconia contribute to environmental protection and that optical fiber connectors support today’s IT society.
It would have been difficult to obtain the patent without the steadfast support of the Patent Department of the time, and without the patent I would not have received the award. I am deeply grateful for NGK’s intellectual property protection activities.
The NGK Group Guidelines for Corporate Behavior express the Group’s respect for intellectual property that is created, including that of third parties. The Group considers intellectual property to be an important corporate strategic asset and a source of competitive strength and is stepping up active patent applications in Japan and in other countries.
These days, patents in Japan and other countries have been compiled in databases that allow instantaneous searching and analysis of enormous volumes of technical information. NGK has introduced a state-of-the-art system that offers superb search capabilities to manage important intellectual property rights such as patents, designs, and trademarks. This system allows NGK to employ intellectual property information in technical development and in formulating business strategies. It has also increased efficiency and speed in research and development, while enabling NGK to prevent others from infringing on its patents and avoid infringing on patents owned by other parties.
Since fiscal 2007 the NGK training center has also engaged in more practical education to develop engineers who can create robust patents and experts in information analysis. NGK also offers incentives to researchers and developers, having established an incentive system for workplace inventions to pay rewards to inventors of excellent patents.
An intellectual property training seminar
