Method and system to schedule repairs for vehicles

• US 9,355,549 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: McClintic, Shawn Arthur, Roddy, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Melton, Todd
• Application Number:
  US14/032,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20140088866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 701/467
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods of the invention relate to identifying a repair facility for a vehicle and scheduling a repair for the vehicle while minimizing a downtime of the vehicle. Embodiments of the invention include receiving a route of a vehicle and a repair via a request for a repair. Based on the request for a repair, an evaluation component can identify a repair facility that can handle or perform the repair defined as well as be within proximity of the vehicle. A repair component can assign a repair facility to the vehicle based on a capability of performing or handling the repair, a geographic distance from the vehicle, or an inventory of parts for the repair.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, with a first component, a geographic location of a vehicle and a route of the vehicle responsive to a request for a repair to perform on the vehicle, wherein the request is electronically communicated to the first component;

identifying, with a second component, a set of repair facilities capable of performing the repair on the vehicle based at least on respective distances of facilities from the set of repair facilities to the geographic location of the vehicle relative to a distance threshold;

scheduling the repair on the vehicle with a selected repair facility from the set of repair facilities based at least in part of the route of the vehicle; and

notifying at least one of the vehicle of an amended route that includes a route to the selected repair facility based on a scheduled repair, or the selected repair facility with an identification of the vehicle and the repair to be performed at the selected repair facility.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the selected repair facility based on at least one of a financial cost of the repair or an availability at the selected repair facility of a part associated with the repair.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the repair based at least in part on the route of the vehicle comprises selecting the selected repair facility based on a cargo load of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting the selected repair facility based on an additional geographic location of the vehicle after a drop-off of the cargo load, and an additional route for the vehicle to the selected repair facility after the drop-off of the cargo load.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting the selected repair facility based on an additional geographic location of the vehicle before a pick-up of the cargo load and an additional route for the vehicle to the selected repair facility before the pick-up of the cargo load.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying a period available for the selected repair facility to perform the repair on the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting the selected repair facility based on the vehicle not transporting the cargo load during the period.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling one or more maintenance procedures for the vehicle while the vehicle is in the repair facility, and thereby to reduce a future downtime of the vehicle to perform an additional maintenance procedure.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising mitigating a downtime for the vehicle by selecting the selected repair facility along the route of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling a repair appointment with the selected repair facility based at least in part on appointment availability.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating information including at least one of the vehicle identification, the at least one identified repair facility, a nature of the repair, an estimated time of repair, a part associated with the repair, or a cost of the repair to at least one of an owner of the vehicle, the selected repair facility, or a driver of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

predicting a repair to schedule for the vehicle based on at least one of a duration of time the vehicle is used or a distance traveled for the vehicle; and

utilizing the predicted repair as the request for repair to perform on the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

predicting a repair schedule for the vehicle based on a repair history of the vehicle; and

utilizing the predicted repair schedule as the request for repair to perform on the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the repair history is ascertained based on a Maintenance Management System associated with a Car Repair Billing database.

15. A system comprising:

a first component configured to identify a geographic location of a vehicle and a set of waypoint locations on a route of the vehicle responsive to a repair request; and

a second component configured to select a repair facility to perform a repair identified in the repair request, wherein the selection of the repair facility is based at least in part on a geographic proximity of the repair facility to the geographic location of the vehicle or a waypoint location from the set of waypoint locations on the route of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of waypoint locations include at least one of a location for a pick-up of a cargo, a location for a drop-off of the cargo, a distribution center, a fueling location, a transport center, a railway yard, a depot, or a vehicle station.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a third component configured to schedule an appointment at the repair facility to perform the repair identified in the repair request.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second component is configured to select the repair facility based on the geographic proximity of the repair facility to a geographic proximity of the vehicle at a time when the vehicle is not transporting a cargo.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a fourth component configured to predict a repair for the vehicle based on at least one of a duration of time the vehicle is used or a distance the vehicle is traveled; and

wherein the second component is configured to select the repair facility to perform the repair identified by the predicted repair for the vehicle.

20. A system, comprising:

means for identifying a geographic location of a vehicle and a route of the vehicle responsive to a request for a repair to perform on the vehicle;

means for identifying a set of repair facilities capable of performing the repair on the vehicle based at least on respective distances of facilities from the set of repair facilities to the vehicle relative to a distance threshold;

means for scheduling the repair on the vehicle with a selected repair facility from the set of repair facilities based at least in part of the route of the vehicle; and

means for indicating at least one of;

an amended route to the vehicle, wherein the amended route includes a route to the selected repair facility;

or

an identification of the vehicle and the repair to be performed to the selected repair facility.