Maintenance Management System Using Visible Light Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Maintenance staff may perform maintenance work incorrectly due to misunderstandings or mistakes, leading to longer completion times or incomplete tasks, highlighting the need for a technology that ensures correct procedural adherence.

Innovation Solution

A maintenance management system comprising a management server, mobile terminals, and POS terminals that detect, compare, and display correct maintenance procedures using visible light communication, ensuring accurate execution of maintenance tasks by comparing detected logs with pre-recorded correct logs and providing real-time guidance to staff.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If maintenance staff perform maintenance work based on procedure manuals and personal rules of thumb, then the maintenance work can be completed, but the correctness and reliability of the maintenance procedure cannot be ensured

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecorrectness of maintenance procedureVSAvoidcomplexity of maintenance management system

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements real-time feedback by detecting maintenance staff actions through detection means, comparing them against correct procedures via comparison means, and providing immediate feedback through display means to guide staff toward correct procedures. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures procedural correctness without requiring complex manual oversight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The maintenance management system enables self-service by automatically detecting maintenance actions, comparing them with correct procedures, and providing guidance without human intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously monitoring and evaluating maintenance work, reducing the need for complex supervisory structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If maintenance staff follow correct procedures strictly, then the reliability of maintenance work is improved, but the time required for maintenance may increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecorrectness of maintenance procedureVSAvoidmaintenance completion time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing correct maintenance procedures and preparing comparison criteria before maintenance work begins. This allows real-time comparison and guidance during execution, ensuring correctness without adding significant time overhead to the maintenance process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system maintains continuity of useful action by providing continuous real-time comparison and feedback throughout the maintenance process. This ensures that corrective guidance is delivered immediately when deviations occur, preventing delays that would result from post-maintenance verification or rework.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Reliability

If manual monitoring of maintenance procedures is implemented, then the correctness of maintenance work can be verified, but the productivity and efficiency of maintenance operations decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveverification of maintenance correctnessVSAvoidmaintenance operation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces mechanical manual monitoring with automated detection means that use sensors and communication interfaces to detect maintenance actions. This substitution eliminates the need for human observers while maintaining verification capability, thereby preserving productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary automated comparison mechanism that mediates between maintenance staff actions and correctness verification. This intermediary automatically compares detected actions against stored correct procedures, providing verification without requiring direct human intervention and maintaining operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system effectively supports correct maintenance procedures by displaying the next steps when tasks are performed correctly and correcting deviations, thereby ensuring efficient and complete maintenance operations.

Implementation Method 1

transmit the comparison result to the mobile terminal by visible light communication

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVisible light communication: Light

Data Source

PatentUS11386403B2Maintenance management system

Publication Date: 2022.07.12 TOSHIBA TEC KK

AI summary

According to one embodiment, a maintenance management system includes a mobile terminal of a maintenance staff, and a maintenance target device to be maintained by the maintenance staff. The maintenance target device includes detection means, comparison means, and transmission means. The detection means detects a maintenance work of the maintenance staff. The comparison means compares a first log which is a log of a correct maintenance work in each process of a maintenance content with a second log which is a log of the maintenance work detected by the detection means. The transmission means transmits a comparison result obtained by the comparison of the comparison means. The mobile terminal includes reception means and display control means. The reception means receives the comparison result. The display control means causes the maintenance work of the process to be displayed based on the comparison result received by the reception means.