Autonomous Mobile Guidance for Locating Abnormal Factory Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large factories with numerous devices, maintenance workers face challenges in quickly locating abnormal devices due to overlapping device installations, and existing systems require workers to wear head-mounted displays, limiting their field of view and workability.
Innovation Solution
A maintenance support system featuring a terminal that manages device location information and sends instruction signals to autonomous mobile bodies, which travel to the abnormal device's location, accompanied by sound, light, or image projections to guide the worker, and can convey necessary tools, reducing the need for manual carrying and document browsing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a maintenance worker goes to locate an abnormal device in a large factory with numerous devices, then the worker can perform maintenance, but it takes too much time to find the abnormal device among many installed devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an autonomous mobile body (unmanned vehicle) as an intermediary that carries display information about abnormal devices to the worker. Instead of the worker directly searching for the abnormal device among many installations, the unmanned vehicle acts as a mediator that guides the worker to the correct location by displaying device information, thereby reducing the time to locate the abnormal device while maintaining maintenance productivity.
2Loss of information
If a worker wears a head-mounted display device to view maintenance information, then maintenance information is displayed, but the worker's field of view is limited and workability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the display function from the worker's head and places it on an autonomous mobile body that moves independently. Instead of the worker wearing a head-mounted display that limits their field of view, the display information is taken out and presented on a separate unmanned vehicle that the worker can observe without wearing any device, thereby maintaining information display capability while restoring full field of view and workability.
3Quantity of substance
If devices are densely installed in a large factory, then more devices can be housed, but it becomes difficult to grasp the installation location of the abnormal device
Solution Approach 1:
The unmanned mobile body serves as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the densely installed devices and the maintenance worker. It carries and displays identification information about the abnormal device, making it possible to locate specific devices even when many devices are densely installed. The mediator translates the complex spatial arrangement of numerous devices into clear, actionable guidance for the worker.
Data Source
AI summary
A maintenance support system includes a terminal to be connected to one or more devices and one or more autonomous mobile bodies configured to acquire an own location, and transmits abnormality information from an abnormal device to the autonomous mobile body. The autonomous mobile body travels to a location of the abnormal device, based on the abnormality information.