System and method of troubleshooting aircraft system failures

• US 20080082229A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Standard Aero Limited (StandardAero Business Aviation Services LLC)
• Original Assignee: Standard Aero Limited (StandardAero Business Aviation Services LLC)
• Inventors: Wingenter, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method of determining a preferred order of implementing maintenance tasks and determining a plurality of maintenance tasks related to a received maintenance request is disclosed. A first expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in a first order and a second expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in a second order are determined. An implementation order for the plurality of maintenance tasks is selected based at least in part on the first and second expected costs. Expected costs may be determined based at least in part on the cost of implementing each maintenance task and based on the probability that the problem has not yet been addressed by preceding tasks.

Claims

1. A method of troubleshooting a mechanical system, the method comprising:

receiving a maintenance request;

determining a plurality of maintenance tasks related to the maintenance request;

determining a first expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in a first order;

determining a second expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in a second order; and

selecting an implementation order for the plurality of maintenance tasks based at least in part on the first and second expected costs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintenance request includes a request to troubleshoot an aircraft engine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first expected cost comprises determining a cost of implementing each maintenance task in the plurality of maintenance tasks in the first order and a likelihood that each maintenance task will resolve the maintenance request.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first expected cost includes an expected monetary cost.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first expected cost includes an amount of time expected to be required to implement each task.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first expected cost includes an estimated cost of downtime, parts, and labor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first expected cost is determined based at least in part on historical data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in every possible order.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting an implementation order based at least in part on the first and second expected costs includes selecting an implementation order with a lowest expected cost.

10. A method of troubleshooting mechanical system failures, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of tasks to repair a mechanical system;

determining a cost of implementing each task of the plurality of tasks;

determining a probability that each task of the plurality of tasks will repair the mechanical system;

determining a proposed order of implementing the plurality of tasks; and

determining an expected cost of repairing the mechanical system based on the cost of implementing each task and a probability that the mechanical system has not been repaired by preceding tasks in the proposed order, wherein the probability that the mechanical system has not been repaired by preceding tasks is based on the probability that each task of the plurality of tasks will repair the mechanical system.

11. A work scope to troubleshoot a mechanical system, the work scope comprising:

a plurality of maintenance tasks sorted in a preferred implementation order;

wherein the preferred implementation order is selected from a plurality of implementation orders based on an expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks, the expected cost based on a cost of implementing each maintenance task and a probability that each maintenance task will correct or identify a problem with the mechanical system.

12. A maintenance system, the system comprising:

a work scope generator to determine a plurality of maintenance tasks based at least in part on symptoms of a mechanical system and to determine an implementation order of the maintenance tasks based on an expected cost of troubleshooting the mechanical system.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a database of maintenance tasks associated with symptoms of the mechanical system.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the implementation order is determined by the work scope generator based at least in part on a probability that each task of the plurality of maintenance tasks will correct the symptoms and based on a cost of implementing each task of the plurality of maintenance tasks.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising historical maintenance data accessible to the work scope generator, wherein the probability of each maintenance task resolving the symptoms of the mechanical system is determined at least partially based on the historical maintenance data.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising historical maintenance data accessible to the work scope generator, wherein the cost of implementing each task is determined at least partially based on the historical maintenance data.

17. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions to manipulate a computing system to:

receive a maintenance request;

determine a plurality of maintenance tasks related to the maintenance request;

determine a first expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in a first order;

determine a second expected cost of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks in a second order; and

select an implementation order based at least in part on the first and second expected costs.

18. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions to manipulate a computing system to:

determine a cost of implementing each task of a plurality of maintenance tasks to repair a mechanical system;

determining a probability that each task of the plurality of tasks will repair the mechanical system;

determining a proposed order of implementing the plurality of tasks; and

determining an expected cost of repair the mechanical system based on the cost of implementing each task and a probability that the mechanical system has not been repaired by preceding tasks in the proposed order, wherein the probability that the mechanical system has not been repaired by preceding tasks is based on the probability that each task of the plurality of tasks will repair the mechanical system.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the program of instructions further manipulates the computer system to determine a plurality of proposed orders of implementing the plurality of maintenance tasks and to determine an expected cost of repairing the mechanical system based on each of the plurality of proposed orders.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program of instructions further manipulates the computer system to identify a preferred proposed order having lower expected cost than other proposed orders.