Maintenance systems and methods for use in analyzing maintenance data

• US 8,825,276 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Lake, Peter James, Kinney, Davis Scott, Kao, Anne, Poteet, Stephen R., Runo, Steven C., McCullough, Jay Kevin, Chapman, Steven D., Augustine, David Charles, Sikora, Yun-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): MELTON, TODD M
• Application Number:
  US13/242,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.6
• US Class Current: 701/31.6
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0229 knowledge based, e.g. expert systems; genetic algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0248 Causal models, e.g. fault tree; digraphs; qualitative physics
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0275 Fault isolation and identification, e.g. classify fault; estimate cause or root of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0278 Qualitative, e.g. if-then rules; Fuzzy logic; Lookup tables; Symptomatic search; FMEA
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0281 Quantitative, e.g. mathematical distance; Clustering; Neural networks; Statistical analysis
• 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: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

Methods and maintenance systems for use in analyzing data related to maintenance of at least one vehicle are disclosed. One example method includes receiving at least one fault message, receiving a maintenance event log for a vehicle. The maintenance event log including at least one maintenance event associated with the at least one fault message. The example method further includes automatically identifying a corrective action within a most recent maintenance event of the at least one maintenance event and storing a diagnostic entry including the at least one fault message and the identified corrective action, such that the diagnostic entry is retrievable from the computing device to evaluate a subsequent like fault message.

Claims

1. A method for use in analyzing data related to maintenance of at least one vehicle, said method being implemented by a computing device, said method comprising:

receiving at least one fault message transmitted from the at least one vehicle;

receiving a maintenance event log for a vehicle, the maintenance event log including at least one maintenance event;

automatically identifying, by the computing device, a most recent corrective action for the at least one maintenance event including inferring, in response to the at least one vehicle ceasing transmission of the at least one fault message, that the most recent corrective action caused cessation of the fault message; and

storing, within the computing device, a diagnostic entry including the at least one fault message and the identified corrective action, such that the diagnostic entry is retrievable from the computing device to evaluate a subsequent like fault message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the corrective action includes searching a most recent maintenance event from about the last word toward the first word to identify a most recent corrective action within a maintenance entry.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the corrective action includes searching the most recent maintenance event for individual corrective actions according to a sequential hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the corrective action includes searching a most recent maintenance event for individual corrective actions according to a sequential hierarchy.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one part number included in a most recent maintenance event and associated with the identified corrective action.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing the diagnostic entry includes storing the diagnostic entry including the at least one part number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a confidence level to the diagnostic entry based on like corrective actions included in maintenance events associated with like fault messages.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the diagnostic entry for presentation to a user at a display device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating the at least one fault message for the vehicle to the maintenance event log for the vehicle.

10. A maintenance system for use in analyzing data related to maintenance of at least one vehicle, said maintenance system comprising:

a memory device configured to store at least one fault message transmitted by at least one vehicle and a maintenance event log, the maintenance event log including a plurality of maintenance events; and

a processor coupled to said memory device, said processor configured to;

identify a most recent corrective action for the plurality of maintenance events corresponding to the at least one fault message, including inferring, in response to the at least one vehicle ceasing transmission of the at least one fault message, that the most recent corrective action caused cessation of the fault message; and

storing a diagnostic entry in said memory, such that the diagnostic entry is retrievable from the computing device to evaluate a subsequent like fault message, the diagnostic entry including the at least one fault message and the identified corrective action.

11. The maintenance system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to search a most recent maintenance event according to a sequential hierarchy.

12. The maintenance system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to identify at least one part number included in a most recent maintenance event and associated with the corrective action.

13. The maintenance system of claim 12, wherein the stored diagnostic entry includes the at least one part number.

14. The maintenance system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to revise the stored diagnostic entry in response to a maintenance event appended to the maintenance event log.

15. The maintenance system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to assign a confidence level to the diagnostic entry based on like corrective actions included in maintenance events associated with like fault messages.

16. The maintenance system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve the diagnostic entry from said memory and provide the diagnostic entry for presentation to a user, when a subsequent like fault message is input by a user.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

receive at least one fault message transmitted from at least one vehicle;

retrieve a maintenance event of a maintenance event log including a plurality of maintenance events;

identify a most recent corrective action for the plurality of maintenance events, including inferring, in response to the at least one vehicle ceasing transmission of the at least one fault message, that the most recent corrective action caused cessation of the fault message; and

store a diagnostic entry including the at least one fault message and the identified corrective action, such that the diagnostic entry is retrievable to evaluate a subsequent like fault message.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to search a most recent maintenance event from the about last word toward the first word for individual corrective actions according to a sequential hierarchy to identify the corrective action.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to identify at least one part number included in a most recent maintenance event and associated with the corrective action, the stored diagnostic entry including the at least one part number.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein when executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to assign a confidence level to the diagnostic entry based on like corrective actions included in maintenance events associated with like fault messages.