Control method and system for automatic pre-processing of device malfunctions

• US 6,925,367 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Fontius, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US10/442,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20040033799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 7- 9, 340/3.42, 340/3.9, 340/500, 340/517, 340/523, 340 31- 33, 340 343- 344, 370/102.01, 370/102.02, 700/7, 700/12, 700/23, 700/26, 700108-110, 700/241, 700/247, 700 1- 2, 700 9- 11, 700 17- 21, 700/28, 700/32, 700 79- 83, 700/159, 700168-170, 700/174, 700180-181, 702/184, 702/56, 702 33- 35, 702 81- 84, 714 1- 2, 714/25, 714/100, 714 47- 48, 399 8- 12, 399/18, 399/21, 701 29- 35, 701 1- 2
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/02 Automatically-operated arrangements

Abstract

In a control method and a system for the automatic pre-processing of device malfunctions, first data about a device malfunction are sent to a central control device by means of first terminal equipment. On the basis of the first data and on the basis of stored second data, the central control device automatically selects a group of second terminal equipment that are allocated to various service technicians. A malfunction incident signal and at least a part of the data are then sent to the selected terminal equipment and output thereat. The terminal equipment respectively acquires preliminary diagnosis data relating to the malfunction and availability data from the respective service technician. These data are communicated to the central control device, which automatically evaluates the existing data, selects a specific second terminal equipment from the group and communicates an assignment signal to the selected second terminal equipment.

Claims

1. A control method for automatically preprocessing a malfunction of a device, comprising the steps of:

allocating first terminal equipment to a device susceptible to malfunctions and, upon an occurrence of a malfunction in said device, communicating first data about said malfunction from said first terminal equipment to an automatic central control device located remote from said device;

providing access from said central control device to stored second data and at said control device, dependent on said first data and said second data, automatically selecting a group of second terminal equipment using predefined selection rules, said second terminal equipment being respectively allocated to a plurality of service technicians;

communicating data, as communicated data, selected from the group consisting of at least a portion of said first data and at least a portion of said second data, together with a malfunction incident signal from said central control device to said group of second terminal equipment;

at each second terminal equipment in said group, emitting said malfunction incident signal and said communicated data and electronically acquiring data, as acquired data, selected from the group consisting of preliminary diagnosis data relating to said malfunction and availability data for the service technician allocated to the second terminal equipment;

communicating the acquired data from each second terminal equipment to said central control device;

at said central control device, evaluating said communicated data and said acquired data according to predefined evaluation rules, thereby obtaining an evaluation result;

selecting one of said second terminal equipment, as selected equipment, in said group dependent on said evaluation result; and

in said central control device, generating an assignment signal, and communicating said assignment signal from said central control device to said selected equipment, and emitting said assignment signal at said selected equipment.

2. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional step of formulating third data from said second data, and wherein the step of communicating said communicated data comprises selecting said communicated data from the group consisting of at least a part of said first data, at least a part of said second data, and at least a part of said third data.

3. A control method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second data comprise data selected from the group consisting of device data relating to said device and fault type data representing characteristics of different ones of said malfunctions, and comprising automatically generating preliminary diagnosis data, as said third data, at said central control device dependent on said second data.

4. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising obtaining said first data in an automatic dialog between an operator of said device and said first terminal equipment.

5. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising obtaining said first data with a logging device connected to said device susceptible to malfunctions, and selecting said first data from the group consisting of operating data and fault data.

6. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, at said second terminal equipment, obtaining said acquired data in an automatic dialog between the second terminal equipment and the service technician allocated thereto.

7. A control method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said acquired data comprise said preliminary diagnosis data, and automatically communicating said preliminary diagnosis data, from each of said second terminal equipment received at said central control device, from said central control device to said selected equipment together with said assignment signal.

8. A control method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said acquired data comprise said preliminary diagnosis data, and communicating said preliminary diagnosis data, received from each of said second terminal equipment at said central control device, from said central control device to said selected equipment upon receipt of a request signal from said selected equipment at said central control device.

9. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising employing a first communication channel between said central control device and said second terminal equipment in said group for communicating said malfunction incident signal, said communicated data and said assignment signal, determining at said central control device whether a connection to any of said second terminal equipment via said first communication channel does not exist and, if so, communicating an alarm signal via a second communication channel from said central control device to the second terminal equipment for which no connection exists via said first communication channel.

10. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising after transmission of said assignment signal to the selected equipment, said central control device automatically initiating a set-up of a data connection between the selected equipment and at least one of said device and said first terminal equipment.

11. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising automatically communicating a processing signal from said central control device to said first terminal equipment informing said first terminal equipment that a service technician has been selected for said malfunction.

12. A control method as claimed in claim 11 comprising generating malfunction correction data contemporaneously with correction of said malfunction of said device, and communicating said malfunction correction data from said selected equipment to said central control device.

13. A control method as claimed in claim 12 comprising formulating new fault type data at said central control device dependent on said malfunction correction data, and storing said new fault type data at said central control device for use in servicing future malfunctions.

14. A control method as claimed in claim 1 comprising employing a medical device as said device susceptible to malfunctions.

15. A control method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first data include person-related data, and comprising the step of eliminating said person-related data from said first data at said first terminal equipment before communicating said first data from said first terminal equipment to said central control device.

16. A control method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first data include person-related data, and rendering said person-related data anonymous at said first terminal equipment before communicating said first data from said first terminal equipment to said central control device.

17. A system for automatically preprocessing a malfunction of a device, comprising:

a device susceptible to malfunctions, an automatic central control device located remote from said device susceptible to malfunctions;

first terminal equipment allocated to said device susceptible to malfunctions which, upon an occurrence of a malfunction in said device, communicates first data about said malfunction from said first terminal equipment to said central control device;

second terminal equipment respectively allocated to a plurality of service technicians;

a memory containing second data accessible by from said central control device, said control device, dependent on said first data and said second data, automatically selecting a group of said second terminal equipment using predefined selection rules;

said central control device communicating data, as communicated data, selected from the group consisting of at least a portion of said first data and at least a portion of said second data, together with a malfunction incident signal from said central control device to said group of said second terminal equipment;

each second terminal equipment in said group emitting said malfunction incident signal and said communicated data and electronically acquiring data, as acquired data, selected from the group consisting of preliminary diagnosis data relating to said malfunction and availability data for the service technician allocated to the second terminal equipment;

each second terminal equipment communicating the acquired data therefrom to said central control device;

said central control device evaluating said communicated data and said acquired data according to predefined evaluation rules, thereby obtaining an evaluation result; and

selecting one of said second terminal equipment, as selected equipment, in said group dependent on said evaluation result; and

said central control device generating an assignment signal and communicating said assignment signal from said central control device to said selected equipment, and said selected equipment emitting said assignment signal.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said control device formulates third data from said second data, and communicates said communicated data selected from the group consisting of at least a part of said first data, at least a part of said second data, and at least a part of said third data.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18 wherein said second data comprise data selected from the group consisting of device data relating to said device and fault type data representing characteristics of different ones of said malfunctions, and wherein said central control device automatically generates preliminary diagnosis data, as said third data, dependent on said second data.

20. A system as claimed in claim 17 comprising an automatic dialog system at said first terminal equipment for obtaining said first data in an automatic dialog between an operator of said device and said first terminal equipment.

21. A system as claimed in claim 17 comprising a logging device connected to said device susceptible to malfunctions for logging said first data as data selected from the group consisting of operating data and fault data.

22. A system as claimed in claim 17 comprising, at least second terminal equipment, obtaining said acquired data in an automatic dialog between the second terminal equipment and the service technician allocated thereto.

23. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said acquired data comprise said preliminary diagnosis data, and automatically communicating said preliminary diagnosis data therefrom to said central control device, and wherein said central control device communicates all of said preliminary diagnosis data to said selected equipment together with said assignment signal.

24. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said acquired data comprise said preliminary diagnosis data, and wherein each second terminal equipment communicates said preliminary diagnosis data therefrom to said central control device, and wherein said central control device communicates all of said preliminary diagnosis data to said selected equipment upon receipt of a request signal from said selected equipment at said central control device.

25. A system as claimed in claim 17 comprising a first communication channel between said central control device and said second terminal equipment in said group for communicating said malfunction incident signal, said communicated data and said assignment signal, and wherein said central control device determines whether a connection to any of said second terminal equipment via said first communication channel does not exist and, if so, communicates an alarm signal via a second communication channel from said central control device to the second terminal equipment for which no connection exists via said first communication channel.

26. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said control device, after transmission of said assignment signal to the selected equipment, automatically initiates a set-up of a data connection between the selected equipment and at least one of said device and said first terminal equipment.

27. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said central control device automatically communicates a processing signal therefrom to said first terminal equipment informing said first terminal equipment that a service technician has been selected for said malfunction.

28. A system as claimed in claim 27 comprising entering malfunction correction data into said selected equipment contemporaneously with correction of said malfunction of said device, and wherein said selected equipment communicates said malfunction correction data therefrom to said central control device.

29. A system as claimed in claim 28 wherein said central control device formulates new fault type data dependent on said malfunction correction data, and stores said new fault type data at said central control device for use in servicing future malfunctions.

30. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said device susceptible to malfunctions is a medical device.

31. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said first data include person-related data, and wherein said first terminal equipment comprises a filter for eliminating said person-related data from said first data before communicating said first data from said first terminal equipment to said central control device.

32. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said first data include person-related data, and wherein said first terminal equipment comprises a filter for rendering said person-related data anonymous before communicating said first data from said first terminal equipment to said central control device.