Knowledge-based apparatus for troubleshooting employing image for use in plant.

摘要

A system for tracing a fault for use in a plant based on expert knowledge of specialized technology in various plants such as power plants, chemical plants, manufacturing factories, and steel and iron plants is disclosed which takes inference steps for troubleshooting by means of a computer including a knowledge base in which such expert knowledge is turned to software as well as an inference engine. In the system, data required for the inference process such as layout of the installation in each portion of the plant, internal construction and systems connections of each installation, and diagnostic menus are stored as image data in its image data reproduction device and, in response to outputs of the computer, necessary images are taken out from the reproduction device to be displayed on the display device of the type of a television receiver, and further, character data in which items of question as a result of the inference process developed by the computer are expressed in the form of sentence are displayed superimposed on the above mentioned image display by its superimposer. There is provided a touch sensor panel disposed in front of the image display, whereby it is adapted such that an answer to the question made by the computer is provided by a touch of the fingertip of the operator on the portion of the touch sensor panel corresponding to the character data based on the inference operations in progress superimposed on a certain region of the image display, and thus, the troubleshooting in the plant is executed in an interactive manner.