PROACTIVE ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

• US 20120194347A1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kienzle, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/665
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

Systems and methods to provide proactive adaptive equipment maintenance. In example embodiments, a stress layout representing a physical location is maintained. The stress layout includes a grid system having a plurality of cells. A maintenance indicator value for each cell in which a fixed object is located is calculated. This maintenance indicator value represents a stress level applied to the fixed object. A determination whether the maintenance indicator value exceeds a maintenance threshold for the fixed object is performed. Based on the determining that the maintenance indicator value exceeds the maintenance threshold, automatic generation of a maintenance order for the fixed object is triggered.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a stress layout representing a physical location, the stress layout including a grid system having a plurality of cells;

calculating, by one or more processors, a maintenance indicator value for each cell in which a fixed object is located, the maintenance indicator value representing a stress level applied to the fixed object;

determining if the maintenance indicator value exceeds a maintenance threshold for the fixed object; and

based on the determining that the maintenance indicator value exceeds the maintenance threshold, triggering automatic generation of a maintenance order for the fixed object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintenance indicator value is an overall maintenance indicator value, the overall maintenance indicator value being a summation of maintenance indicator values for all cells in which the fixed object is located.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

tracking movement of a moveable object over the plurality of cells using a global positioning device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

calculating abrasion points for each cell of the plurality of cells traversed by the moveable object; and

using the calculated abrasion points to update the maintenance indicator value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the abrasion points are weight-based abrasion points calculated based on materials and weights of the materials of the moveable object.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the abrasion points are action-based abrasion points, the action-based abrasion points being added or subtracted with each action performed on by the fixed object on the moveable object.

7. The method claim 3, wherein tracking movement comprising receiving coordinates and an order identifier from the global positioning device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying a transport order or production order using the order identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying cells of the plurality of cells through which the moveable object traverse.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering automatic generation of a maintenance order comprises:

accessing a master database of maintenance plans for the fixed object; and

determining actions to be performed on the fixed object.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an interface providing a visual representation of the stress layout to a user device.

12. A system comprising:

a layout module to maintain a stress layout representing a physical location, the stress layout including a grid system having a plurality of cells;

a point calculation module to calculate, using one or more processors, a maintenance indicator value for each cell in which a fixed object is located, the maintenance indicator value representing a stress level applied to the fixed object;

an accumulation module to determine if the maintenance indicator value exceeds a maintenance threshold for the fixed object; and

an order generation module to, based on the determining that the maintenance indicator value exceeds the maintenance threshold, trigger automatic generation of a maintenance order for the fixed object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the accumulation module is further to sum the maintenance indicator values for all cells in which the fixed object is located to derive an overall maintenance indicator value, the overall maintenance value to be compared with the maintenance threshold.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a monitoring module to track movement of a moveable object over the plurality of cells using a global positioning device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the point calculation module is to calculate the maintenance threshold indicator by calculating abrasion points for each cell of the plurality of cells traversed by the moveable object and using the calculated abrasion points to update the maintenance indicator value.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitoring module tracks movement by receiving coordinates and an order identifier from the global positioning device, identifying a transport order or production order using the order identifier, and identifying cells of the plurality of cells through which the moveable object traverse.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the order generation module is to automatic generate the maintenance order by accessing a master database of maintenance plans for the fixed object and determining actions to be performed on the fixed object.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the layout module is further to present an interface providing a visual representation of the stress layout to a user device.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium in communication with at least one processor, the machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, performs operations comprising:

maintaining a stress layout representing a physical location, the stress layout including a grid system having a plurality of cells;

calculating, by one or more processors, a maintenance indicator value for each cell in which a fixed object is located, the maintenance indicator value representing a stress level applied to the fixed object;

determining if the maintenance indicator value exceeds a maintenance threshold for the fixed object; and

based on the determining that the maintenance indicator value exceeds the maintenance threshold, triggering automatic generation of a maintenance order for the fixed object.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the maintenance indicator value is an overall maintenance indicator value, the overall maintenance indicator value being a summation of maintenance indicator values for all cells in which the fixed object is located.