System and method of establishing a reliability characteristic

• US 20040172573A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Babu, Prakash B., Heyveld, Doyle G., Yonker, Robert H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and system configured to establish a reliability characteristic associated with a part type. The method includes the step of establishing a use associated with a part, the part being of the part type, establishing an amount of usage associated with the part, establishing a service characteristic associated with said part, and establishing the reliability characteristic associated with the part type in response to said part use the part usage, and the part service characteristic.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a reliability characteristic associated with a part type, comprising the steps of:

establishing a use associated with a part, said part being of said part type;

establishing

an amount of usage associated with said part;

establishing a service characteristic associated with said part; and

establishing said reliability characteristic associated with said part type in response to said part use, said part usage, and said part service characteristic.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said amount of part usage further comprises the step of determining an actual amount of said part usage.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said amount of part usage further comprises the step of determining an estimated amount of said part usage.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the step of determining an estimated amount of said part usage includes determining said estimated amount in response to a previous actual usage of the part.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the step of determining an estimated amount of said part usage includes the steps of:

determining the user of the part; and

determining said estimated part usage in response to said part user.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the step of determining said part usage in response to said part user further includes the step of determining said part usage in response to said part user and said part use.

7. method, as set forth in claim 1, further including the step of predicting a reliability characteristics of said part in response to said part usage.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 6, further including the step of predicting a reliability characteristic of said part in response to said part usage.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said service characteristic of said part further includes establishing said service characteristic in response to at least one of a part repair associated with said part, a warranty claim associated with said part, and a preventative maintenance action associated with said part.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a service agreement with a user of said part in response to said reliability characteristic.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reliability characteristic includes at least one of a repair frequency associated with said part type, and a life expectancy of said part type.

12. A computer system configured to establish a reliability characteristic associated with a part type, comprising:

a repository configured to store information associated with said part type, said information including a use of a part, said part being of said part type, and amount of usage of said part, and a service characteristic of said part; and

a controller configured to establish the reliability characteristic associated with the part type in response to said part use, said part usage, and said part service characteristic.

13. computer system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein said system is further configured to include a web-enabled interface.

14. A computer system, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising an electronic interface configured to receive information associated with at least one of a type of part usage, said amount of part usage, a part warranty, a part failure, and said service characteristic of said part.

15. A computer system, as set forth in claim 14, wherein said repository is automatically updated in response to said received information.

16. A computer system, as set forth in claim 15, wherein said controller is further configure to automatically notify a user in response to said received information.

17. A computer system configured to establish a reliability characteristic associated with a part type, comprising:

a repository configured to store information associated with said part type, said information including a use of a part, said part being of said part type, and amount of usage of said part, and a service characteristic of said part;

a user interface configured to receive one or more search criteria from a user; and

a controller configured to establish the reliability characteristic associated with the part type in response to said search criteria, said part use, said part usage, and said part service characteristic.

18. A computer system, as set forth in claim 17, wherein said search criteria includes at least one of a part code, a failure code, a product code, a warranty code, a geographic code, a product build data, and a product sales date.

19. A computer system, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said user interface is further configured to receive an analysis criteria from a user.

20. A computer system, as set forth in claim 19, wherein said controller if further configured to establish the reliability characteristic in response to said search criteria, said part use, said part usage, said part service characteristic, and said analysis criteria.

21. A computer system, as set forth in claim 21, wherein said reliability characteristic is at least one of a probability of failure, and a probability of success.

22. A computer system, as set forth in claim 21, wherein said probability of failure includes a probability of failure during a particular time period.

23. A computer system, as set forth in claim 21, wherein said analysis criteria is a Weibull analysis.