When supporting complex systems like jet aircraft, medical diagnostic equipment, and large scale capital equipment, the learning curve for technicians is long and steep.
That’s why service organizations across the globe are turning to TEAMATE, the fastest and most powerful mobile troubleshooting application available today. TEAMATE enables every service agent or technician to perform to the standard of an expert, shortening the service cycle and improving both employee productivity and customer satisfaction. As a complete service solution, the software also provides guided diagnostics and troubleshooting for end-users and system operators.
TEAMATE runs on a variety of popular mobile platforms, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones as a browser-based application. The technician’s computer can operate as a client on a network or, in standalone mode, with the model and knowledge base installed on the computer itself. In response to field problems and changing fault symptoms, TEAMATE uses QSI’s patented TEAMS model to generate troubleshooting and repair instructions on the fly. In contrast with outmoded static tree prognostics, its dynamic reasoner collects information on symptoms, test procedures, test equipment, and test results to computes the shortest and most efficient troubleshooting methodology.
A true multimedia application, TEAMATE displays not only test cases and web forms but also instructional information like photos, manuals, diagrams, animations, and more. Working in concert with TEAM’s powerful reasoning algorithms, this supplemental material can help service agents quickly isolate and identify the root cause of both minor and major issues.
TEAMATE Multimedia Interface
How It Works
The TEAMATE application computes the optimal sequence of steps needed to isolate the failure source or sources. As part of this optimization strategy, it takes into account available test resources, initial failure symptoms, and user complaints. Additionally, dependencies between symptoms, observables, equipment self-tests, and component faults can also serve as inputs to the system. It can also import data from external sources such as automated test or maintenance equipment.
TEAMATE’s graphical interface gives users the ability to enter, review, and modify component health status, resource availability, and test results. Once a problem has been identified and corrected, it guides the user through a comprehensive verification procedure to ensure that all failures have been rectified and systems are ready for operation. Test results and corrective outcomes from TEAMATE are then fed back into the TEAMS model to improve its accuracy for the next use. Time over time, TEAMATE’s model-based approach has been shown to provide significant benefits over other diagnostic and troubleshooting methods. TEAMATE’s capabilities include: handling any number of symptom combinations, determining whether there is one fault or multiple faults, adapting to resource limitations, and using maintenance data to update troubleshooting parameters.
System Capabilities
- Operator Support – Guided diagnostics and troubleshooting for operators and end-users; results in shorter outages.
- Changes in Resource Availability – TEAMATE dynamically alters the test sequencing strategy suggesting only those tests for which all the required resources are available.
- Changes in the Setup Status – During diagnosis, the technician may decide that some setup operations are not necessary and may substitute lower cost tests.
- Changes in Component Status – In systems lacking a sufficient number of test points, the technician may provide additional information to rule out failed components, allowing further testing and diagnosis.
- Block of Test Results – TEAMATE has the ability to process blocks of test results and reduce the ambiguity group of suspected components.
- Unavailable Tests – If the technician determines that the test(s) suggested by TEAMATE are unavailable or inaccessible, TEAMATE will present available alternative tests.
- Single Versus Multiple Fault Diagnosis – TEAMATE gives the maintenance technician the ability to specify the optimal fault model to use, either single or multiple fault diagnosis.
- Suggest Next Best Test – TEAMATE suggests the next best test to perform based on the test outcomes of previously run tests.
- History – A history of setup operations, tests applied, and test times/costs is maintained for future processing.
- Debrief, Diagnosis and Training Applications – For aerospace applications, TEAMATE interacts with the Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) to assist with pilot debriefings and help technicians in troubleshooting and embedded training.
- Suspend and Resume – TEAMATE provides the capability to suspend an existing troubleshooting session and resume it at a later time.
