Dispatch management model

• US 8,150,720 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Cold Chain LP
• Original Assignee: Emerson Retail Services, Inc. (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Singh, Abtar, Bansal, Sushil K, Churiwal, Pawan K, Milliken, Patrick P
• Primary Examiner(s): Rines, R. David
• Application Number:
  US11/214,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,409 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7- 10
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• 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: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A method includes monitoring a system for fault conditions, determining an estimated energy loss based on the fault condition, determining an estimated product loss and/or sales loss based on the fault condition, and scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition. Maintenance is schedule to correct the fault condition prior to the energy loss and the product loss exceeding maintenance costs.

Claims

1. A computer program product consisting of computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute a method comprising:

receiving data associated with monitoring a system for a fault condition;

determining a maintenance cost to correct said fault condition (Maintenance Cost);

determining an amount of increased energy consumption due to continued operation of the system under the fault condition (Increased Energy Consumption), a product loss associated with said fault condition (Cost of Product Loss), and a sales loss associated with said fault condition (Sales Loss);

scheduling maintenance to correct said fault condition by determining an amount of time within which said fault condition is to be corrected (Amount of Time), by using;

Amount of Time=(Maintenance Cost−

Cost of Product Loss and/or Sales Loss)/(Increased Energy Consumption*Price Per Unit),

wherein the Price Per Unit is a cost of energy.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising determining a level of urgency associated with performance of said maintenance to correct said fault condition based on comparing said Maintenance Cost with a monetary value including at least one of an additional energy cost resulting from said Increased Energy Consumption, said Cost of Product Loss, and said Sales Loss, wherein said scheduling said maintenance is based on said level of urgency.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, further comprising bundling said maintenance with at least one of a plurality of other maintenance requests based on said level of urgency.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, further comprising completing said bundled maintenance at one service call.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein when the Amount of Time is less than or equal to zero, the scheduling of maintenance is such that the fault condition is corrected immediately.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising performing said maintenance when at least one of an additional energy cost resulting from said Increased Energy Consumption, said Cost of Product Loss, and said Sales Loss, exceeds said maintenance cost.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said scheduling includes listing said maintenance with a plurality of other maintenance requests.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said monitoring includes electronic monitoring.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said receiving data associated with monitoring said system includes the computer receiving operating conditions of said system from a control system associated with said system.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said monitoring includes manual monitoring.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising determining a second fault condition and a level of urgency of said second fault condition.