SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING MAINTENANCE TASK DURATIONS

• US 20140281712A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace), General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace), GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace), General Electric Company
• Inventors: Subbu, Rajesh V., Aragones, James Kenneth, Dunsdon, Jonathan Mark, Harrington, Mark Thomas, Schoonveld, Steve John, Watson, Maria Louise
• Application Number:
  US13/841,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20140281712A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/26 Functional testing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for estimating maintenance task durations is provided. The method is implemented by at least one computing system including at least one processor and at least one memory device coupled to the processor. The method includes receiving a query including a first query maintenance task and a plurality of query factors, and identifying an initial baseline task duration based at least in part on the first query maintenance task. The initial baseline task duration includes a plurality of baseline task factors. The method further includes identifying at least one adjustment factor based at least in part on the differences between the plurality of query factors and the plurality of baseline task factors, calculating a maintenance task duration estimate based at least in part on the initial baseline task duration and the adjustment factors, and planning execution of the first query maintenance task based on maintenance task duration estimate.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for estimating maintenance task durations, said method implemented by at least one computing system including at least one processor and at least one memory device coupled to the at least one processor, said method comprising:

receiving a query including a first query maintenance task and a plurality of query factors;

identifying an initial baseline task duration and a plurality of baseline task factors based at least in part on the first query maintenance task;

identifying at least one adjustment factor based at least in part on the differences between the plurality of query factors and the plurality of baseline task factors;

calculating a maintenance task duration estimate based at least in part on the initial baseline task duration and the one or more adjustment factors; and

planning execution of the first query maintenance task based at least in part on the maintenance task duration estimate.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising executing the first query maintenance task based at least in part on said planning.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein receiving a query comprises receiving a query including an aircraft equipment type, an aircraft maintenance operation to be performed, and a plurality of query factors including at least one of environmental factors and maintenance personnel factors.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein identifying at least one adjustment factor includes evaluating one or more of weather information at a maintenance site, equipment information at a maintenance site, and mechanic information at a maintenance site.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein identifying an initial baseline task duration comprises identifying an initial baseline task duration from a plurality of historical maintenance task events based at least in part on the first query maintenance task.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein identifying an initial baseline task duration further comprises identifying a nearest neighbor in a query space of the query based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of query factors.

7. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein identifying an initial baseline task duration further comprises:

identifying a plurality of nearest neighbors in a query space of the query based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of query factors; and

aggregating task durations of the plurality of nearest neighbors.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein receiving a query comprises receiving a query further including a second query maintenance task, wherein identifying at least one adjustment factor further comprises identifying an adjustment factor based at least in part on performing the first query maintenance task and the second query maintenance task together.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein identifying at least one adjustment factor comprises evaluating a semantic model of a type of equipment associated with the query in relation to the first query maintenance task and the second query maintenance task.

10. A system for estimating maintenance task duration, said system comprising at least one computing system comprising:

at least one database comprising;

a plurality of historical maintenance task events, each historical maintenance task event of said plurality of historical maintenance task events comprising a plurality of event factors; and

a plurality of baseline task durations, each baseline task duration of said plurality of baseline task durations associated with a maintenance task; and

at least one query module configured to;

receive a query comprising a first query maintenance task and a plurality of query factors;

identify an initial baseline task duration and a plurality of baseline task factors from one of said plurality of baseline task durations and said plurality of historical maintenance task events based at least in part on said first query maintenance task;

identify at least one adjustment factor based at least in part on the differences between said plurality of query factors and said plurality of baseline task factors;

calculate a maintenance task duration estimate based at least in part on said initial baseline task duration and said one or more adjustment factors; and

plan execution of the first query maintenance task based at least in part on the maintenance task duration estimate.

11. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said first query maintenance task comprises an aircraft equipment type and an aircraft maintenance operation to be performed, wherein said plurality of query factors comprises at least one of environmental factors and maintenance personnel factors.

12. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said at least one query module is further configured to identify at least one adjustment factor based at least in part on evaluation of one or more of weather information at a maintenance site, equipment information at a maintenance site, and mechanic information at a maintenance site.

13. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said at least one query module is further configured to identify an initial baseline task duration from said plurality of historical maintenance task events based at least in part on said first query maintenance task.

14. The system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said at least one query module is further configured to identify an initial baseline task duration based at least in part on identifying a nearest neighbor in a query space of said query based at least in part on one or more of said plurality of query factors.

15. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said query further comprises a second query maintenance task, wherein said at least one query module is further configured to identify one or more adjustment factors based at least in part on identifying an adjustment factor based at least in part on performing said first query maintenance task and said second query maintenance task together.

16. The system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said at least one query module is further configured to identify said adjustment factor based at least in part on evaluating a semantic model of a type of equipment associated with said query in relation to said first query maintenance task and said second query maintenance task.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

receive a query comprising a first query maintenance task and a plurality of query factors;

identify an initial baseline task duration and a plurality of baseline task factors based at least in part on the first query maintenance task;

identify one or more adjustment factors based at least in part on the differences between the plurality of query factors and the plurality of baseline task factors;

calculate a maintenance task duration estimate based at least in part on the initial baseline task duration and the one or more adjustment factors; and

plan execution of the first query maintenance task based at least in part on the maintenance task duration estimate.

18. The computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to identify at least one adjustment factor based at least in part on evaluation of one or more of weather information at a maintenance site, equipment information at a maintenance site, and mechanic information at a maintenance site.

19. The computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to identify an initial baseline task duration from a plurality of historical maintenance task events based at least in part on the first query maintenance task.

20. The computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to identify an initial baseline task duration from a plurality of historical maintenance task events wherein identifying the initial baseline task duration includes identifying a nearest neighbor in a query space of the query based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of query factors.