Summary: |
Inspectors of buildings including power plants have to carry a bulk of documentsand drawings to perform their tasks, otherwise they have to memorize extensiveknowledge and data about the structures and facilities. Thus, a light and handy ITsolution system for supporting inspectors is desired. In this research, we proposeand develop a prototype on-site inspection support system. This system consists ofa RFID tag system, a PDA connected to the Internet, a voice input/output system,and a digital camera.In our approach, senior inspectors' knowledge such as advices and warningsregarding each facility and structural member for inspection is input to RFID tagsvia voice at the site as if the inspector is teaching a junior inspector. And eachRFID tag is glued to the facility or member. A junior inspector can obtain suchvaluable knowledge later on when he or she inspects the building alone from thereader-writer and PDA system. This system will enable senior inspectors totransfer their expertise that can be excited only at the site to a knowledge system.The information in the RFID tags can be altered or augmented when necessary.RFID tags can carry not only inspectors' advices and warnings but also the ID,main feature and recent inspection data of each facility or member. The inspectorcan have access to the corresponding drawings, specifications, data of testing, etc.from the ID of the RFID tag by the PDA. When more information is needed, theinspector can get information by the PDA from the headquarters databases via theInternet.The sound input system can be used to record sounds of various machines such asgenerators, compressors, sirens, etc. and the recorded sounds can be analyzed andevaluated on site by this system. Digital photographs can also be taken and storedin the database and compared with the previous ones for inspection purposes. |