Component tagging with maintenance related information including maintenance procedures

• US 7,047,159 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Muehl, Gordon, Irle, Klaus, Kienle, Walter G., Heusermann, Knut
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick J.
• Application Number:
  US10/210,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20040024501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 702/184, 702/183, 702/185, 702/187, 340/438, 340/439, 235/375, 235/385, 701/29, 701/30
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method for maintaining a complex article, including retrieving maintenance information relating to maintenance of a component of a complex article from an electronically-accessible tag coupled to the component and applying the retrieved maintenance information to a determination regarding maintenance of the complex article. A device including a complex article including a first component and a second component, the first and second components being one of individually replaceable and maintainable. The first component is tagged with a first tag that stores first computer accessible information including a first identifier identifying the first component and first maintenance information describing maintenance of the first component. The second component is tagged with a second tag that stores second computer accessible information including a second identifier identifying the second component and second maintenance information describing maintenance of the second component.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a complex article, comprising:

retrieving first maintenance information relating to maintenance of a first component of the complex article from a first electronically-accessible tag coupled to the first component;

retrieving second maintenance information relating to maintenance of a second component of the complex article from a second electronically-accessible tag coupled to the second component; and

determining, based on the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information, one or more maintenance procedures to perform on the first component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second component is a subcomponent of the first component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a component identifier identifying the first component from the first electronically-accessible tag.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

associating the first component with the complex article; and

determining a location of the first component based on the location of the complex article.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

relaying location information about the location of the first component to a database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information comprises a maintenance record describing a maintenance procedure performed on the first component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information comprises a maintenance instruction describing how to perform a maintenance procedure on the first component.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining when to maintain the first component based on the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a maintenance procedure to maintain the first component based on the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first maintenance information relating to the maintenance of the first component on the first electronically-accessible tag.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first maintenance information comprises closed maintenance information in a closed format.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first maintenance information comprises a date of a maintenance procedure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first maintenance information comprises operation information relating to an operation of the first component.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the operation information comprises service information relating to a time of operation of the first component.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information, whether to repair or replace the first component.

15. A method for maintaining a complex article, comprising:

retrieving maintenance information relating to maintenance of a first component of a complex article from a first electronically-accessible tag coupled to the first component, the complex article comprising two or more components, where each of the two or more components comprise an electronically accessible tag;

retrieving hierarchy information that describes a hierarchy of the two or more of components;

prioritizing maintenance of the complex article based on the hierarchy information; and

determining, based on the maintenance information, one or more maintenance procedures to perform on the first component.

17. A device comprising:

a complex article comprising a first component and a second component the first and second components being at least one of individually replaceable or maintainable,

the first component being tagged with a first tag, the first tag storing first computer-accessible information comprising a first identifier identifying the first component and first maintenance information describing maintenance of the first component,

the second component being tagged with a second tag, the second tag storing second computer-accessible information comprising a second identifier identifying the second component and second maintenance information describing maintenance of the second component.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the first component comprises the second component.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the first tag stores first maintenance information in a closed standard.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the first computer-accessible information comprises operation information describing an operational history of the first component.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the operation information describes a characteristic of the operation of the first component.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein:

the complex article comprises a sensor to determine a trait of the complex article; and

the operation information describes the trait.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the trait comprises a trait of the first component.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein the first maintenance information comprises a historical record of maintenance procedures performed on the first component.

25. The device of claim 17, wherein the first maintenance information comprises technical information regarding the maintenance of the first component.

26. The device of claim 17, wherein the first tag comprises a radio-frequency receiver to receive a radio signal from an interrogator.

27. The device of claim 17, wherein the first computer-accessible information comprises relationship information that identifies a relationship of the first component to the second component.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the relationship information identifies a hierarchical relationship of the first component with the second component.

29. The device of claim 17, wherein the complex article comprises a motor vehicle.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the motor vehicle comprises an airplane.

31. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for maintaining a complex article, the computer program product being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive first maintenance information relating to maintenance of a first component of the complex article from a first electronically-accessible tag coupled to the first component;

receive second maintenance information relating to maintenance of a second component of the complex article from a second electronically-accessible tag coupled to the second component; and

determine a maintenance schedule for the complex article based on the first maintenance information or the second maintenance information.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

write maintenance information relating to maintenance of the first component to the first tag.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

write maintenance information relating to maintenance of the first component in a closed standard.

34. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

write a date to the first electronically-accessible tag after a maintenance procedure has been performed on the complex article.

35. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive operation information relating to operation of the first component from the first electronically-accessible tag.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive a service time of the first component from the first electronically-accessible tag.

37. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive technical information related to a technical characteristic of one of the first component and the complex article.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive technical information related to a maintenance procedure of the first component of the second component.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the computer program product is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive an identifier that identifies the first component from the first electronically-accessible tag.

40. A method for maintaining a complex article, comprising:

retrieving a first set of maintenance instructions describing how to perform steps of a first maintenance procedure on a first component of a complex article, the first component being one of a collection of components of the complex article, the set of maintenance instructions being retrieved from a first electronically-accessible tag coupled to the first component;

performing the first maintenance procedure on the first component by following the first set of maintenance instructions;

retrieving a second set of maintenance instructions describing how to perform steps of a second maintenance procedure on a second component of a complex article, the second component being one of the collection of components of the complex article, the set of maintenance instructions being retrieved from a second electronically-accessible tag coupled to the second component; and

performing the second maintenance procedure on the second component by following the second set of maintenance instructions.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the first component comprises an individually replaceable component.