Development of a maintenance support tool using augmented reality technology

From the aspect of the improvement of the availability of a safe plant operation and equipment, a decrease of a human error in inspection work and efficient maintenance engineering are needed. The maintenance support tool technology and the self-localization technology that used augmented reality (AR) were developed. AR is the technology to merge a live view of the real world with computer-generated images. A virtual content is superimposed on real image. AR makes it possible to display information required for inspection on the application screen of a portable devices such as a smart phone or a tablet personal computer (PC).The prediction of the position of the portable device and recognition of objects to be inspected can be achieved indoors, while Global Positioning System (GPS) is unavailable. This technology helps inspection worker navigate to inspection point and record inspection data combined with position information. As a result of use by several experienced inspection workers, it was confirmed that this system could be used for on-site information management and inspection. (X.I.)