Dispatch management model

• US 8,380,556 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Cold Chain LP
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Singh, Abtar, Bansal, Sushil K., Churiwal, Pawan K., Milliken, Patrick P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rines, David
• Application Number:
  US13/435,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• 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 is provided and includes detecting a fault condition in a refrigeration system, determining a maintenance cost to correct the fault condition, and determining a monetary value associated with continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition. The method also includes comparing the maintenance cost to the monetary value and determining a level of urgency for correcting the fault condition based on the comparison. The method also includes scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition based on the level of urgency.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method comprising:

detecting a fault condition in a refrigeration system;

determining a maintenance cost to correct the fault condition;

determining a monetary value associated with continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition, the monetary value including an energy cost associated with an increase in energy consumption due to continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition and a product cost associated with a product loss and a sales loss due to continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition;

comparing the maintenance cost to the monetary value;

determining a level of urgency for correcting the fault condition based on the comparison; and

scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition based on the level of urgency.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, the method further comprising performing the maintenance when the monetary value exceeds the maintenance cost.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein scheduling the maintenance to correct the fault condition based on the level of urgency includes listing the maintenance with at least one additional maintenance request.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, the method further comprising bundling the maintenance with the at least one additional maintenance request based on the level of urgency.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, the method further comprising completing the bundled maintenance during a single service call.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method comprising:

detecting a fault condition in a refrigeration system;

determining an energy cost associated with continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition;

determining a product cost associated with continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition;

determining a maintenance cost to correct the fault condition; and

determining a time in which to correct the fault condition based on the energy cost, the product cost, and the maintenance cost;

wherein determining the time in which to correct the fault condition based on the energy cost, the product cost, and the maintenance cost includes subtracting the product cost from the maintenance cost and one of;

scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition when a result of subtracting the product cost from the maintenance cost is less than or equal to zero; and

delaying maintenance to correct the fault condition when the result of subtracting the product cost from the maintenance cost is greater than zero.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein determining the product cost associated with continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition includes determining a cost of product lost due to the fault condition and a cost of sales lost due to the fault condition.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein determining the maintenance cost to correct the fault condition includes determining a labor cost, a parts cost, and a travel cost associated with correcting the fault condition.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, the method further comprising dividing a difference between the maintenance cost and the product cost by the energy cost, comparing a time value resulting from the division with a predetermined time value, and one of:

scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition when the time value is less than the predetermined time value; and

delaying maintenance to correct the fault condition when the time value is greater than the predetermined time value, the time value indicating a time in which to complete the maintenance.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein detecting the fault condition in the refrigeration system includes receiving operating conditions of the refrigeration system from a control system associated with the refrigeration system.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method comprising:

receiving data associated with monitoring operating conditions of a refrigeration system;

detecting a fault condition in the refrigeration system based on the received data;

determining an energy cost associated with an increase in energy consumption due to continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition;

determining a product cost associated with the fault condition, the product cost including a monetary value of product lost and of sales lost due to continued operation of the refrigeration system with the fault condition;

determining a maintenance cost to correct the fault condition; and

determining a time in which to correct the fault condition based on the energy cost, the product cost, and the maintenance cost.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining the maintenance cost includes determining a labor cost, a parts cost, and a travel cost associated with correcting the fault condition.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining the time in which to correct the fault condition includes subtracting the product cost from the maintenance cost and one of:

scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition when a result of the subtraction is less than or equal to zero; and

delaying maintenance to correct the fault condition when the result of the subtraction is greater than zero.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the method further comprising dividing a difference between the maintenance cost and the product cost by the energy cost, comparing a time value resulting from the division with a predetermined time value, and one of:

scheduling maintenance to correct the fault condition when the time value is less than the predetermined time value; and

delaying maintenance to correct the fault condition when the time value is greater than the predetermined time value, said time value indicating a time in which to complete the maintenance.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein receiving data associated with monitoring operating conditions of the refrigeration system includes receiving the data from a control system associated with the refrigeration system.