Products History
From measurement devices with built-in microcomputers
Digitization took off in the mid-1950's with the move from vacuum tubes to transistors, leading to integrated circuits and large-scale integrations, and then in the mid-1970's the development of a number of electronic devices with built-in microcomputers. It was at this time, specifically 1977, that A&D was founded.
We initially focused on the development of measurement and weighing products, along with blood pressure monitors, which were all equipped with built-in microcomputers, and the launch of these electronic devices made a substantial impact on the industry. In 1978, we presented our D/A converters for beam deflection circuits for use in electron beam lithography, and in 1979 we launched our newly developed truck scale. In 1982, our first electronic balances (the EX, EY and EZ series') were introduced and the following year saw the launch of our AD-3521 FFT analyzer, the most advanced device of its kind on the market at the time. We added a range of load cells for weighing sensors to our existing products in 1984 creating an expanding product line-up.
Demanding challengers enriched A&D's unique know-how
A&D continued to approach research and development with next generation technology in mind and developed measurement systems for use with PC's which was at that time considered very ambitious. From 1989, we worked on a noise and vibration analyzer and three years later, our World Class Analyzer was developed. Only three companies worldwide succeeded in developing this advanced technology and it brought about a range of future challenges for A&D. Our biggest challenge was to improve software productivity. To achieve this, it was necessary to drastically improve data processing ability.
This led to a major breakthrough and our design of an algorithm, which enables high-speed calculation and firmware development providing real-time high-speed data processing using our digital signal processor. The results of our research in the future will be linked to the development of Measurement. Control and Simulation Systems that employ our present DSP technologies, but will evolve into joint development projects with automotive manufactures that have an eye towards the future. Furthermore, the popularization of these technologies will eventually spread to different fields, such as weighing, healthcare, laboratory automation systems and factory automation systems.