Method of time-in-service reliability concern resolution

• US 20050289380A1
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Morrison, Robert, Davis, Tim, Sparrow, Trevor, Stork, Gary, Moynihan, Andy
• Granted Patent: US 7,359,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method determining a corrective design for a system component exhibiting time-in-service reliability concerns. The method comprises the steps of establishing a plurality of remote customer databases for collecting service data for a system component, receiving at a centralized database during a predetermined period of time at least one parameter representative of a failure rate for the system component based at least in part on the service data and determining if the at least one parameter represents a system component defect. When the at least one parameter represents a system component defect, the method includes determining at least one failure mode of the system component based at least in part on the at least one received parameter and determining a corrective design for the system component based at least in part on the at least one failure mode.

Claims

1. A method of determining a corrective design for a system component exhibiting time-in-service reliability concerns, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a plurality of remote customer databases for collecting service data for a system component;

receiving at a centralized database during a predetermined time period at least one parameter representative of a failure rate for the system component based at least in part on the service data;

determining if the at least one parameter represents a system component defect;

when the at least one parameter represents a system component defect, determining at least one failure mode of the system component based at least in part on the at least one parameter; and

determining a corrective design for the system component based at least in part on the at least one failure mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter represents a sampling of the service data that is sufficient to predict a system component defect.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a predetermined time period sufficient for the at least one parameter to represent a sampling of the service data that is sufficient to predict a system component defect is three years.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote customer databases and the centralized database comprise a dealer network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of an increasing failure rate for the system component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of a steady failure rate for the system component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one failure mode of the system component includes identifying at least one contributory noise factor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one contributory noise factor includes identifying a best-in-class system component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one contributory noise factor includes determining at least one performance limit of the system component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the corrective design includes determining at least one performance limit of the corrective design.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the corrective design includes comparing at least one performance limit of the system component to at least one performance limit of the corrective design.

12. The method of claim 11, further including modifying the corrective design based at least in part on the comparison of the at least one performance limit of the system component to the at least one performance limit of the corrective design.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the corrective design includes minimizing the effects of the at least one failure mode.

14. A method of determining a failure mode for a defective system component exhibiting time in service reliability concerns, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one parameter representing a system component defect, said at least one parameter being based at least in part on service data for a system component collected at a plurality of remote customer databases during a predetermined time period;

identifying at least one contributory noise factor based on the at least one parameter; and

determining a failure mode of the system component based at least in part on said at least one contributory noise factor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one contributory noise factor is determined by identifying a best-in-class system component.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one contributory noise factor is determined by determining at least one performance limit of the system component.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one parameter represents a sampling of the service data that is sufficient to predict a system component defect.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a predetermined time period sufficient for the at least one parameter to represent a sampling of the service data that is sufficient to predict a system component defect is three years.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of an increasing failure rate for the system component.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of a steady failure rate for the system component.

21. An apparatus for determining a corrective design for a system component exhibiting time-in-service reliability concerns, the apparatus comprising:

a database manager operable to receive during a predetermined period of time at least one parameter representative of a failure rate for a system component;

the database manager being configured to determine if the at least one parameter represents a system component defect;

when the at least one parameter represents a system component defect, the database manager being configured to determine at least one failure mode of the system component based at least in part on the at least one received parameter; and

the database manager being further configured to determine a corrective design for the system component based at least in part on the at least one failure mode.