Dynamic maintenance production system

• US 6,826,461 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fleetmx Aviation Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fleetmx Aviation Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Sinex, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/155,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/35, 701/30, 701/24, 701/31, 701/103, 701/32, 701/33, 701/34, 702/184, 340/471, 340/457, 340/438, 340/475.5, 340/434, 340/500, 340/945, 340/971, 340/853.2, 340/531, 340/425.5, 455/66, 455/67.1, 395/50, 395/60, 395/614, 395/615, 705/8, 705/9, 705/28, 705/7, 705/14, 705/4, 705/15, 705/1
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A dynamic maintenance production system for planning a maintenance check includes means for obtaining any routine tasks that may exist and which are required to be performed, means for obtaining any non-routine tasks that may exist and which are required to be performed, means for generating a maintenance flow chart detailing scheduling data for each of the routine and non-routine tasks, means for assigning a user-determined number of the routine and non-routine tasks to personnel for completion, means for obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine task and non-routine task, means for obtaining available resource data, and means for updating the maintenance flow chart to reflect newly-obtained maintenance activity data and available resource data.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically planning a maintenance check of a member of a fleet, the method comprising:

obtaining any routine tasks that may exist, and which are required to be performed on the member;

obtaining any non-routine tasks that may exist, and which are required to be performed on the member;

generating a maintenance flow chart detailing scheduling data for each of the routine and non-routine tasks;

assigning a user-determined number of the routine and non-routine tasks to personnel for completion;

obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine task and non-routine task;

obtaining available resource data; and

updating the maintenance flow chart to reflect newly-obtained maintenance activity data and available resource data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining any routine tasks comprises extracting, from a maintenance document, a list of routine tasks required to be performed on the member.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtained non-routine tasks are a result of the performance of routine tasks by inspection and maintenance personnel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the scheduling data comprises:

a project forecast of an amount of time required to complete the maintenance check;

a start time and an execution time for each of the obtained routine and non-routine tasks, wherein the start and execution times are estimated values for incomplete tasks and are actual values for completed tasks.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a maintenance flow chart comprises:

identifying any dependent tasks that may exist, the dependent tasks being those routine and non-routine tasks which cannot be performed until the completion of at least one of the routine and non-routine tasks; and

generating a maintenance flow chart in which no dependent task has a start time earlier than an end time of any of the routine and non-routine tasks from which the dependent task depends.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a maintenance flow chart comprises:

generating a proposed maintenance flow chart;

obtaining planning personnel modifications to the proposed maintenance flow chart; and

generating a maintenance flow chart which incorporates the planning personnel modifications.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein assigning a user-determined number of routine and non-routine tasks to personnel for completion comprises obtaining assignment information from maintenance personnel.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine and non-routine task comprises obtaining a start time and an execution time for each assigned routine and non-routine task, the start time being a time at the task was assigned and the execution time being an elapsed amount of time spent completing the task.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine and non-routine task comprises obtaining new estimated execution times for those incomplete routine and non-routine tasks for which an actual execution time exceeds an initially-estimated execution time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine and non-routine task comprises obtaining pass-down notes from an assigned personnel member for those routine and non-routine tasks left incomplete by the assigned personnel member.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the available resource data comprises labor hours available.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein maintenance flow chart is graphically represented via a GANTT chart.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is operated over a communication medium operably connected to a plurality of input/output devices each having means for inputting and outputting information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the communication medium is the digital communication network.

15. A dynamic maintenance production system for planning a maintenance check, the dynamic production system comprising:

means for obtaining any routine tasks that may exist, and which are required to be performed;

means for obtaining any non-routine tasks that may exist, and which are required to be performed;

means for generating a maintenance flow chart detailing scheduling data for each of the routine and non-routine tasks;

means for assigning a user-determined number of the routine and non-routine tasks to personnel for completion;

means for obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine task and non-routine task;

means for obtaining available resource data; and

means for updating the maintenance flow chart to reflect newly-obtained maintenance activity data and available resource data.

16. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the means for obtaining any routine tasks comprises means for extracting, from a maintenance document, a list of routine tasks required to be performed.

17. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the obtained non-routine tasks result from the performance of routine tasks by inspection and maintenance personnel.

18. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the scheduling data comprises:

a project forecast of an amount of time required to complete the maintenance check;

a start time and an execution time for each of the obtained routine and non-routine tasks, wherein the start and execution times are estimated values for incomplete tasks and are actual values for completed tasks.

19. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the means for generating a maintenance flow chart comprises:

means for identifying any dependent tasks that may exist, the dependent tasks being those routine and non-routine tasks which cannot be performed until the completion of at least one of the routine and non-routine tasks; and

means for generating a maintenance flow chart in which no dependent task has a start time earlier than an end time of any of the routine and non-routine tasks from which the dependent task depends.

20. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the means for generating a maintenance flow chart comprises:

means for generating a proposed maintenance flow chart;

means for obtaining planning personnel modifications to the proposed maintenance flow chart; and

means for generating a maintenance flow chart which incorporates the planning personnel modifications.

21. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the means for assigning a user-determined number of routine and non-routine tasks to personnel for completion comprises means for obtaining assignment information from maintenance personnel.

22. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the means for obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine and non-routine task comprises means for obtaining a start time and an execution time for each assigned routine and non-routine task, the start time being a time at the task was assigned and the execution time being an elapsed amount of time spent completing the task.

23. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the means for obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine and non-routine task comprises means for obtaining new estimated execution times for those incomplete routine and non-routine tasks for which an actual execution time exceeds an initially-estimated execution time.

24. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein obtaining maintenance activity data on each assigned routine and non-routine task comprises means for obtaining pass-down notes from an assigned personnel member for those routine and non-routine tasks left incomplete by the assigned personnel member.

25. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the available resource data comprises labor hours available.

26. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein maintenance flow chart is graphically represented via a GANTT chart.

27. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 15 wherein the dynamic production system is implemented over a communication medium operably connected to a plurality of input/output devices each having means for inputting and outputting information.

28. The dynamic maintenance production system of claim 27 wherein the communication medium is a digital communications network.