{"id":10949,"date":"2021-05-02T17:27:45","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T15:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=10949"},"modified":"2021-05-02T17:27:45","modified_gmt":"2021-05-02T15:27:45","slug":"high-tech-diagnostics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/05\/02\/high-tech-diagnostics\/","title":{"rendered":"High-tech diagnostics for modern technicians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Augmented reality and artificial intelligence can help keep technicians current in the quickly evolving world of modern trucks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The last century was the Stone Age of heavy duty truck diagnostics compared to the high-tech requirements for technicians working on today\u2019s trucks. Diagnostic advancements are expected to grow this decade as trucking moves closer to its autonomous future, which will require more help from technology to help technicians keep pace with complex vehicle changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore 1990, a lot of techs could become very good techs just from on-the-job training \u2014 without a lot of self-education along the way,\u201d Rick Tapp, maintenance manager of\u00a0Paccar Leasing, told\u00a0FleetOwner<\/i>. \u201cIt was more mechanical then. And little by little, it has become all-electric. In today\u2019s world, a technician can\u2019t survive unless he\u2019s on a continuous education program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paccar offers its technicians ongoing training to keep up with the latest in diagnostics. While the COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed in-class training, the company has moved more and more training to online classes, which has expanded the availability to more technicians, Tapp said. He does 30 to 40 hours of technician training per year. \u201cThat\u2019s just to keep myself familiarized with it, keep abreast of new things that are coming,\u201d Tapp said. \u201cAnd I do it so I can relate to techs or help them if they get into a situation that they need it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Tapp, the future of diagnostics is artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR). He explained that Paccar began developing advanced diagnostics in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re already using some AI in our diagnostics,\u201d he said. \u201cPaccar has built a system where we can drop in and download an engine,\u00a0and it will tell us which fault codes to troubleshoot first. It stack ranks the fault codes that were in that download, and then it will tell us the statistical probability of what the failed part is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Paccar diagnostics system continues to get smarter thanks to AI, which keeps track of all field repairs being done. After technicians in the field determine the fault code for a repair, they log the eventual fix. The diagnostics system takes that information and uses it to help solve future problems. \u201cSo, the more repairs we have, the better those statistics become,\u201d Tapp said.\"ShownShown here is Google Glass Enterprise Edition, which could allow a technician to broadcast what they are seeing to someone remotely while also viewing repair instructions, photos, and videos on the side.<\/span>Photo from Google Glass<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Augmented future<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tapp pointed out that the next step is bringing in AR, which allows technicians to see diagrams \u2014 and even get instructions on how to repair engines and other heavy duty truck problems \u2014 superimposed into their field of view with high-tech glasses, or a smartphone or tablet.<\/span><\/p>\n

AR glasses or headsets have slowly been changing how technicians train and work. But the expensive hardware has made entry into the futuristic diagnostics systems cost-prohibitive for some. However, more systems are now using smartphones and tablets for AR-powered repairs and diagnostics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matt Johnston, commercial solutions head of\u00a0Design Interactive, told\u00a0FleetOwner<\/i>\u00a0that these new technologies have created \u201cthe ability to see what I see: If you have a phone and you point your camera at the engine block or a tire, I\u2019ll be able to see what you\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Using an app, a technician can point their phone at a truck and see an augmented overlay of supplemental icons and other information on the phone screen that updates as the phone\u2019s camera moves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe AR allows me to follow a circuit from the headlight switch to the headlight,\u201d Tapp said as an example. \u201cSo, I could see where the junctions are. I know where I can go to check the next point of continuity without having to guess or take the whole harness apart just to find a connector somewhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The AR technology is more prevalent in the passenger car technician world, Tapp noted. \u201cI think that kind of technology is going to creep into our world in the heavy duty trucking side of it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re, in a lot of cases, already using things like tablets. If you\u2019re involved in a complicated job, you can pull up work instructions on the tablet, have the tablet sitting in the windshield, and you can review the work instructions as you\u2019re working on the engine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These emerging technologies are helping to speed repairs, Tapp said. \u201cI see on the engineering side that they recognize how difficult it is to work on an engine today and how difficult it is to diagnose it. On the engineering side, they\u2019re making efforts to try to simplify that as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Simplifying the complexities of heavy duty engines has become necessary as commercial vehicles have transitioned from mechanical to more electronic \u2014 with more sensors installed on the equipment, according to Bruno Gattamorta, vice president of sales and marketing for\u00a0Cojali USA, which manufactures technology and diagnostic tools.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAround 2007 is when everything [went] crazy with aftertreatment systems due to the EPA and greenhouse gas norms,\u201d he said. \u201cNow in 2020, everything seems to be electronic. You can even adjust the heater on the rearview mirrors and calibrate the AC.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"A-levelA-level technicians need the right blend of knowledge, skills, and cutting-edge diagnostic tools.<\/span>Photo courtesy of Noregon Systems<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

More ECUs, more diagnostics<\/span><\/h3>\n

That increase in electronic control units (ECUs) has created a need for more vigorous diagnostic functions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs the number of ECUs on trucks has increased, the amount of complexity and data has also increased,\u201d said Jason Hedman, product manager at\u00a0Noregon, a provider of diagnostic, repair, and data analytic solutions. \u201cThat requires tools capable of helping technicians diagnose issues as opposed to simply providing basic fault code data.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tapp said AR and other virtual tools are becoming as important as anything in a technician\u2019s toolkit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you take a young person who just comes out of a vo-tech school or high school, the learning curve that that technician has to become a proficient, top-class technician today is astonishingly huge,\u201d he said. \u201cAbsolutely astonishing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s technicians, Tapp added, need computer skills, electrical skills, and mechanical skills. They also need deep knowledge of all the different brake systems \u2014 \u201cfrom hydraulic to air, to S-cam, to disc brakes.\u201d All the various safety systems include sensors for forward-collision warnings, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, video systems, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be that you could change a set of kingpins and put the truck back together and off you went,\u201d Tapp said. \u201cToday, just to change a tire, you have to recalibrate your safety systems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All of this has led to the needed growth in complex diagnostics, according to Gattamorta, who said being able to read fault codes is not enough for modern technicians. \u201cTechnicians also need information and technical specs like troubleshooting trees, wiring diagrams, component replacement guides, and so on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Autonomous future<\/span><\/h3>\n

As the trucking industry moves closer to real-world advancements in automation, it is beginning to see new technologies that are prompting additional diagnostic needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are at the precipice of a world with automated vehicles, including commercial trucks,\u201d said Chris Freeman, director of heavy duty sales and training at\u00a0Autel, a developer of intelligent diagnostics, detection, and analysis systems. \u201cThis industry has changed so significantly over the 30 years I have been in it. Now it feels like we\u2019re kicking into hyperdrive over the next decade.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This decade brings the promise of self-driving commercial vehicles. \u201cThe autonomous trucks are going to require such a sophisticated set of diagnostics,\u201d Tapp said. \u201cThose trucks are going to have to know when to shut themselves off and pull over to the side of the road right before they get into a problem \u2014 or even before they leave the terminal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That is a long way from the early days of heavy duty diagnostics when trucks just had one data bus. Now they have at least three.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDiagnostic tools have had to keep pace by reading data on all channels, outputting that data in an easily understood format, and simultaneously diagnosing all truck components,\u201d Noregon\u2019s Hedman said. \u201cThere was a transformation in our approach to diagnostics. We had to stop seeing the truck as a collection of components and begin treating it as a network of many computers and systems working together. This was the birth of holistic diagnostics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Tapp, holistic diagnostics are making fleets more efficient, but there is still room to improve. He noted that fleets have \u201cnearly perfected\u201d technologies such as telematics and driver safety controls. \u201cBut they haven\u2019t got a grip on the engine, and they haven\u2019t got a grip on ensuring that the driver did a good pretrip inspection,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

AR and AI can help solve these problems this decade, Tapp advised. AR can walk drivers through proper pretrip inspections, and AI can help predict engine and other equipment problems before they happen, which will increase the coveted uptime.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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HD diagnostic tools<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

A brief overview of some of the aftermarket diagnostic systems available to assist technicians in fleet shops across North America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bosch<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Bosch ESI 3824A Heavy Duty Diagnostic Solution gives technicians the tools and guidance to diagnose and repair heavy duty trucks and commercial vehicles. The system includes a touchscreen tablet and software consisting of comprehensive technical information about all major OEM trucks and engines, along with diagnostic tools for transmissions, brake systems, exhaust treatment, and audio systems. It can also be used for some off-highway vehicles with an upgrade kit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cojali USA<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

The aftermarket Jaltest Commercial Vehicle kit, developed by Cojali, can perform diagnostics on several types of commercial vehicles \u2014 from heavy duty trucks and buses to medium and light duty commercial vehicles. The system can be paired with the company\u2019s Jaltest INFO, Garage Resource Planning & Troubleshooting module to synchronize databases of different devices used in the same shop. The system, which offers automatic detection of error codes, offers task management for diagnostics, maintenance, and reporting.<\/span><\/p>\n

NEXIQ<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Commercial vehicle diagnostics company NEXIQ offers Fleet PC Integration services to help fleets be more proactive in diagnostics and maintenance. Fleet PC Integration uses the company\u2019s knowledge of complex heavy duty equipment to provide assistance for all PC-based truck diagnostics and repair programs. The system integrates Purchase PCs and OEM software to keep technicians up to date with the latest diagnostics and repair tools. The system\u2019s Asset Manager tracks, manages, and maintains all shop diagnostics information, including location, repair status, and software and hardware versions. NEXIQ\u2019s eTechnician offers to simplify truck diagnostics and help technicians find and solve any problems quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Noregon<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Vehicle data company Noregon offers JPRO Professional, a diagnostic and repair application for commercial vehicles that connects to engine control, instrument clusters, body controls, and other truck system data. The system brings all electronic control units data onto one screen to help technicians diagnose any commercial vehicle problems and then helps guide the tech through the repair. The subscription-based system also offers educational tips and the ability to work on various makes and models with one application.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By Josh Fisher <\/a><\/span>Gregg Wartgow<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.fleetmaintenance.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Augmented reality and artificial intelligence can help keep technicians current in the quickly evolving world of modern trucks. The last century was the Stone Age of heavy duty truck diagnostics compared to the high-tech requirements for technicians working on today\u2019s trucks. Diagnostic advancements are expected to grow this decade as trucking moves closer to its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[181,53,192],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10949"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10949"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10951,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10949\/revisions\/10951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}