This is especially important due to the complexity of the engine system start and stop operations.
The new operation support system was developed based on the knowledge of seasoned chief engineers. In addition, this system is providing useful education and training (O. J. T. =on the job training) for such people as the duty engine room members with little experience.
2. INTEGRATED SAFETY OF ENGINE SYSTEM
We have represented safety of a ship's engine part man machine system with a narrow sense especially Figure-1. The block chart shows the means to maintain the ships engine system at a safe level of operation in the "Regular State". This level of safety is the integration of the engine system (machine system) operation and the reliability of the human element (man system) that is responsible for the operation of the equipment. In other words you cannot have one without the other. Besides using the current education and training programs the operation support system, for which this paper proposes is necessary for making the human element more reliable. One of the purpose of this research is to improve the safety of the engine system in maximizing the human's ability by designing and constructing a support system based on these new conceptual thinking. This support system is composed of a simulator and a large database based on the knowledge of a skilled chief engineer to keep the ship engine system operating in a safe manner. With the human like characteristic of this support system it will enable an inexperienced crew to operate the engine system directly through the use of oral communication.
3. CE-SYS PROTOTYPE
3.1 The Main Function OF CE-SYS
The authors showed integrated safety of a marine engine already and proposed a concept design of chief engineer system (CE-SYS) based on this concept. The proposed CE-SYS of applied college training ship "Yuge-maru" is shown in Figure-2. So we built the knowledge database by experience of a skilled chief engineer about marine engine operation and proposed the situation of the support system by talk with the crew. In addition, it was produced the prototype-1 (the voice recognition software is the marketing goods) as the first model ship "Yuge-maru". The experiment about recognition rate by human sound correspondence by prototype-1 executed at a research voyage of the summer in the last. As the result it made that even software of marketing goods could stand enough practical use clear on oral-communication by using some inputting devices such as touch panel and a mouse jointly.
This report adds approach by an agent function to CE-SYS prototype-1 and introduces our way of thinking of prototype-2 that reinforced the function. The agent system always exists in the support system, and this is a protocol to have will decision ability of autonomous problem solution.
