Konvekta, a German manufacturer of CO2 air conditioning and heat pumps for buses and rail, has recently started deploying an “Augmented Reality” (AR) system to provide fast technical support to customers worldwide through any mobile device.
“The aim is to reduce repair times of bus and rail air conditioning systems to a minimum by using visual collaboration,” thereby avoiding costly failures and downtimes. said Konvekta in a statement.
“It is important to provide quick and targeted assistance in case of problems and faults occurring in the vehicles,” the company added.
The AR technology connects customers remotely from their workplace with a Konvekta service technician, who guides them through the repair process and provides assistance.
With the mobile device, a video and audio link is set up, and the image of the targeted object is transmitted from the smartphone camera via real-time video streaming to the computer of the technician.
Both participants can mark the screen with arrows or freehand drawings – or freeze the image – to highlight a certain detail. The system also features 3D object tracking, enabling users to place spatial markings that remain frozen on real objects. With image-to-text recognition, part numbers and labels can be identified and transmitted to the technician.
“The AR system’s ability to solve the problem with the help of visual support eliminates any assumptions about which lever must be pulled, which wire has to be cut or which knob has to be pressed, because the remote expert can see on their screen exactly what the employee is seeing at their location,” said Konvekta.
The AR system is designed to circumvent some of the servicing challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially across national borders. In addition, keeping these systems operable has become a health issue, with a working air conditioning system, which filters viruses and bacteria from the indoor air, more important than ever before.
Last year, Konvekta reported energy savings and emission reduction from an articulated electric bus in Nuremburg, Germany, which features two of its CO2 heat pumps, in the front and rear sections, for heating and air conditioning.
“The aim is to reduce repair times of bus and rail air conditioning systems to a minimum.”
Konvekta
