PURPOSE: To input a trouble phenomenon by a comparatively free expression and to reflect acquired knowledge to a knowledge base by various expressions.
CONSTITUTION: A character retrieving part 14a decomposes the character string of an inputted trouble phenomenon and the character strings of respective knowledge data stored in respective knowledge data storing parts 16a to 16c in a knowledge base part 16 in each string, word, and character and a retrieving character string is substituted for the character string of the decomposed trouble phenomenon in accordance with a previously set reference to set up similarity with the trouble phenomenon and phenomena or the like stored in the storing parts 16a to 16c. A rule base inferring part 14b and a case base inferring part 14c infer and search the cause of a fault in accordance with the similarity and generate hypothesis.
SUZUKI TATSUYA
TAKAHASHI SATORU
KAGEI YASUO
FURUYAMA MASAAKI
ABE KUNIHIRO
