AUTOMATED SCHEDULING OF NON-ROUTINE MAINTENANCE TO SYSTEMS OF CAPITAL ASSETS
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for use in managing equipment, the apparatus comprising:
- a data processor configured by software instructions to provide, for each of a plurality of items of equipment, a cost function having an output indicating total financial cost associated with the equipment as a function of a replacement time for replacing the equipment;
a scheduler for scheduling replacement times for the plurality of items of equipment based in part on the outputs of the corresponding cost functions and based in part on one or more resource constraints wherein the scheduler is configured to establish proposed replacement times for the plurality of items of equipment that correspond to minima of the corresponding cost functions and to defer replacement of one or more of the items of equipment to satisfy the one or more resource constraints based on a deferral cost metric.
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Abstract
Automated systems and methods for use in managing collections of capital assets determine optimal replacement dates for assets based on total cost curves. Replacement dates are adjusted within ranges that avoid unacceptable risk of unmonetizable failures to satisfy constraints. Priority in adjusting replacement dates is determined based on deferral cost metrics which may be based on the total cost curves.
27 Citations
19 Claims
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1. Apparatus for use in managing equipment, the apparatus comprising:
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a data processor configured by software instructions to provide, for each of a plurality of items of equipment, a cost function having an output indicating total financial cost associated with the equipment as a function of a replacement time for replacing the equipment; a scheduler for scheduling replacement times for the plurality of items of equipment based in part on the outputs of the corresponding cost functions and based in part on one or more resource constraints wherein the scheduler is configured to establish proposed replacement times for the plurality of items of equipment that correspond to minima of the corresponding cost functions and to defer replacement of one or more of the items of equipment to satisfy the one or more resource constraints based on a deferral cost metric. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for managing replacement of items of equipment, the method comprising:
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processing by a data processor information about the items of equipment to yield for each of the items of equipment an output of a cost function relating a financial cost associated with the item of equipment to a replacement time for the item of equipment; processing the outputs and an investment constraint by the data processor to schedule replacement times for the items of equipment, the processing comprising deferring scheduled replacement of one or more of the items of equipment to satisfy the investment constraint in a priority order based on a deferred cost metric for the items of equipment; and outputting the schedule.
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19. A method for managing a system comprising a plurality of capital assets, the method comprising:
- for each of a plurality of the capital assets, by a data processor executing software instructions;
based at least in part on information relating to physical conditions of the capital asset, modeling a risk of failure of the capital asset as a function of time; modeling a cost of failure of the capital asset as a function of time; modeling a cost of replacement of the capital asset as a function of time; modeling costs of operating the capital asset as a function of time; modeling costs of operating a replacement for the capital asset as a function of time; establishing as a replacement date for the capital asset, a date at which a total cost associated with the capital asset is minimized; for a time period, determining whether the total modeled costs of replacement of the capital assets exceed a resource constraint; determining a priority for the capital assets based at least in part on a rate of increase of the total costs associated with the capital asset as a function of the replacement date at the established replacement date; and deferring replacement dates for at least some of the plurality of capital assets taken in order of the corresponding determined priorities until the total modeled costs of replacement of the capital assets do not exceed the resource constraint for the time period.
- for each of a plurality of the capital assets, by a data processor executing software instructions;
Specification