Flexible maintenance planning

• US 20040138938A1
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kruppel-Berndt, Sven, Thomas, Moritz, Quintus, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

In one aspect, there is a system with a planning engine. The planning engine is configured to receive a packaging type maintenance demand including a valid date range, to determine an maintenance item associated with the packaging type maintenance demand, to determine one or more assigned slots associated with the maintenance item, each slot including a respective date range, to select one slot from the determined one or more assigned slots, the selected one slot having a respective date range that is compatible with the valid date range, and to combine a first set of maintenance tasks associated with the packaging type maintenance demand with a second set of maintenance tasks associated with the selected one slot.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving maintenance demands associated with maintenance items;

receiving historical maintenance data associated with the maintenance items;

generating a model including locations and resources;

generating a plan based on the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data, and the model; and

generating work packages based on the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data and at least a portion of the plan.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the maintenance demands and the historical maintenance data from a requirements manager to a planning manager; and

transmitting the at least a portion of the plan to the requirements manager.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a user interface to enable a user to view at least a portion of the plan.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a user interface to enable a user to view at least a portion of the model.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the model by changing at least one of the at least a portion of the maintenance items, resources and locations.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising generating a user interface to enable a user to modify the model.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the plan by changing at least one of the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data, and the model.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the plan by changing at least one of a start date and an end date.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a user interface to enable a user to modify the plan.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising revising one or more of the work packages based on a modification to the plan.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an operating schedule of each maintenance item, the operating schedule including geographical locations.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of maintenance items comprise aircraft.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the locations comprise aircraft bays.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the resources comprise avionics personnel, painters, and mechanics.

15. A system comprising:

a requirements manager comprising,

a maintenance requirements repository having a plurality of respective maintenance demands for a plurality of maintenance items,

a maintenance history repository having a plurality of respective historical maintenance data for the plurality of maintenance items, and

a work package generator configured to generate work packages associated with the plurality of maintenance items based on the maintenance demands and the historical maintenance data; and

a planning manager in communication with the requirements manager, the planning manager comprising,

a model generator configured to generate a model including at least a portion of the maintenance items, resources and locations, and

a planning engine configured to receive the maintenance demands and the historical maintenance data, to generate a plan based on the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data, and the model, and to transmit at least a portion of the plan to the work package generator.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the planning manager further comprises a user interface configured to enable a user to modify parameters associated with the model.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the parameters are associated with one or more maintenance items, resources, locations, and utilization.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the planning manager further comprises a user interface configured to enable a user to modify parameters associated with the planning engine.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the parameters are associated with a start date of the plan and an end of the plan.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the planning engine further comprises a revisions generator configured to format the portion of the plan into revisions to work packages.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the requirements manager further comprises an operations manager configured to determine an operating schedule of each maintenance item, the operating schedule including geographical locations.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the plurality of maintenance items comprise aircraft.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the locations comprise aircraft bays.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein the resources comprise avionics personnel, painters, and mechanics.

25. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

receiving maintenance demands associated with maintenance items;

receiving historical maintenance data associated with the maintenance items;

generating a model including locations and resources;

generating a plan based on the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data, and the model; and

generating work packages based on the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data and at least a portion of the plan.

26. The article of claim 25 further comprising instructions operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

transmitting the maintenance demands and the historical maintenance data from a requirements manager to a planning manager; and

transmitting the at least a portion of the plan to the requirements manager.