Hierarchical distributed knowledge based machine inititated maintenance system
First Claim
1. A distributed hierarchical maintenance apparatus for identifying failed field replaceable units in a plurality of customer systems, each of which customer systems includes a plurality of field replaceable units, comprising:
- a plurality of maintenance apparatus configured in a tiered hierarchy having a plurality of subsets of maintenance apparatus, a first subset including a plurality of said maintenance apparatus, each of which is connected to and colocated with one of said customer systems and also connected to an associated remotely located maintenance apparatus in a second subset of said maintenance apparatus which are hierarchically senior to said first subset of maintenance apparatus, each of said maintenance apparatus in said first subset comprising;
means for detecting the presence of a failure in a one said customer system;
means for generating a failure report which contains failure data relevant to said detected failure, including an identification of the failure mode and all operational elements on all field replaceable units in said one customer system that were cooperatively operative during said detected failure;
means for maintaining a failure analysis history of said one customer system containing data identifying a failed field replaceable unit and associated failure data;
means for comparing said failure data with said failure analysis history;
means for identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit based on said comparison; and
means responsive to an inability to identify a likely failed field replaceable unit in Said one customer system for establishing a communication connection with an associated remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus in said second subset of maintenance apparatus.
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Abstract
The hierarchical distributed knowledge based system functions in a machine initiated maintenance environment to provide efficient and timely maintenance of customer equipment. The hierarchical, distributed knowledge based system provides the failure evaluation function through the use of an expert or knowledge based system that is installed in the customer equipment. The knowledge based system makes use of a set of rules and hypotheses to operate on data collected from various points within the customer equipment to monitor the operational integrity of the customer equipment. This knowledge based system identifies the occurrence of a failure within the customer equipment and functions using its rules, hypotheses and collected data to isolate the source of the error in the customer equipment and, whenever possible, "fence" or isolate the failed field replaceable unit that has caused the error. A significant additional attribute of this system is the provision of at least one more level of knowledge based system to provide a more global failure evaluation capability.
85 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A distributed hierarchical maintenance apparatus for identifying failed field replaceable units in a plurality of customer systems, each of which customer systems includes a plurality of field replaceable units, comprising:
a plurality of maintenance apparatus configured in a tiered hierarchy having a plurality of subsets of maintenance apparatus, a first subset including a plurality of said maintenance apparatus, each of which is connected to and colocated with one of said customer systems and also connected to an associated remotely located maintenance apparatus in a second subset of said maintenance apparatus which are hierarchically senior to said first subset of maintenance apparatus, each of said maintenance apparatus in said first subset comprising; means for detecting the presence of a failure in a one said customer system; means for generating a failure report which contains failure data relevant to said detected failure, including an identification of the failure mode and all operational elements on all field replaceable units in said one customer system that were cooperatively operative during said detected failure; means for maintaining a failure analysis history of said one customer system containing data identifying a failed field replaceable unit and associated failure data; means for comparing said failure data with said failure analysis history; means for identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit based on said comparison; and means responsive to an inability to identify a likely failed field replaceable unit in Said one customer system for establishing a communication connection with an associated remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus in said second subset of maintenance apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A distributed hierarchial maintenance apparatus for identifying failed field replaceable units in a plurality of customer systems, each of which customer systems includes a plurality of field replaceable units, comprising:
a plurality of maintenance apparatus configured in a tiered hierarchy having a plurality of maintenance apparatus, a first subset including a plurality of said maintenance apparatus, each of which is connected to and colocated with one of said customer systems and also connected to an associated remotely located maintenance apparatus which is hierarchically senior to said first subset of maintenance apparatus, each of said maintenance apparatus in said first subset comprising; means for detecting the presence of a failure in a one said customer system; means for generating a failure report which contains failure data relevant to said detected failure, including an identification of the failure mode and all operational elements on all field replaceable units in said one customer system that were cooperatively operative during said detected failure; means for maintaining a failure analysis history of said one customer system containing data identifying a failed field replaceable unit and associated failure data; means for comparing said failure data with failure analysis history; means for identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit based on said comparison; and means responsive to an inability to identify a likely failed field replaceable unit in said one customer system for establishing a communication connection with an associated remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus in said second subset of maintenance apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. In a distributed hierarchial maintenance apparatus a method of identifying failed field replaceable units in a plurality of customer systems, each of which customer systems includes a plurality of field replaceable units, said hierarchical maintenance apparatus comprises a plurality of maintenance apparatus configured in a tiered hierarchy having a plurality of subsets of maintenance apparatus, with a first subset including a plurality of said maintenance apparatus each of which is connected to and colocated with one of said customer systems and also connected to an associated remotely located maintenance apparatus in a second subset of said maintenance apparatus which are hierarchically senior to said first subset of maintenance apparatus, the method comprising the steps in each of said maintenance apparatus in said first subset of:
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detecting the presence of a failure in a one said customer system; generating a failure report which contains failure data relevant to said detected failure, including an identification of the failure mode and all operational elements on all field replaceable units in said one customer system that were cooperatively operative during said detected failure; maintaining a failure analysis history of said one customer System containing data identifying a failed field replaceable unit and associated failure data; comparing said failure data with failure analysis history; identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit based on said comparison; and establishing, in response to an inability to identify a likely failed field replaceable unit in said one customer system, a communication connection with an associated remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus in said second subset of maintenance apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A distributed hierarchial maintenance apparatus for identifying failed field replaceable units in a plurality of customer systems, each of which customer systems includes a plurality of field replaceable units, comprising:
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a plurality of maintenance apparatus configured in a tiered hierarchy having a plurality of subsets of maintenance apparatus, a first subset having a plurality of maintenance apparatus, each of which is connected to and colocated with one of said customer systems and also connected to an associated remotely located maintenance apparatus in a second subset of said maintenance apparatus which are hierarchically senior to said first subset of maintenance apparatus, each of said maintenance apparatus in said first subset comprising; means for detecting the presence of a failure in a one said customer system; means for generating a failure report which contains failure data relevant to said detected failure, including an identification of the failure mode and all operational elements on all field replaceable units in said one customer system that were cooperatively operative during said detected failure; means for maintaining a failure analysis history of said one customer system containing data identifying a failed field replaceable unit and associated failure data; means for comparing said failure data with failure analysis history; means for identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit based on said comparison; means responsive to an inability to identify a likely failed field replaceable unit for establishing a communication connection with an associated remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus in said second subset; means, responsive to said communication connection, for transmitting said collected data to said remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus; means, responsive to said communication connection, for receiving revised failure analysis history data from said remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus for incorporating said received data into said failure analysis history; wherein each of said remotely located hierarchically senior maintenance apparatus further include; means for collecting data relevant to each said detected failure in one of said associated maintenance apparatus in said first subset; means for storing said collected failure data; means for maintaining a failure analysis history containing data identifying the failed field replaceable unit and associated failure data; means, responsive to a communication connection with an associated hierarchically junior maintenance apparatus in said first subset which is unable to identify a likely failed field replaceable unit, for receiving said collected failure data from said hierarchically junior maintenance apparatus in said first subset; means for comparing said collected failure data with said failure analysis history; means for identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit based on said comparison; and means for transmitting data identifying a likely failed field replaceable unit to said hierarchically junior maintenance apparatus in said first subset via said communication connection.
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Specification