Method and apparatus for providing equipment maintenance via a network

• US 10,248,091 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Viswanath, Anoop, Gavillet, James, Jennings, Otis, Kanakadandila, Satya Vivek, Liu, Weiping, Lois, Brian, Sabir, Muhammad, Schinter, John, Tsai, Christopher, Varghese, Vinu
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Phuong
• Application Number:
  US15/178,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20170356665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/38 Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24001 Maintenance, repair
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing equipment maintenance are disclosed. The method receives data that is captured by at least one sensor deployed at a location, wherein the data is associated with at least one parameter of an equipment, receives atmospheric data for the location, monitors the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location, determines for the at least one parameter, whether an update to a risk measure associated with the equipment is needed, when a deviation from a baseline is detected that is greater than a threshold for a maximum deviation from the baseline, performs the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment is needed, and generates a ticket for a remedial action based on the risk measure, when the risk measure triggers the scheduling of the remedial action.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a processor of a communications network operated by a network service provider, data that is captured by at least one sensor deployed at a location, wherein the data is associated with at least one parameter of an equipment, wherein the equipment is deployed at the location;

receiving, via the processor, atmospheric data for the location;

monitoring, via the processor, the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location;

determining, via the processor, for the at least one parameter of the equipment, whether an update to a risk measure associated with the equipment is needed, when a deviation from a baseline is detected that is greater than a threshold for a maximum deviation from the baseline that is established for the at least one parameter;

performing, via the processor, the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment is determined to be needed; and

generating, via the processor, a ticket for a remedial action based on the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the risk measure associated with the equipment triggers a scheduling of the remedial action.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, via the processor, the baseline for the at least one parameter; and

establishing, via the processor, the threshold for the maximum deviation from the baseline for the at least one parameter of the equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, via the processor, the ticket that is generated to a system for scheduling the remedial action.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the ticket is for dispatching maintenance personnel to the location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the ticket is for updating a maintenance schedule for the location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is a parameter that is defined for tracking one or more measurable aspects of the equipment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a measurable aspect of the one or more measurable aspects of the equipment is for tracking at least one of:

a percentage of time the equipment is operating, a percentage of time a component of the equipment is operating, a temperature of the location at which the equipment is deployed, and a temperature of a component of the equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the processor, information about the equipment and the at least one sensor deployed at the location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is received from a local gateway server deployed at the location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is received directly from the at least one sensor without the data traversing over a local gateway server deployed at the location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is received in a predetermined time interval.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is received in response to a query directed to the at least one sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a frequency of receiving the data is determined by the network service provider.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a frequency of capturing the data by the at least one sensor is determined by the network service provider.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric data comprises one or more of:

an outside temperature of the location, an outside humidity level of the location, and an outside air quality of the location.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location comprises:

receiving, via the processor, a value of the at least one parameter in a predetermined time interval.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the monitoring of the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location further comprises:

aggregating, via the processor, a plurality of values of the at least one parameter, wherein the plurality of values of the at least one parameter is received over a predetermined time for aggregation.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location comprises:

monitoring, via the processor, a parameter associated with a battery life.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor of a communications network operated by a network service provider, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving data that is captured by at least one sensor deployed at a location, wherein the data is associated with at least one parameter of an equipment, wherein the equipment is deployed at the location;

receiving atmospheric data for the location;

monitoring the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location;

determining for the at least one parameter of the equipment, whether an update to a risk measure associated with the equipment is needed, when a deviation from a baseline is detected that is greater than a threshold for a maximum deviation from the baseline that is established for the at least one parameter;

performing the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment is determined to be needed; and

generating a ticket for a remedial action based on the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the risk measure associated with the equipment triggers a scheduling of the remedial action.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a processor of a communications network operated by a network service provider; and

a computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving data that is captured by at least one sensor deployed at a location, wherein the data is associated with at least one parameter of an equipment, wherein the equipment is deployed at the location;

receiving atmospheric data for the location;

monitoring the at least one parameter of the equipment and the atmospheric data for the location;

determining for the at least one parameter of the equipment, whether an update to a risk measure associated with the equipment is needed, when a deviation from a baseline is detected that is greater than a threshold for a maximum deviation from the baseline that is established for the at least one parameter;

performing the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the update to the risk measure associated with the equipment is determined to be needed; and

generating a ticket for a remedial action based on the risk measure associated with the equipment, when the risk measure associated with the equipment triggers a scheduling of the remedial action.