System for construction machine maintenance based on predicted service life

• US 8,533,018 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Miwa, Hirobumi, Taninaga, Tadashi, Hori, Koutarou, Ichikawa, Ichio
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US11/992,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.13, 705/7.22, 705/305
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/20 Drives; Control devices gearings in general F16H; controlling in general G05; electric multi-motor drives H02K, H02P
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

To predict the service life of a construction machine more accurately, and to make it possible to draw up an appropriate overhaul implementation plan at an early stage.

A first service life prediction unit 311 predicts the service lives of main components such as an engine and the like, based upon their actual wear states. And a second service life prediction unit 312 predicts the service lives of the same components, based upon their cumulative load amounts. An order setting unit 320 selects the ones of these two predicted service lives which are the shorter, and sets a priority order for overhaul in order of shortness of predicted service life. An overhaul schedule table generation unit 330 creates a schedule table D1 based upon this priority order. The contents of this schedule table D1 are decided upon by a judgment unit 340, and, if necessary, are corrected by a correction unit 341. And a plan creation unit 350 creates an overhaul implementation plan document D2 and the like, based upon the corrected schedule table D1a. The result of the overhaul task and the present states of components are tested, and these test results are reflected by the service life prediction units 311 and 312.

Claims

1. A construction machine maintenance work management system which manages, between a plurality of construction machines, maintenance tasks for exchanging components installed to the construction machines, comprising:

said construction machines, and said components including at least one of a transmission, a hydraulic pump, and a metal part of an engine;

a first service life prediction unit which predicts first service lives of said components, based upon changes of first parameters in which wear states of said components are reflected over time and according to a compensation coefficient based upon test data for a previous component of said components;

a second service life prediction unit which predicts second service lives of said components, based upon second parameters in which cumulative load amounts of said components are reflected over time and lifetime cumulative load amounts which are set in advance;

an order setting unit which selects, as service lives of said components, the ones which are the shorter among said first predicted service lives and said second predicted service lives, and which sets an order for the maintenance tasks between said plurality of construction machines so that maintenance is performed upon each of said components which said plurality of construction machines possess, in an order beginning from that construction machine which has the one of said components whose life is the shortest among said selected lives; and

a maintenance schedule generation unit which generates a maintenance schedule for said components, based upon said order which has been set.

2. The construction machine maintenance work management system according to claim 1, further comprising a maintenance schedule generation unit which generates a maintenance schedule for said plurality of construction machines, based upon said order which has been set.

3. The construction machine maintenance work management system according to claim 2, comprising a correction unit which corrects said maintenance schedule by acquiring, from a data management unit, states of components required for maintenance tasks for said plurality of construction machines, a state of a workforce, and of times required for tasks.

4. The construction machine maintenance work management system according to claim 2, further comprising a plan creation unit which, when it is decided based upon states of components required for maintenance tasks for said plurality of construction machines, upon a state of a workforce, and upon a state of time periods for tasks, stored in a data management unit, that there is no stock of some component required for some maintenance task:

changes operational conditions of said construction machine which requires said component to operational conditions in which the load thereupon becomes lighter;

reviews its first service life and its second service life based upon these changed operational conditions; and

creates a task plan for the maintenance tasks, based upon said first service life and said second service life which have been reviewed.

5. The construction machine maintenance work management system according to claim 1, wherein:

said first service life prediction unit predicts said first service life by compensating a first basic service life which has been obtained from said first parameter, according to said compensation coefficient; and

said second service life prediction unit predicts said second service life by compensating a second basic service life which has been obtained from said second parameter according to said compensation coefficient.

6. The construction machine maintenance work management system according to claim 1, wherein:

(1) said first service life prediction unit;

(1-1) for a construction machine, among said plurality of construction machines, which is equipped with a state detection device which detects a state of said construction machine, predicts said first service life by acquiring said first parameter from data transmitted from said state detection device; and

(1-2) for a construction machine, among said plurality of construction machines, which is not equipped with such a state detection device, predicts said first service life by acquiring said first parameter from servicing history data which has been accumulated by a data management unit; and

(2) said second service life prediction unit;

(2-1) for a construction machine which is equipped with such a state detection device, predicts said second service life by acquiring said second parameter from data transmitted from said state detection device; and

(2-2) for a construction machine which is not equipped with such a state detection device, predicts said second service life by acquiring said second parameter from said servicing history data.

7. A construction machine maintenance work management system for managing maintenance tasks for exchanging components of a plurality of construction machines, characterized by comprising:

said construction machines, and said components including at least one of a transmission, a hydraulic pump, and a metal part of an engine;

a management center which is capable of communicating via a communication network with each of said plurality of construction machines, directly or indirectly;

a computer terminal for maintenance, which is provided in a maintenance facility for performing maintenance tasks for each of said plurality of construction machines, and which is connected to said management center via said communication network so as to be capable of communicating therewith;

a computer terminal for analysis, which is provided in an analysis facility for performing analysis of a state of each of said plurality of construction machines, and which is connected to said management center via said communication network so as to be capable of communicating therewith; and

a state detection device which detects the state of at least one construction machine among said plurality of construction machines, and transmits said state to said management center;

and wherein said management center comprises;

a first data management unit for acquiring and storing data related to the states of each of said plurality of construction machines from said computer terminal for maintenance, said computer terminal for analysis, and said state detection device;

a second data management unit for storing states of components required for the maintenance tasks for said plurality of construction machines, a state of a workforce, and a state of time periods for tasks;

a first service life prediction unit which predicts first service lives of said components, based upon first parameters in which wear states of said components are reflected over time and according to a compensation coefficient based upon test data for a previous component of said components;

a second service life prediction unit which predicts second service lives of said components, based upon second parameters in which cumulative load amounts of said components are reflected over time and lifetime cumulative load amounts which are set in advance;

an order setting unit which selects, as service lives of said components, the ones which are the shorter among said first predicted service lives and said second predicted service lives, and which sets an order for the maintenance tasks between said plurality of construction machines so that maintenance is performed upon each of said components which said plurality of construction machines possess, in an order beginning from that construction machine which has the one of said components whose life is the shortest among said selected lives;

a maintenance schedule generation unit which generates a maintenance schedule for said components, based upon said order which has been set;

and a correction unit which corrects said maintenance schedule by acquiring, from said second data management unit, the states of said components required for said maintenance tasks, the state of the workforce, and the state of times required for the tasks;

and wherein;

said first service life prediction unit, for a construction machine among said plurality of construction machines which is equipped with said state detection device, predicts said first service life by acquiring said first parameter from data transmitted from said state detection device; and

, for a construction machine among said plurality of construction machines which is not equipped with said state detection device, predicts said first service life by acquiring said first parameter from servicing history data which has been accumulated by said first data management unit;

said second service life prediction unit, for a construction machine which is equipped with said state detection device, predicts said second service life by acquiring said second parameter from data transmitted from said state detection device; and

, for a construction machine which is not equipped with said state detection device, predicts said second service life by acquiring said second parameter from said servicing history data.

8. A construction machine maintenance work management system which manages, between a plurality of construction machines, maintenance tasks for exchanging components installed to the construction working machines, comprising:

said construction machines, and said components including at least one of a transmission, a hydraulic pump, and a metal part of an engine;

a first service life prediction unit which predicts first service lives of said components, based upon changes of first parameters in which wear states of said components are reflected over time and according to a compensation coefficient derived from test data for a previous component of said components;

a second service life prediction unit which predicts second service lives of said components, based upon second parameters in which cumulative load amounts of said components are reflected and lifetime cumulative load amounts which are set in advance;

an order setting unit which selects, as service lives of said components, the ones which are the shorter among said first predicted service lives and said second predicted service lives, and which sets an order for the maintenance tasks between said plurality of construction machines so that maintenance is performed upon each of said components which said plurality of construction machines possess, in an order beginning from that construction machine which has the one of said components whose life is the shortest among said selected lives, wherein among said first predicted service lives and said second predicted service lives, the shorter ones are selected as lives of said components; and

a maintenance schedule generation unit which generates a maintenance schedule for said plurality of construction machines, based upon said order which

has been set.