DEVELOPMENT OF SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MAINTENANCE TASKS AT REMOTE SITES

摘要

This study aims to develop a support system that helps maintenance teams composed of experienced senior workers and inexperienced junior workers to conduct maintenance tasks at remote sites. By taking advantage of IT, our support system facilitates communications, such as giving instructions and making reports, between the maintenance response headquarter and members at remote sites. Members at remote sites wear communication equipment, consisting of a small wireless camera, a wearable display (PDA) and microphone. Images taken by a small wireless camera will be transmitted to the senior worker and used for the assessment of actual condi tions. The senior worker will give instructions to the junior worker at remote sites in accordance with mainte nance manuals. The instructions expressed in figures and characters will be sent to the PDA of the junior work er. Senior workers’know-how is certainly given through microphone and PDA to the junior worker. The effec tiveness of the developed system to support maintenance activities was examined by an actual use at an automo bile parts supplier.