QSI provides software and services to overcome problems like these:

Enabling every technician to perform to the standard of expert

TEAMATE provides clear, accurate repair and maintenance instructions where and when they are needed

TEAMATE is the application, running on a laptop, handheld or other portable device (network or standalone), that allows every technician to perform to the high standard of "expert". TEAMATE displays precise step-by-step instructions based on the model, current symptoms, and optimization algorithms.

TEAMATE uses the TEAMS model to generate troubleshooting and repair instructions, on-the-fly, in response to a particular condition. When a fault occurs, instead of traversing a static decision tree, the technician interacts with a dynamic reasoner that knows what tools and test equipment is available, knows the relative costs and effectiveness of alternative procedures, and can respond to input (test results, for example) in making its recommendations.

TEAMATE displays the instructions, in the form of photos, multimedia, and interactive web forms, on a handheld device or laptop. 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.

How it works

TEAMATE identifies the best sequence of steps to isolate the failure source(s). Following repair of the failed part, it guides the user through a comprehensive verification procedure that ensures all the failures have been rectified and the systems are ready for operation.

TEAMATE then identifies the failure source in the shortest possible time. TEAMATE is unique in its ability to identify failure sources when data is subject to various constraints, such as available test resources, setup operations that have already been performed, an initial suspect-set that has been generated by TEAMS-RT (or another health and usage monitoring system of the vehicle), and operator input.

TEAMATE's graphical interface allows the user to enter, review and modify component health status, test results, resource availability, and setup procedure status. The diagnostic engine is embedded within a portable intelligent maintenance aid (PIMA) to assist maintenance personnel during check-ups and repairs. The system model and analysis options imported from TEAMS are used in TEAMATE for real-time system health monitoring and on-line interactive diagnosis. The on-line diagnosis in TEAMATE operates in all the modes of testability analysis, except that it suggests the next best test to be applied, given the outcomes of previously applied tests. Instead of generating an entire diagnostic tree, TEAMATE generates a path to the isolation of a failure source. The on-line diagnostic strategy of TEAMATE also takes into account the available test resources, initial failure symptoms, and user complaints.

TEAMATE Capabilities

Changes in the Setup Status During diagnosis, the technician may decide that some setup operations are not necessary. Thus, certain tests will be lower in cost and become more attractive. TEAMATE has the capability to adapt the test-sequencing strategy to these changes in precondition status.

Changes in Component Status Some systems may not have an adequate number of test points that can isolate every single failure source in the system. In such cases, the diagnosis of TEAMATE may consist of a set of suspected components and no known bad components. However, the technician may have additional information to rule out some components as having failed or declare that some are bad. This additional information would make further testing and finer diagnosis possible.

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, then TEAMATE presents available alternative tests.

Single Versus Multiple Fault Diagnosis TEAMATE allows the maintenance technician to specify the appropriate fault model to be used by the test-sequencing algorithms, namely, single-fault or multiple fault diagnosis.

Suggest Next Best Test TEAMATE suggests the next best test to perform based on all the test outcomes of previously applied tests.

History A history of setup operations, tests applied, and test times/costs is maintained for future processing.

Debrief, Diagnosis and Training Applications TEAMATE interacts with the IETM to assist pilot in intelligent debriefing, 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.