Optimized maintenance schedules based on smart city maintenance profiles

• US 8,494,889 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Conrad James, Lavery, Andrew Jason, Pavlovsky, James Michael, Ullmann, Lorin Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US13/159,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.12
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

An approach is provided in which a maintenance optimizer receives a policy change threshold that corresponds to a system. The maintenance optimizer monitors real-time condition data associated with the system, and determines whether the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold. If the real-time condition data has not reached the policy change threshold, the maintenance optimizer generates a maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to a maintenance schedule policy. However, if the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold, the maintenance optimizer generates an alternate maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to an alternate maintenance schedule policy.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring real-time condition data by a processor, the real-time condition data including environmental data that corresponds to an ambient environmental condition of a system;

receiving a policy change threshold at the processor, the policy change threshold corresponding to the ambient environmental condition of the system;

determining, by the processor, whether the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold;

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has not reached the policy change threshold, generating, by the processor, a maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to a maintenance schedule policy, the maintenance schedule policy corresponding to a first carbon generation rate produced by the system; and

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold, generating, by the processor, an alternate maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to an alternate maintenance schedule policy, wherein the alternative maintenance schedule policy corresponds to a second carbon generation rate produced by the system that increases an overall time for the system to reach a maximum carbon footprint threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the policy change threshold corresponds to a carbon footprint threshold, and wherein:

the system produces a carbon footprint at the first carbon generation rate in response to servicing the system according to the maintenance schedule policy; and

the system produces the carbon footprint at the second carbon generation rate in response to servicing the system according to the alternate maintenance schedule policy, wherein the second carbon generation rate is less than the first carbon generation rate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the alternative maintenance schedule policy, when compared to the maintenance schedule policy, shortens a component change interval of a component.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the system is a transportation vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a truck, a train, and an aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the real-time condition data includes component data and cost data, the component data indicating a condition of a component included in the system and the cost data indicating a current cost of the component utilized in the system.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

analyzing current operational costs corresponding to the system;

identifying potential operational costs corresponding to replacing the component;

computing an operational cost difference based upon the current operational costs and the potential operational costs;

identifying a replacement cost to replace the component, the current cost of the component included in the replacement cost; and

replacing the component in response to determining that the replacement cost is less than the operational cost difference.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the maintenance schedule at the system from a remote maintenance manager; and

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold;

requesting, by the system, the alternate maintenance schedule policy from the remote maintenance manager; and

receiving, from the remote maintenance manager, the alternate maintenance schedule policy at the system.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

terminating operation of the system in response to determining that the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;

a set of computer program instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

monitoring real-time condition data by a processor, the real-time condition data including environmental data that corresponds to an ambient environmental condition of a system;

receiving a policy change threshold at the processor, the policy change threshold corresponding to the ambient environmental condition of the system;

determining, by the processor, whether the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold;

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has not reached the policy change threshold, generating, by the processor, a maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to a maintenance schedule policy, the maintenance schedule policy corresponding to a first carbon generation rate produced by the system; and

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold, generating, by the processor, an alternate maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to an alternate maintenance schedule policy, wherein the alternative maintenance schedule policy corresponds to a second carbon generation rate produced by the system that increases an overall time for the system to reach a maximum carbon footprint threshold.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the policy change threshold corresponds to a carbon footprint threshold, and wherein:

the system produces a carbon footprint at the first carbon generation rate in response to servicing the system according to the maintenance schedule policy; and

the system produces the carbon footprint at the second carbon generation rate in response to servicing the system according to the alternate maintenance schedule policy, wherein the second carbon generation rate is less than the first carbon generation rate.

11. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein:

the alternative maintenance schedule policy, when compared to the maintenance schedule policy, shortens a component change interval of a component; and

the system is a transportation vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a truck, a train, and an aircraft.

12. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the real-time condition data includes component data and cost data, the component data indicating a condition of a component included in the system and the cost data indicating a current cost of the component utilized in the system.

13. The information handling system of claim 12 and wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:

analyzing current operational costs corresponding to the system;

identifying potential operational costs corresponding to replacing the component;

computing an operational cost difference based upon the current operational costs and the potential operational costs;

identifying a replacement cost to replace the component, the current cost of the component included in the replacement cost; and

replacing the component in response to determining that the replacement cost is less than the operational cost difference.

14. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium, comprising computer program code that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising:

monitoring real-time condition data by a processor, the real-time condition data including environmental data that corresponds to an ambient environmental condition of a system;

receiving a policy change threshold at the processor, the policy change threshold corresponding to the ambient environmental condition of the system;

determining, by the processor, whether the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold;

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has not reached the policy change threshold, generating, by the processor, a maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to a maintenance schedule policy, the maintenance schedule policy corresponding to a first carbon generation rate produced by the system; and

in response to determining that the real-time condition data has reached the policy change threshold, generating, by the processor, an alternate maintenance operation notification based upon the real-time condition data according to an alternate maintenance schedule policy, wherein the alternative maintenance schedule policy corresponds to a second carbon generation rate produced by the system that increases an overall time for the system to reach a maximum carbon footprint threshold.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the policy change threshold corresponds to a carbon footprint threshold, and wherein:

the system produces a carbon footprint at the first carbon generation rate in response to servicing the system according to the maintenance schedule policy; and

the system produces the carbon footprint at the second carbon generation rate in response to servicing the system according to the alternate maintenance schedule policy, wherein the second carbon generation rate is less than the first carbon generation rate.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein:

the alternative maintenance schedule policy, when compared to the maintenance schedule policy, shortens a component change interval of a component; and

the system is a transportation vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a truck, a train, and an aircraft.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the real-time condition data includes component data and cost data, the component data indicating a condition of a component included in the system and the cost data indicating a current cost of the component utilized in the system, and wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:

analyzing current operational costs corresponding to the system;

identifying potential operational costs corresponding to replacing the component;

computing an operational cost difference based upon the current operational costs and the potential operational costs;

identifying a replacement cost to replace the component, the current cost of the component included in the replacement cost; and

replacing the component in response to determining that the replacement cost is less than the operational cost difference.