Method and apparatus for determining machine maintenance due times

• US 6,141,629 A
• Filed: 07/13/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Murakami, Taku, Yamamoto, Shigeru, Kuromoto, Kazunori, Hasegawa, Nobuki, Nagai, Takao, Imanishi, Kunihiko, Akagi, Jiro, Akiyama, Sadachika
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HIEN XUAN
• Application Number:
  US09/114,566
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 702/177, 702/182-186, 702/187, 701/29, 701/30, 701/31, 701/35, 340/457.4, 340/309.15, 340/439
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence

Abstract

Maintenance due times of components of a machine are determined according to the status of user-performed in-house maintenance and according to the occurrence of abnormalities during machine operation. A subtraction point (20 points) associated with an abnormality (overheating) detected during machine operation is subtracted from the score (80 points) of a corresponding component (engine) in the machine. An addition point (50 points) associated with the type of maintenance (overhaul performed by in-house maintenance) indicated in maintenance information is added to the score (80 points). Thus, at the time where the value resulting from subtractions from and additions to the score for that component (engine) reaches a prescribed value (10 points) indicating maintenance due time, it is determined that the maintenance due time for that component (engine) has been reached.

Claims

1. A method of determining maintenance due times for a machine on the basis of the operating status, comprising the steps of:

giving a score according to reserve time remaining until next maintenance due time to each component of the machine;

associating a point to be subtracted from a score of each the component of the machine, for every type of abnormal phenomenon that could occur while the machine is operating, and for associating a point to be added to the score of each the component of the machine for every type of maintenance that would be performed on the machine;

detecting abnormal phenomena that occurred while the machine is operating, and inputting information on maintenance that was performed on the machine;

subtracting a subtraction point associated with the detected abnormal phenomena from the score of the corresponding component of the machine, and for adding an addition point associated with maintenance type indicated by the maintenance information to the score of the corresponding component of the machine; and

determining that the maintenance due time for the component has been reached when value resulting from subtraction from or addition to the score for the component of the machine attains a prescribed value.

2. The method of determining maintenance due times for a machine according to claim 1, further comprising a step of collecting data on operating parameters having values that change during machine operation, and for ascertaining trend in changes in the values of the operating parameters, wherein in the step of determining that the maintenance due time has been reached, the maintenance due time of the component is corrected according to the trend in changes in the values of the operating parameters.

3. The method of determining maintenance due times for a machine according to claim 1, further comprising a step of computing remaining time for components of the machine, from current time until maintenance due time, based on a score at a current time, on amount of change per unit time in the score at current time for the components, and on a score corresponding to maintenance due time for the components.

4. The method of determining maintenance due times for a machine according to claim 1, wherein an identification code that specifies a component of the machine is given to each component of the machine, and the identification code are associated with the score, subtraction points when abnormalities have occurred, and addition points when maintenance has been performed.

5. A apparatus of determining maintenance due times for a machine on the basis of its operating status, comprising:

first memory means for storing a score according to reserve time remaining until next maintenance due time for each component of the machine;

second memory means for storing points to be subtracted from the score of each the component of the machine, the points to be subtracted being associated with each type of abnormal phenomenon that could occur while the machine is operating, and points to be added to the score of each the component of the machine, the points to be added being associated with each type of maintenance that would be performed on the machine;

abnormality detection means for detecting abnormal phenomena that occurred while the machine is operating;

input means for inputting information on maintenance that was performed on the machine;

score computation means for subtracting a subtraction point associated with the detected abnormal phenomena from the score of the corresponding component of the machine, and for adding an addition point associated with maintenance type indicated by maintenance information to the score of the corresponding component of the machine; and

determination means for determining that the maintenance due time for a component has been reached when value resulting from subtraction from or addition to the score for the component of the machine attains a prescribed value.

6. The apparatus of determining maintenance due times for a machine according to claim 5, further comprising trend computation means for collecting data on operating parameters having values that change during machine operation and for computing trend in changes in the values of the operating parameters,

wherein the determination means corrects the maintenance due time of the component according to the trend in changes in the values of the operating parameters computed by the trend computation means.

7. The apparatus of determining maintenance due times for a machine according to claim 5, further comprising remaining time computation means for computing remaining time for components of the machine, from current time until maintenance due time, based on the score at current time of the components, on amount of change per unit time in score at current time for the components, and on a score corresponding to maintenance due time for the components.

8. The apparatus of determining maintenance due times for a machine according to claim 5, wherein an identification code that specifies a component is given to each component of the machine, and the second storage means stores scores, subtraction points when the abnormalities have occurred and addition points when the maintenance has been performed, associated with the identification code for each the component of the machine.