NON-DETERMINISTIC MAINTENANCE REASONER AND METHOD

• US 20140025250A1
• Filed: 07/18/2012
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Patankar, Ravindra
• Granted Patent: US 9,008,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A system and method for supplying a corrective maintenance plan for a system includes supplying diagnostic data to a processor. The diagnostic data are representative of a set of two or more potential independent faults within the system, and each of the potential independent faults in the set has a unique corrective maintenance plan associated therewith. The diagnostic data are processed, in the processor, to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans. Maintenance plan data representative of the selected corrective maintenance plan are generated in the processor. For identical sets of two or more potential independent faults, the selected maintenance plan is not always the same.

Claims

1. A method for supplying a corrective maintenance plan for a system, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying diagnostic data to a processor, the diagnostic data representative of a set of two or more potential independent faults within the system, each of the potential independent faults in the set having a unique corrective maintenance plan associated therewith;

processing the diagnostic data, in the processor, to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans; and

generating, in the processor, maintenance plan data representative of the selected corrective maintenance plan, wherein, for identical sets of two or more potential independent faults, the selected maintenance plan is not always the same.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the unique corrective maintenance plans has at least one outcome determinable factor associated therewith; and

the maintenance plan data will provide a long-term deterministic average of the at least one outcome determinable factor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one outcome determinable factor includes cost.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing, in the processor, a differential game to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

each of the unique corrective maintenance plans has at least one outcome determinable factor associated therewith; and

the method further comprises implementing the differential game based on the at least one outcome determinable factor.

6. A non-deterministic maintenance reasoner, comprising:

a processor adapted to retrieve diagnostic data representative of a set of two or more potential independent faults within a system, each of the potential independent faults in the set having a unique corrective maintenance plan associated therewith, the processor configured to;

process the diagnostic data to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans, and

generate maintenance plan data representative of the selected corrective maintenance plan,

wherein, for identical sets of two or more potential independent faults, the selected maintenance plan is not always the same.

7. The reasoner of claim 6, wherein:

each of the unique corrective maintenance plans has at least one outcome determinable factor associated therewith; and

the generated maintenance plan data will provide a long-term deterministic average of the at least one outcome determinable factor.

8. The reasoner of claim 6, wherein the at least one outcome determinable factor includes cost.

9. The reasoner of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to implement a differential game to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans.

10. The reasoner of claim 9, wherein:

each of the unique corrective maintenance plans has at least one outcome determinable factor associated therewith; and

the processor is further configured to implement the differential game based on the at least one outcome determinable factor.

11. A non-deterministic maintenance reasoner system, comprising:

a data source configured to supply diagnostic data representative of a set of two or more potential independent faults within a system, each of the potential independent faults in the set having a unique corrective maintenance plan associated therewith; and

a processor in operable communication with the data source to at least selectively retrieve the diagnostic data therefrom, the processor configured to;

process the diagnostic data to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans, and

generate maintenance plan data representative of the selected corrective maintenance plan,

wherein, for identical sets of two or more potential independent faults, the selected maintenance plan is not always the same.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

each of the unique corrective maintenance plans has at least one outcome determinable factor associated therewith; and

the generated maintenance plan data will provide a long-term deterministic average of the at least one outcome determinable factor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one outcome determinable factor includes cost.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to implement a differential game to select only one of the corrective maintenance plans.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

each of the unique corrective maintenance plans has at least one outcome determinable factor associated therewith; and

the processor is further configured to implement the differential game based on the at least one outcome determinable factor.