Remote Maintenance Research Articles

SARA: A Microservice-Based Architecture for Cross-Platform Collaborative Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) functionalities may be effectively leveraged in collaborative service scenarios (e.g., remote maintenance, on-site building, street gaming, etc.). Standard development cycles for collaborative AR require to code for each specific visualization platform and implement the necessary control mechanisms over the shared assets. in order to face this challenge, this paper describes SARA, an architecture to support cross-platform collaborative Augmented Reality applications based on microservices. The architecture is designed to work over the concept of collaboration models which regulate the interaction and permissions of each user over the AR assets. Five of these collaboration models were initially integrated in SARA (turn, layer, ownership, hierarchy-based and unconstrained examples) and the platform enables the definition of new ones. Thanks to the reusability of its components, during the development of an application, SARA enables focusing on the application logic while avoiding the implementation of the communication protocol, data model handling and orchestration between the different, possibly heterogeneous, devices involved in the collaboration (i.e., mobile or wearable AR devices using different operating systems). to describe how to build an application based on SARA, a prototype for HoloLens and iOS devices has been implemented. the prototype is a collaborative voxel-based game in which several players work real time together on a piece of land, adding or eliminating cubes in a collaborative manner to create buildings and landscapes. Turn-based and unconstrained collaboration models are applied to regulate the interaction. the development workflow for this case study shows how the architecture serves as a framework to support the deployment of collaborative AR services, enabling the reuse of collaboration model components, agnostically handling client technologies.

Real-Time Remote Maintenance Support Based on Augmented Reality (AR)

In the realm of the current industrial revolution, interesting innovations as well as new techniques are constantly being introduced by offering fertile ground for further investigation and improvement in the industrial engineering domain. More specifically, cutting-edge digital technologies in the field of Extended Reality (XR) have become mainstream including Augmented Reality (AR). Furthermore, Cloud Computing has enabled the provision of high-quality services, especially in the controversial field of maintenance. However, since modern machines are becoming more complex, maintenance must be carried out from experienced and well-trained personnel, while overseas support is timely and financially costly. Although AR is a back-bone technology facilitating the development of robust maintenance support tools, they are limited to the provision of predefined scenarios, covering only a limited number of scenarios. This research work aims to address this emerging challenge with the design and development of a framework, for the support of remote maintenance and repair operation based on AR, by creating suitable communication channels between the shop-floor technicians and the expert engineers who are utilizing real-time feedback from the operator’s field of view. The applicability of the developed framework is tested in vitro in a lab-based machine shop and in a real-life industrial scenario.

Research on Evaluation Factors of Intelligent Level of Dam Safety Monitoring System

With the continuous improvement of intelligence level, intelligent evaluation of a safety monitoring system has become the key to system evaluation. In order to improve the pertinence of evaluation, according to the application environment and demand of dam safety monitoring, this paper makes an in-depth study on the evaluation factors of the intelligent level of dam safety monitoring system from the system occurrence environment, system composition, network communications, system function and performance, channel protection and power control, remote maintenance, system parameters, running log, statistical analysis, rule discovery, hidden trouble diagnosis, maintenance advice, method and expert recommendation algorithm, intelligent query and human-computer interaction, etc., providing a beneficial reference for the evaluation of improving the intelligent level of dam safety monitoring system.

A Hybrid Sensor Fault Diagnosis for Maintenance in Railway Traction Drives.

Due to the importance of sensors in railway traction drives availability, sensor fault diagnosis has become a key point in order to move from preventive maintenance to condition-based maintenance. Most research works are limited to sensor fault detection and isolation, but only a few of them analyze the types of sensor faults, such as offset or gain, with the aim of reconfiguring the sensor in order to implement a fault tolerant system. This article is based on a fusion of model-based and data-driven techniques. First, an observer-based approach, using a Sliding Mode observer, is utilized for sensor fault reconstruction in real time. Then, once the fault is detected, a time window of sensor measurements and sensor fault reconstruction is sent to the remote maintenance center for fault evaluation. Finally, an offline processing is carried out to discriminate between gain and offset sensor faults, in order to get a maintenance decision-making to reconfigure the sensor during the next train stop. Fault classification is done by means of histograms and statistics. The technique here proposed is applied to the DC-link voltage sensor in a railway traction drive and is validated in a hardware-in-the-loop platform.

Conception of a Secure Remote Maintenance Procedure Using Dedicated Hardware

The principal objective of this research is to create a system that is quickly deployable, scalable, adaptable, and intelligent and provides cost-effective surveillance, both locally and globally. The intelligent surveillance system should be capable of rapid implementation to track (monitor) sensitive materials, i.e., radioactive or weapons stockpiles and person(s) within rooms, buildings, and/or areas in order to predict potential incidents proactively (versus reactively) through intelligence, locally and globally. The system will incorporate a combination of electronic systems that include commercial and modifiable off-the-shelf microcomputers to create a microcomputer cluster which acts as a mini supercomputer which leverages real-time data feed if a potential threat is present. Through programming, software, and intelligence (artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural networks), the system should be capable of monitoring, tracking, and warning (communicating) the system observer operations (command and control) within a few minutes when sensitive materials are at potential risk for loss. The potential customer is government agencies looking to control sensitive materials and/or items in developing world markets intelligently, economically, and quickly.

Investigation of risks for Critical Infrastructures due to the exposure of SCADA systems and industrial controls on the Internet based on the search engine Shodan

Industrial Control Systems occur in automation processes and process control procedures within Critical Infrastructures (CI) - these are institutions with important significance for the common good of the state and thus for the maintenance of a society. Failures or disturbances in industrial plants can have serious physical consequences, such as power outages or interruptions in production. Energy suppliers, in particular, are an attractive target for cyber attacks due to their interdependencies with other infrastructures. A large number of SCADA systems and Industrial Control Systems are directly connected to the Internet and inadequately secured from an information technology perspective, this represents a considerable risk for IT security and, consequently, for the availability of Critical Infrastructures. The Shodan search engine reveals a worrying extent of exposed industrial control equipment on the Internet. The collected information and metadata about Industrial Control Systems from this search are freely available online. They can serve as a basis for potential attacks. Without authentication mechanisms, anyone can connect to open ports using industrial and remote maintenance protocols. The resulting risks and consequences for the companies, operators as well as for the society due the exposure of industrial plants and Critical Infrastructures are examined based on the Shodan search engine within the scope of this work.

Non-plasma diagnostic instrumentation for a next-step tokamak with a burning plasma

Any device to succeed ITER and demonstrate successful engineering implementation of a first wall and tritium generation will require very extensive instrumentation of the device components. Measurements of slow and fast movements of components, strains and stresses on them, temperatures and fluid flow parameters will all be necessary. While it is hoped that the physics of the plasma will become fully known during the life of such a device (enabling a major reduction in the complexity of plasma diagnostics) qualification of the engineered components will be the primary output of the operation. Survival of the first wall for long-pulse full-power operational periods, breeding sufficient tritium to maintain operation, reliable behavior of coils and the auxiliary systems of fueling, heating and remote maintenance equipment, must all be demonstrated. This paper puts together a preliminary estimate of the instrumentation that will be necessary to meet this requirement for a specific example of a tokamak design.

Equipment Remote Visual Support Maintenance System

Abstract Remote diagnosis system based on mature Internet network and visualization technology, fully consider the scene of equipment maintenance and complex network environment, integrated network communication, multi-link aggregation transmission, data encryption, audio and video interaction, equipment self-diagnosis, electronic manual, remote instrument control and other technologies. Through this system, equipment experts can carry out accurate fault analysis and judgment of the faulty equipment at the remote end, realize the remote guidance of field personnel to carry out maintenance work, improve the timeliness and accuracy of equipment support, effectively reduce equipment maintenance cost and improve maintenance efficiency.

A remote laboratory for Maintenance 4.0 training and education

The paper suggests a remote condition monitoring and maintenance laboratory environment based on the Industry 4.0 concept. The architecture provides a remote connection with distance students and a test rig, which permits them to be able to perform condition monitoring, diagnostic, prognostics, etc. on the equipment. The ICT architecture follows standards, such as the MIMOSA CRIS and the OSA-CBM. The remote laboratory environment supports lifelong learning as well as relevant training for the modern engineer and highlights the specific requirements of a maintenance engineer. As an example, the objectives and expected learning outcomes for a course in Maintenance 4.0 fundamentals are displayed. The expected results are, among others, increased maintenance competences in the industry, and the improvements of the different maintenance services following a predictive, condition-based maintenance strategy.

New promises AI brings into circular economy accelerated product design: a review on supporting literature

Promoting and applying circular strategies in the product planning stage by industrial designers have significant environmental impacts. Product design has an enormous influence on sustainable ecology. Huge amounts of data analysis in designing circular products as well as reducing human biases in testing and prototyping are the main reasons for urging digital technologies in industries. Digitalization assets in ecodesign in collaboration with humans and as a complement for human skills. This study found the circular design tools and strategies which can help organizations in their product designs and the way artificial intelligence enhances product circularity. Real-time data transformation and analysis ability can help in massive data analysis which is less time consuming and less energy consumption is needed. In addition, rapid prototyping and fast testing will reduce the waste in design process. Furthermore, AI transfers precise data and information on materials and products’ availability, condition, and accessibility which makes easy monitoring and enables remote maintenance as well as reuse, remanufacturing and repair opportunities.

Preliminary study of a visible, high spatial resolution spectrometer for DEMO divertor survey

Developments towards DEMO Diagnostic and Control (D&C) system conceptual design are based on a subset of ITER mature diagnostic systems, whose eligibility for DEMO has been endorsed by their robustness, long lifetime expectancy and feasible remote maintenance [1]. They are devoted to ensure the machine operation in compliance with safety requirements and high availability. In particular, the evolution of divertor spectroscopic measurements on fusion experiments has demonstrated their potential as a control method for divertor protection via detachment control \\cite{2,3} (near ultraviolet, 300–400 nm) and monitoring of the plasma-wall interaction (visible range, 400–700 nm) [2]. These characteristics make this method one of the leading candidates for DEMO detachment and radiation control power. In line with the application of a system engineering approach [3], initial assessments of design and feasibility of a VIS high spatial resolution spectrometer for the DEMO divertor survey based on early DEMO control requirements are presented and discussed. The proposed system is located at the equatorial port and it is composed of 3 oblique lines of sights (LoS), 9 toroidal mirrors, 6 plane mirrors and 6 spectrometers examining the outer, inner and X-point divertor region, optimized for the monitoring of chord-integrated NUV/VIS signals under parallel divertor plasmas observation. The wavelengths of interest, spatial resolution and main integration issues are reported.

Assessing augmented reality in production: remote-assisted maintenance with HoloLens

Digitalisation provides many opportunities for process improvements by using smart devices such as Augmented-reality (AR) displays in production. Nevertheless, in-depth studies about the effects of these applications on key performance process indicators are sparse. The goal of this study is to evaluate AR-based remote maintenance processes supported by cutting edge optical head-mounted display technology. A total of 12 test runs conducted with real-world maintenance engineers in a real-world industry setting were analysed based on video recordings and semi-structured interviews. The study identified both case-specific and general issues, and the inherent potential of the technology.

"I simply watched where she was looking at"

Mixed reality (MR) cooperation scenarios are more and more interesting for business and research as powerful wearable devices like head mounted displays (HMD) become commercially available. A lot of work focuses on remote MR cooperation settings like remote maintenance support and co-located scenarios in which participants cooperate over a longer period time. Despite this, MR also has great potential for real-time co-located cooperation support with the need of short-term decisions and interactions. However, little is known on how this support can be provided. To bridge this gap, we conducted an experiment using a MR visual search task performed by dyads. Based on related work, visual search was chosen to represent typical challenges of short-term cooperative MR tasks. The aim of the experiment was to explore how the participants coordinate their searches and how this influences their performance in a task. We found that participants mainly used embodied and verbal cues to coordinate their searches (rather than virtual cues provided by the HMD) and that less communication worked significantly better, which is in (partial) contrast to existing findings. We discuss potential reasons for and impacts of these findings.

Positioning improvement based on structural and control optimization for EAST articulated maintenance arm

Fast inspection and light maintenance capability is already a clear demand to control the tokamak condition and improve the efficiency of the experimental campaigns. EAST remote maintenance system, being collaboratively developed by ASIPP and CEA-IRFM, has been demonstrated to implement inspection and grasping tasks during the operational phase, in between plasma shots, keeping the vacuum and temperature conditions of the vessel. In order to ensure the complete routine operation on EAST, positioning performance of EAMA robot should be improved to be able to realize precise collision-free movement. The structural optimization has been implemented to improve the positioning accuracy of the end-effector. Meanwhile, an adjustable kinematic model used to predict robot localization errors caused by the deformation of long flexible robot was developed and a kinematic compensation scheme based on macro/minor manipulator was proposed in the end.

Status of the DEMO blanket attachment system and remaining challenges

The DEMO blanket attachment concept is challenging due to several factors: the harsh radiation environment, the thermal expansion, the electro-magnetic loads, the remote maintenance feasibility, and the accurate control of the alignment of the breeding blanket first wall during operation. There are two inboard and three outboard blanket segments per vacuum vessel sector to be installed and extracted by remotely controlled tools through a single upper vertical port. The design of the fixations of the blanket segments to the VV complies with the strategy to avoid the need for front side access for engagement and release. The attachment system has been designed for the numerous critical load cases, including normal operation, dwell between pulses, plasma disruptions, fast discharge of the magnet coils, and accidental conditions such as loss of blanket coolant. At the same time the attachments must guarantee the stresses in the blanket segments not to exceed limits.This paper introduces the attachment concept and describes the finite element model that has been built to assess the blanket attachment system. The model represents one sector of the DEMO machine. The results focus on the reaction forces transmitted at individual attachment locations to define these interfaces and guide the design of the individual supports.

Help! I Need a Remote Guide in My Mixed Reality Collaborative Environment.

The help of a remote expert in performing a maintenance task can be useful in many situations, and can save time as well as money. In this context, augmented reality (AR) technologies can improve remote guidance thanks to the direct overlay of 3D information onto the real world. Furthermore, virtual reality (VR) enables a remote expert to virtually share the place in which the physical maintenance is being carried out. In a traditional local collaboration, collaborators are face-to-face and are observing the same artifact, while being able to communicate verbally and use body language, such as gaze direction or facial expression. These interpersonal communication cues are usually limited in remote collaborative maintenance scenarios, in which the agent uses an AR setup while the remote expert uses VR. Providing users with adapted interaction and awareness features to compensate for the lack of essential communication signals is therefore a real challenge for remote MR collaboration. However, this context offers new opportunities for augmenting collaborative abilities, such as sharing an identical point of view, which is not possible in real life. Based on the current task of the maintenance procedure, such as navigation to the correct location or physical manipulation, the remote expert may choose to freely control his/her own viewpoint of the distant workspace, or instead may need to share the viewpoint of the agent in order to better understand the current situation. In this work, we first focus on the navigation task, which is essential to complete the diagnostic phase and to begin the maintenance task in the correct location. We then present a novel interaction paradigm, implemented in an early prototype, in which the guide can show the operator the manipulation gestures required to achieve a physical task that is necessary to perform the maintenance procedure. These concepts are evaluated, allowing us to provide guidelines for future systems targeting efficient remote collaboration in MR environments.

Conceptual design of Japan’s fusion DEMO reactor (JADEMO) and superconducting coil issues

Goals of Japan’s fusion demonstration (DEMO) reactor are to demonstrate (1) steady and stable electric power generation in a power plant scale, (2) self-sufficient production of fuel (tritium), and (3) reasonable availability using a remote maintenance scheme anticipated in a commercial plant. Main design parameters of JA DEMO are a plasma major radius of 8.5 m, fusion output of 1.5-2 GW, magnetic field on the plasma axis of 5.94 T. The superconducting coil system of the reactor consists of a central solenoid (CS), 7 poloidal field (PF) coils and 16 toroidal field (TF) coils. Regarding CS and PF coils, superconducting coil technology on DEMO is basically the same as that on the world largest fusion experimental reactor called ITER. In contrast, TF coils have a technology gap on magnetic energy and the resulting stress between ITER and DEMO due to their size and magnetic field. In particular, the necessity of higher design stress is critical for TF coils, requiring the development of high strength cryogenic steels surpassing the existing ones. The fundamental design strategy to mitigate tolerances in TF coil fabrication is also presented.

Laser Cutting Machine Tool Monitoring and Assistance System Based on Internet of Things and Cloud Service

With the development of computer technology and the increasing application of Internet of Things technology, traditional monitoring and assistance system for laser cutting machine tools can no longer meet the needs of Intelligent Manufacturing in modern enterprises. We proposed a remote monitoring and assistance system based on Internet of Things and cloud services for the laser cutting machine tools. STM32 chip is selected for field data acquisition and ESP32 chip is selected for the WIFI gateway. Cloud monitoring system is implemented IoT on platform and Elastic Computer Service. Monitoring and interaction software is developed in mobile phones and local PC. Laboratory tests show that the system is feasible for the improvement of production and maintenance efficiency of laser cutting machine and provide a low-cost remote diagnosis and maintenance system for laser processing enterprises and laser cutting machine tool manufacturers.

A Conceptual Framework for Equipment Maintenance Automation under a Pyroprocessing Automation Framework

For most of the remote maintenance activities of equipment in a hot cell, replacing breakdown modules is preferred over in situ repair because of insufficient space in the cell and the limited operability of remote handling tools. In such cases, the maintenance operation can be decomposed into transport of the new modules to the failed equipment, replacement of the broken modules with new ones, and then transport of the broken parts to the reserved space for further repair or disposal. In this respect, transfer is the most basic operation during remote maintenance, which is also true for the maintenance of pyroprocessing equipment. Hence, this paper proposes a maintenance automation framework for automated pyroprocessing equipment from the standpoint of module transfer. For the maintenance automation framework, maintenance-related functions and events are defined, and they are integrated with the pyroprocess automation framework. The proposed framework is verified by a case study on the maintenance of a large module through a hardware-in-the-loop simulation.

Designing for Remote Handling: the case-study of the ITER Plasma Position Reflectometry in-vessel antennas

The Plasma Position Reflectometry (PPR) system for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) consists of four reflectometers designed to measure the edge density profile at four locations, two of them with antennas installed inside the vacuum vessel in small apertures between blankets. To prevent damage, the antennas need to be removed/(re)installed by remote handling (RH) means before/after the removal/reinstallation of the blanket shield modules just above and below them. The RH operations shall be performed by the Blanket Remote Handling System (BRHS), [1], and require a tool not yet available in the ITER Remote Maintenance System. Herein, we describe a conceptual design of this tool that considers guidance and security to overcome some of the identified RH issues. The RH tool is designed to remove and (re)install the antenna in a single step using the translation and rotation capabilities of the BRHS (or a dual-arm manipulator attached to the BRHS) to bolt/unbolt the antenna to/from the support without extra operations. The RH tool is also designed to minimize the space required to operate between the blanket shield modules. However, the guidance pins of the tool are dimensioned according to the maximum positioning error allowed for the BRHS with a diagonal shape to guide the tool along the antenna. The design is implemented using pop-up fasteners and standard sizes authorised by the ITER Organization. A set of mechanical benchmarks are presented based on the CAD model of the tool.