Maintenance support device and maintenance support method

Abstract

To present, even if there is no worker who has a maintenance experience for a maintenance object apparatus, a worker who has a high possibility to carry out the maintenance on the maintenance object apparatus.SOLUTION: A maintenance work assisting device possesses classification information representing respective classifications of plural apparatuses, and actual record information representing an apparatus for which each worker has a maintenance experience, receives a designation for the maintenance object apparatus included in the plural apparatuses, identifies, among the plural apparatuses, an apparatus that has a higher similarity level to the maintenance object apparatus on the basis of comparison results of the classifications represented by the classification information than a threshold, identifies, from the actual record information, the worker who has a maintenance experience for the identified apparatus, and displays information representing the identified worker.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a security operation support device and a security operation support method.

Background Art

[0002] As the background art in this technical field, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-148882 (Patent Document 1). This publication states that "the in-service biological information collection unit obtains in-service biological information by collecting biological information at each time of work. The work history storage unit stores a work ID, a work type ID, and a worker ID. The biological information storage unit stores in-service biological information and a work ID. The input unit receives a work type ID for work to be performed in the future. The business suitability degree calculation unit extracts the work type ID received by the input unit and the one associated in the work history storage unit, extracts the in-service biological information for each of the extracted work IDs, and for each of the extracted worker IDs, based on the extracted in-service biological information, calculates the business suitability degree for the work type classified by the work type ID received by the input unit." (See the abstract).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 uses the biological information of a worker measured when the worker has performed work of the same work type in the past to determine the suitability of the worker for the work of that work type. Therefore, if there is no worker who has performed work of a certain work type (for example, maintenance work on a specific device), there is a possibility that a worker highly suitable for the work cannot be presented.

[0005] Therefore, one aspect of the present invention presents a worker who is highly likely to be able to perform maintenance on equipment even when there are no workers with experience in maintaining the equipment to be maintained. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention adopts the following configuration. The maintenance support device includes a processor and a memory, the memory holds classification information indicating the classification of each of a plurality of devices, and performance information indicating the devices on which each worker has maintenance experience, the processor receives a designation of a device to be maintained among the plurality of devices, identifies a device among the plurality of devices whose similarity to the device to be maintained based on the comparison result of the classification indicated by the classification information is higher than a threshold, identifies a worker who has maintenance experience for the identified device from the performance information, and outputs data for displaying information indicating the identified worker. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, even if there are no workers with experience in maintaining the equipment to be maintained, it is possible to identify workers who are highly likely to be able to perform maintenance on the equipment to be maintained.

[0008] Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the maintenance support device in Example 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the installation location table in Example 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the product classification table in Example 1. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the similar equipment table in Example 1. [Figure 5]This figure shows an example of the data structure of the maintenance work performance table in Example 1. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the worker profile table in Example 1. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing an example of the similarity calculation process in Example 1. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing an example of the worker matching process in Example 1. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the screen configuration of the input screen in Example 1. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the screen configuration of the search results display screen in Example 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals in principle, and repeated descriptions will be omitted. It should be noted that this embodiment is merely one example for realizing the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0011] In this embodiment, maintenance refers to activities performed to keep equipment and facilities (hereinafter also simply referred to as "equipment" in this embodiment) in a normal state. Maintenance can be performed at any stage of the equipment's lifecycle (e.g., including design, manufacturing, procurement, installation, commissioning, operation, inspection, servicing, and disposal). Furthermore, maintenance is a concept that includes repairing equipment when an abnormality occurs. [Examples]

[0012] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a maintenance support device. The maintenance support device 100 is composed of a computer having, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, memory 102, auxiliary storage device 103, communication device 104, input device 105, and output device 106.

[0013] The CPU 101 includes a processor and executes programs stored in the memory 102. The memory 102 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a non-volatile memory element, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a volatile memory element. The ROM stores invariant programs (e.g., BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), etc.). The RAM is a high-speed and volatile memory element such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and data used during program execution.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 103 is a large-capacity and non-volatile storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD (Hard Disk Drive)) or a flash memory (SSD (Solid State Drive)), and stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and data used during program execution. That is, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device 103, loaded into the memory 102, and executed by the CPU 101.

[0015] The input device 105 is a device that receives input from an operator, such as a keyboard or a mouse. The output device 106 is a device that outputs the execution result of a program in a form visible to the operator, such as a display device or a printer.

[0016] The communication device 104 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices according to a predetermined protocol. Also, the communication device 104 includes a serial interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc.

[0017] Part or all of the program executed by the CPU 101 may be provided to the maintenance operation support device 100 via a network from a removable medium (such as a CD-ROM or flash memory), which is a non-temporary storage medium, or an external computer having a non-temporary storage device, and stored in the non-volatile auxiliary storage device 103, which is a non-temporary storage medium.

[0018] The maintenance operation support device 100 is a computer system configured on one physical computer or on a plurality of computers configured logically or physically, and may operate in separate threads on the same computer or on a virtual computer built on a plurality of physical computer resources.

[0019] The CPU 101 includes, for example, a similarity calculation unit 111, a matching unit 112, and a screen generation unit 113, all of which are functional units. The similarity calculation unit 111 calculates the similarity between devices. The matching unit 112 matches an operator who performs maintenance work on a specified device. The screen generation unit 113 generates a screen for specifying a device and a screen for displaying information indicating the matched operator.

[0020] For example, the CPU 101 functions as the similarity calculation unit 111 by operating according to the similarity calculation program loaded in the memory 102, and functions as the matching unit 112 by operating according to the matching program loaded in the memory 102. The relationship between the program and the functional unit is the same for other functional units included in the CPU 101.

[0021] Note that part or all of the functions performed by the functional units included in the CPU 101 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0022] The auxiliary storage device 103 holds, for example, an installation location table 121, a product classification table 122, a similar equipment table 123, a maintenance work record table 124, and a worker profile table 125.

[0023] The installation location table 121 holds information about the installation location of the equipment. The product classification table 122 holds information about the classification of the equipment as a product (or commodity). The similar equipment table 123 holds information about similar equipment pairs. The maintenance work performance table 124 holds information about the past maintenance work performance of the workers. The worker profile table 125 holds information about the workers' profiles.

[0024] Furthermore, some or all of the information stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 may be stored in the memory 102, or in a database connected to the maintenance support device 100.

[0025] In this embodiment, the information used by the maintenance support device 100 is not dependent on the data structure and may be represented in any data structure. In this embodiment, the information is represented in a table format, but for example, a data structure appropriately selected from a list, database, or queue can store the information.

[0026] Figure 2 shows an example of the data structure of the installation location table 121. The installation location table 121 includes, for example, a customer name column 1211, an equipment installation location column 1212, a Japan Standard Industrial Classification code column 1213, a Japan Standard Industrial Classification column 1214, an equipment ID column 1215, and an equipment model number column 1216.

[0027] The customer name field 1211 holds information indicating the customer's name. The equipment installation location field 1212 holds information indicating the installation location of the equipment owned by the customer. The Japan Standard Industrial Classification code field 1213 holds the Japan Standard Industrial Classification code corresponding to the installation location. The Japan Standard Industrial Classification field 1214 holds the Japan Standard Industrial Classification corresponding to the Japan Standard Industrial Classification code. Note that the Japan Standard Industrial Classification is just one example of information for classifying the installation location of equipment, and other classification information may be used instead of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification to classify the installation location.

[0028] The Equipment ID field 1215 holds the Equipment ID that identifies the equipment installed by the customer at the said location. The Equipment Model Number field 1216 holds the model number of the equipment installed by the customer at the said location.

[0029] Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure of the product classification table 122. The product classification table 122 stores information about each piece of equipment registered in the installation location table 121. For example, the product classification table 122 holds fields such as Equipment ID 1221, Equipment Model Number 1222, Equipment JAN (Japanese Article Number) Code 1223, Equipment Product Type 1224, and Manufacturer 1225.

[0030] The Device ID field 1221 holds the Device ID. The Device Model Number field 1222 holds the Device Model Number. The Device JAN Code field 1223 holds the JAN code of the device. The Device Product Type field 1224 holds information indicating the product type corresponding to the JAN code of the device. The Manufacturer field 1225 holds information indicating the manufacturer corresponding to the JAN code of the device. Note that the JAN code is just one example of information used to classify a device as a product (or commodity), and other classification information (for example, an EAN (European Article Number) code) may be used instead of the JAN code.

[0031] Figure 4 shows an example of the data structure of the similar equipment table 123. The similar equipment table 123 includes, for example, an equipment pair column 1231, an installation location similarity column 1232, and a product classification similarity column 1233.

[0032] The Equipment Pair column 1231 holds the equipment IDs of each piece of equipment in an equipment pair determined to be similar. The Installation Location Similarity column 1232 holds the Installation Location Similarity, which is the similarity based on the installation location of the equipment pair (in this embodiment, based on the Japan Standard Industrial Classification). The Product Classification Similarity column 1233 holds the Product Classification Similarity, which is the similarity based on the product classification of the equipment pair (in this embodiment, based on the JAN code).

[0033] Figure 5 shows an example of the data structure of the maintenance work performance table 124. The maintenance work performance table 124 is defined, for example, for each worker who performs maintenance work. Figure 5 illustrates an example of the maintenance work performance table 124 corresponding to a worker with worker ID "001".

[0034] The maintenance work performance table 124 includes, for example, a field for industry 1241, a field for installation location 1242, a field for equipment ID 1243, and a field for equipment model number 1244, which are information on the equipment maintained by the worker, as well as a field for maintenance date 1245, a field for post-maintenance operation performance 1246, a field for post-maintenance downtime 1247, a field for post-maintenance downtime 1248, and a field for customer evaluation value 1249, which are information on the maintenance evaluation for the worker.

[0035] The Industry field 1241 holds information indicating the industry of the location where the equipment maintained by the worker is installed. The Installation Location field 1242 holds information indicating the installation location of the equipment maintained by the worker. The Equipment ID field 1243 holds the Equipment ID of the equipment maintained by the worker. The Equipment Model Number field 1244 holds the model number of the equipment maintained by the worker.

[0036] The maintenance date column 1245 holds information indicating the date on which the worker performed maintenance work on the equipment. The post-maintenance operation record column 1246 holds information indicating the operation record of the equipment after the worker performed maintenance work on the equipment. In the example in Figure 5, the post-maintenance operation record column 1246 stores "No abnormalities", "Short stoppage", or "Long stoppage". "No abnormalities" indicates that the equipment did not stop after the maintenance work was performed, "Short stoppage" indicates that the equipment stopped for a short time (a stoppage of less than a specified time (this specified time may differ for each piece of equipment or be the same for all pieces of equipment)) after the maintenance work was performed, but did not stop for a long time (a stoppage exceeding a specified time), and "Long stoppage" indicates that the equipment stopped for a long time (a stoppage exceeding a specified time) after the maintenance work was performed.

[0037] The "Post-Maintenance Downtime Date" column 1247 holds information indicating the date on which the equipment was shut down after the worker performed maintenance work on the equipment. For example, for equipment whose post-maintenance operation record is "no abnormalities," "no downtime" is stored in the "Post-Maintenance Downtime Date" column 1247. For equipment whose post-maintenance operation record is "minor downtime," the date on which the minor downtime occurred is stored in the "Post-Maintenance Downtime Date" column 1247. For equipment whose post-maintenance operation record is "major downtime," the date on which the major downtime occurred is stored in the "Post-Maintenance Downtime Date" column 1247.

[0038] The Post-Maintenance Downtime column 1248 holds information indicating the downtime of the equipment after the worker has performed maintenance work on the equipment. For example, for equipment whose post-maintenance operational record is "no abnormalities," "None" is stored in the Post-Maintenance Downtime column 1248; for equipment whose post-maintenance operational record is "short stoppage," the downtime for that short stoppage is stored in the Post-Maintenance Downtime column 1248; and for equipment whose post-maintenance operational record is "major stoppage," the downtime for that major stoppage is stored in the Post-Maintenance Downtime column 1248.

[0039] The customer evaluation column 1249 holds information indicating the evaluation value from the customer who owns the equipment regarding the maintenance work performed by the worker on that equipment.

[0040] Figure 6 shows an example of the data structure of the worker profile table 125. The worker profile table 125 is defined for each worker, for example. Figure 6 illustrates an example of the worker profile table 125 corresponding to a worker with worker ID "001".

[0041] The worker profile table 125 holds, for example, a name column 1251, a worker ID column 1252, a maintenance work history column 1253, a qualifications column 1254, a skills column 1255, a place of residence column 1256, a service area column 1257, a service day column 1258, and a service time column 1259.

[0042] The Name field 1251 holds information indicating the name of the worker. The Worker ID field 1252 holds the worker ID. The Maintenance Work History field 1253 holds information indicating the period during which the worker has been engaged in maintenance work. The Qualifications field 1254 holds information indicating the qualifications related to maintenance work that the worker possesses. The Skills field 1255 holds information indicating the skills related to maintenance work that the worker possesses.

[0043] The "Place of Residence" field 1256 holds information indicating the worker's place of residence. The "Available Area" field 1257 holds information indicating the area in which the worker can perform maintenance work. The "Available Days" field 1258 holds information indicating the days on which the worker can perform maintenance work. The "Available Hours" field 1259 holds information indicating the time period during which the worker can perform maintenance work.

[0044] The processes performed by the maintenance support device 100 will be explained below using Figures 7 and 8. It is assumed that information has been registered in the installation location table 121 and the product classification table 122 by the time the process in Figure 7 is executed. Furthermore, it is assumed that the process in Figure 7 has been executed (i.e., information has been registered in the similar equipment table 123) and information has been registered in the maintenance work performance table 124 and the worker profile table 125 by the time the process in Figure 8 is executed.

[0045] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the similarity calculation process. The similarity calculation unit 111 determines whether there are any unselected pairs of equipment (equipment IDs) included in the product classification table 122 (S701). If the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that all equipment pairs included in the product classification table 122 have already been selected (S701: NO), it terminates the similarity calculation process. If the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that there are unselected equipment pairs (S701: YES), it selects one unselected equipment pair from the equipment included in the product classification table 122 (S702).

[0046] The similarity calculation unit 111 calculates the installation location similarity of the selected equipment pair (S703). Specifically, for example, the similarity calculation unit 111 obtains the Japan Standard Industrial Classification code corresponding to the selected equipment pair from the installation location table 121, and calculates the installation location similarity based on the comparison result of the classification indicated by the obtained Japan Standard Industrial Classification code.

[0047] The Japan Standard Industrial Classification Code consists of a single letter of the alphabet followed by a four-digit number. The first letter indicates the major industrial classification, the first two digits of the four-digit number indicate the medium industrial classification, the first three digits of the four-digit number indicate the minor industrial classification, and the last four digits indicate the detailed industrial classification.

[0048] The similarity calculation unit 111, for example, compares the Japan Standard Industrial Classification codes of the equipment included in the equipment pair and determines that the installation location similarity of the equipment pair is A if all major, medium, minor, and detailed classifications match; determines that the installation location similarity of the equipment pair is B if the major, medium, and minor classifications match; determines that the installation location similarity of the equipment pair is C if the major and medium classifications match; and determines that there is no installation location similarity of the equipment pair if the installation location similarity does not fall into any of A to C.

[0049] For example, if the same equipment is installed in different locations, there may be multiple Japanese Industrial Classification codes corresponding to that equipment in the installation location table 121. In this case, the similarity calculation unit 111 may, for example, compare all combinations of Japanese Industrial Classification codes for the selected equipment pair, calculate the installation location similarity for all such combinations, and adopt the highest installation location similarity, the lowest installation location similarity, or the most frequent installation location similarity.

[0050] The similarity calculation unit 111 determines whether the installation location similarity of the selected equipment pair is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S704). Specifically, for example, the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that the installation location similarity of the selected equipment pair is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold if the installation location similarity of the selected equipment pair is A, B, or C, and determines that the installation location similarity is less than a predetermined threshold if there is no installation location similarity (i.e., in this example, C is the predetermined threshold).

[0051] If the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that the installation location similarity of the selected equipment pair is less than a predetermined threshold (S704: NO), it returns to step S701. If the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that the installation location similarity of the selected equipment pair is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S704: YES), it calculates the product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair (S705).

[0052] Specifically, for example, the similarity calculation unit 111 retrieves the equipment product type and manufacturer corresponding to the selected equipment pair from the product classification table 122, and calculates the product classification similarity based on the comparison results of the retrieved equipment product types and the comparison results of the retrieved manufacturers.

[0053] The similarity calculation unit 111 calculates, for example, the similarity of the selected pair of devices. Equipment product type If the following match and the manufacturers of the selected pair of devices match, the product classification similarity of the pair of devices is determined to be A. Equipment product typeIf the two items match and the manufacturers of the selected pair of devices do not match, the product classification similarity of the pair of devices is determined to be B. Equipment product type If the two items do not match, and the manufacturers of the selected pair of devices match, the product classification similarity of the pair of devices is determined to be C. If the product classification similarity does not fall under any of A, B, or C, the product classification similarity of the pair of devices is determined to be none.

[0054] The similarity calculation unit 111 determines whether the product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S706). Specifically, for example, the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that the product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold if the product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair is A, B, or C, and determines that the product classification similarity is less than a predetermined threshold if there is no product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair (i.e., in this example, C is the predetermined threshold).

[0055] If the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that the product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair is less than a predetermined threshold (S706: NO), it returns to step S701. If the similarity calculation unit 111 determines that the product classification similarity of the selected equipment pair is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S706: YES), it registers the equipment ID of the selected equipment pair, as well as the installation location similarity and product classification similarity of the equipment pair, in the similar equipment table 123, and returns to step S701.

[0056] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the worker matching process. The matching unit 112 accepts the designation of the equipment ID of the equipment to be maintained by input from the user to the input device 105 via the input screen described later (S801).

[0057] The matching unit 112 determines whether there is a person with maintenance experience for the target equipment specified in step S801 (S802). Specifically, for example, the matching unit 112 determines whether there is a worker whose equipment ID specified in step S801 is included in the maintenance work record table 124. If the matching unit 112 determines that there is a person with maintenance experience for the target equipment (S802: YES), the screen generation unit 113 displays the information of the person with maintenance experience (as a candidate worker to perform maintenance on the target equipment) on the search results display screen described later, and terminates the worker matching process.

[0058] If the matching unit 112 determines that there is no person with maintenance experience for the target equipment (S802: NO), it determines whether there is a person with maintenance experience for equipment whose similarity to the target equipment is above a threshold (S804).

[0059] For example, if the installation location similarity of a pair of devices is X and the product classification similarity is Y, and the similarity of the device pair (i.e., the combined similarity of installation location similarity and product classification similarity) is denoted as "XY", then the similarity of the device pair can be said to decrease in the order of "AA", "AB", "AC", "BA", "BB", "BC", "CA", "CB", and "CC". In this example, "AA" is the highest similarity and "CC" is the lowest similarity. Also, in this example, "AB" is higher than "BA", and so on, in determining the similarity of the device pair based on installation location similarity, but product classification similarity may be given priority over installation location similarity.

[0060] As mentioned above, the installation location similarity is calculated based on a comparison of the classifications indicating the installation locations of the equipment included in the equipment pair, while the product classification similarity is calculated based on a comparison of the product classifications of the equipment included in the equipment pair. In other words, the similarity is calculated based on a comparison of the classifications of the equipment included in the equipment pair.

[0061] In step S804, the matching unit 112 identifies, for example, a pair of equipment containing the equipment ID of the target equipment from the similar equipment table 123, and determines the (overall) similarity of the identified equipment pair based on the similarity of the installation location and the similarity of the product classification of the identified equipment pair. Furthermore, the matching unit 112 identifies the equipment ID of the equipment (similar equipment) that is paired with the target equipment in the equipment pair whose similarity is above a threshold, and determines that the worker whose equipment ID of the identified similar equipment is included in the maintenance work record table 124 is an experienced worker who has maintained equipment whose similarity to the target equipment is above a threshold.

[0062] If the matching unit 112 determines that there are no personnel with maintenance experience for equipment whose similarity to the target equipment is above the threshold (S804: NO), it lowers the threshold level by one step (S805) and returns to step S804. For example, if the threshold is "BB", the matching unit 112 lowers the threshold to "BC" in step S805. The threshold in the initial step S804 (the threshold level that has not been lowered) may be specified by the user via an input screen, as described later, or it may be predetermined.

[0063] If the matching unit 112 determines that there is a person with maintenance experience (similar experience) whose similarity to the target equipment is above a threshold (S805: YES), it determines whether there is a similar experience who has an overall maintenance evaluation above a threshold (S806).

[0064] Specifically, for example, in step S806, the matching unit 112 calculates an overall maintenance evaluation for each of the similar experienced workers based on at least one of the following, as shown in the maintenance work performance table 124 corresponding to the worker ID: customer evaluation value, maintenance date, post-maintenance downtime, post-maintenance operational performance, and post-maintenance downtime.

[0065] Specifically, for example, the matching unit 112 calculates an overall maintenance evaluation for each person with similar experience by adding or subtracting points to the average of the customer evaluation values ​​as follows. For example, a person with similar experience who has had some equipment stoppages but no equipment stoppages in their post-maintenance operational record will receive a "-1" deduction, while a person with similar experience who has had equipment stoppages in their post-maintenance operational record will receive a "-2" deduction. In addition, for example, points will be added on one of six levels from 0 to 5 points depending on the average value of the period from the maintenance date to the post-maintenance shutdown date (0 points if the average value for the period is 0 or more but less than 10, 2 points if it is 10 or more but less than 30, 3 points if it is 30 or more but less than 90, and 4 points if it is 90 or more; the longer the average value for the period, the higher the points added). Furthermore, for example, a "no abnormalities" rating in post-maintenance operational performance will be awarded the highest possible score of 5 points (for example, 5 points may be awarded to a similar experience provider where a certain number or a certain percentage of equipment is "no abnormalities," or 5 points may be awarded to a similar experience provider where all equipment is "no abnormalities").

[0066] In other words, for example, it is desirable that the higher the customer evaluation, the higher the overall maintenance evaluation; that the greater the anomalies that occurred during post-maintenance operation, the lower the overall maintenance evaluation; and that the longer the period from the maintenance date to the post-maintenance shutdown date, the higher the overall maintenance evaluation.

[0067] In the example described above, while all equipment information included in the maintenance work performance table 124 corresponding to each similar experienced person was used to calculate the overall post-maintenance evaluation for each similar experienced person, only the information on similar equipment identified in step S804 may be used.

[0068] If the matching unit 112 determines that there are no similar experienced individuals whose overall maintenance evaluation is above the threshold (S806: NO), it lowers the threshold level by one step (S807) and returns to step S806. In step S807, the matching unit 112 lowers the threshold by a predetermined value (for example, by subtracting 1). The threshold in the initial step S806 may be specified by the user via an input screen, as described later, or it may be predetermined.

[0069] If the matching unit 112 determines that there is a similar experienced worker whose overall maintenance evaluation is above the threshold (S806: YES), it refers to the worker profile table 125 of the relevant person in step S806 to determine whether there is a worker among the relevant person who meets the profile requirements (S808).

[0070] The profile requirements include, for example, the user's place of residence, service area, service days, and service hours as requested by the user of the maintenance support device 100. Furthermore, for example, points may be predetermined based on the length of maintenance experience (higher points for longer experience), points for each qualification, and points for each skill. The profile requirements may also include a threshold value for the sum of these points.

[0071] In other words, in step S806, for example, the matching unit 112 determines that the person meets the profile requirements if the person's place of residence, available area, available days, and available time slots, as shown in the person's worker profile table 125, meet the user's requirements, and the sum of the person's scores as described above is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0072] If the matching unit 112 determines that there are no workers among the individuals in step S806 who meet the profile requirements (S808: NO), it lowers the threshold level for the total score by one step (S809) and returns to step S808. In step S809, the matching unit 112 lowers the threshold by a predetermined value, for example. The threshold in the initial step S808 may be specified by the user via an input screen, as described later, or it may be predetermined.

[0073] If the matching unit 112 determines that there is a worker among the relevant persons in step S806 who meets the profile requirements (S808: YES), the screen generation unit 113 displays the information of that worker (as a candidate for a worker to perform maintenance on the target equipment) on the search results display screen and terminates the worker matching process.

[0074] If the matching unit 112 is unable to lower the threshold level any further in steps S805, S807, and S809, the screen generation unit 113 may display a message on the search results display screen indicating that there are no matching individuals and terminate the worker matching process.

[0075] Furthermore, if the matching unit 112 determines "NO" in steps S804, S806, and S808, it may omit steps S805, S807, and S809, respectively, and the screen generation unit 113 may display a message indicating that there are no matching individuals on the search results display screen, thereby terminating the worker matching process.

[0076] In this embodiment, the similarity of equipment pairs is calculated by considering both installation location similarity and product classification similarity, but either installation location similarity or product classification similarity may be used to calculate the similarity of equipment pairs.

[0077] In this embodiment, both the installation location similarity and the product classification similarity are expressed at levels A to C, but these may also be expressed numerically. In this case, the similarity of the equipment pair is defined, for example, by the sum of the numerical value indicating installation location similarity and the numerical value indicating product classification similarity, the average value, or a weighted average value (the weights are set, for example, by the user).

[0078] Figure 9 shows an example of the screen configuration of the input screen. The input screen 900 is displayed on the output device 106 and includes, for example, a device ID input area 901, an installation location similarity threshold input area 902, a product classification similarity threshold input area 903, and a button 904.

[0079] The device ID input area 901 accepts input of the device ID. The installation location similarity threshold input area 902 accepts input of the installation location similarity threshold. The product classification similarity threshold input area 903 accepts input of the product classification similarity threshold.

[0080] The threshold in the initial step S804 is determined by the combination of the installation location similarity threshold entered in the installation location similarity threshold input area 902 and the product classification similarity threshold entered in the product classification similarity threshold input area 903. In the example in Figure 9, "A" is selected as the installation location similarity threshold and "B" is selected as the product classification similarity threshold, so the threshold in the initial step S804 is "AB". The user can set their desired threshold level using the installation location similarity threshold input area 902 and the product classification similarity threshold input area 903.

[0081] When input is made in the equipment ID input area 901, the installation location similarity threshold input area 902, and the product classification similarity threshold input area 903, and then button 904 is selected, the worker matching process is executed, and the system transitions to the search results display screen described later. For example, the thresholds in the initial step S806 and the profile request in step S808 may also be entered via the input screen 900.

[0082] Figure 10 shows an example of the screen configuration of the search results display screen. The search results display screen 1000 is displayed on the output device 106 and includes, for example, a search results display area 1001 and a button 1002.

[0083] The search results display area 1001 displays, for example, information about workers who have maintenance experience with the target equipment (equipment specified in the equipment ID input area 901) in step S803, or information about workers who are relevant in step S810 (workers with maintenance experience with similar equipment to the equipment specified in the equipment ID input area 901). Note that the worker information may also be displayed in descending order of maintenance evaluation in the search results display area 1001.

[0084] The worker information displayed in the search results display area 1001 includes, for example, the worker's worker ID, overall maintenance evaluation, and information corresponding to profile requests. Information corresponding to profile requests includes, for example, maintenance work history, overall maintenance evaluation, available service area, available service days, and available service hours. In particular, the display of the overall maintenance evaluation allows users to select a worker with a high overall maintenance evaluation based on past performance from among those with maintenance experience on similar equipment, even if there are no workers with experience maintaining the target equipment.

[0085] Furthermore, the search results display area 1001 may also display information indicating whether the displayed worker has experience maintaining the target equipment or (even if not) has experience maintaining similar equipment. If information indicating that the worker has experience maintaining similar equipment is displayed, the equipment ID of the similar equipment that the worker has maintained and the degree of similarity between the target equipment and the similar equipment may also be displayed. When button 1002 is selected, the user transitions to the input screen 900.

[0086] As described above, even if there are no personnel with experience in maintaining the target equipment, the maintenance support device 100 of this embodiment can present the user with personnel who have experience in maintaining similar equipment to the target equipment, thereby presenting them with personnel who are highly likely to be able to perform maintenance work on the target equipment.

[0087] In particular, in environments where there is a shortage of workers, where many workers have no experience maintaining a large amount of equipment, or where there is a high demand for equipment maintenance, there is a high possibility that there will be no personnel with experience in maintaining the target equipment. Therefore, the maintenance support device 100 can compensate for the shortage of workers and meet the demand for equipment maintenance by presenting personnel with experience in maintaining similar equipment as personnel to maintain the target equipment.

[0088] Furthermore, the maintenance support device 100 can calculate the similarity of equipment pairs from information that is easily accessible to the administrator of the maintenance support device 100 (i.e., information that can be obtained without burdening the worker), such as the Japan Standard Industrial Classification, which is an example of the classification of the installation location, and the JAN code, which is an example of the classification of the product.

[0089] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. It is also possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0090] Furthermore, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. Alternatively, each of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0091] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 100 Maintenance support device, 101 CPU, 102 Memory, 103 Auxiliary storage device, 104 Communication device, 105 Input device, 106 Output device, 111 Similarity calculation unit, 112 Matching unit, 113 Screen generation unit, 121 Installation location table, 122 Product classification table, 123 Similar equipment table, 124 Maintenance work performance table, 125 Worker profile table

Claims

1. A maintenance support device, Including the processor and memory, The aforementioned memory is Classification information indicating the equipment IDs of multiple devices, the industry classification corresponding to the installation location of each of the multiple devices, and the product classification indicating the type of equipment and manufacturer associated with each of the multiple equipment IDs, The system maintains performance information indicating the equipment ID of the equipment each worker has experience maintaining, The aforementioned processor, For each pair of device IDs of the devices included in the aforementioned plurality of devices, the first similarity of the industry classification corresponding to each device ID of the device ID pair and the second similarity of the product classification corresponding to each device ID of the device ID pair are determined. The system accepts the designation of a device ID for a device to be maintained, which is the device ID of a device to be maintained included in the aforementioned plurality of devices. By referring to the aforementioned performance information, it is determined whether there is a worker who has experience maintaining the equipment with the aforementioned equipment ID. If it is determined that there is a worker with experience in maintaining the equipment with the aforementioned equipment ID, data is output to display the worker with experience in maintaining the equipment with the aforementioned equipment ID. If it is determined that there are no workers with experience in maintaining the equipment with the aforementioned equipment ID, Identify equipment IDs whose first similarity to the aforementioned equipment ID is equal to or greater than the first threshold, and whose second similarity to the aforementioned equipment ID is equal to or greater than the second threshold. Based on the aforementioned performance information, identify the workers who have experience maintaining the equipment with the specified equipment ID. A maintenance support device that outputs data for displaying information indicating the identified worker.

2. A maintenance support device according to claim 1, The aforementioned performance information indicates, for each piece of equipment in which the worker has maintenance experience, the details of any abnormalities that occurred in the equipment after the worker performed maintenance on that equipment, and the period from the time the worker performed maintenance on the equipment until the abnormality occurred. The aforementioned processor, For each worker with experience maintaining the equipment with the identified equipment ID, a maintenance evaluation is calculated based on the nature of the abnormality indicated by the performance information and the period until the abnormality occurred. A maintenance support device that outputs data for displaying information indicating which of the identified workers have a calculated maintenance evaluation of a predetermined value or higher.

3. A maintenance support device according to claim 2, The aforementioned processor, A maintenance support device that outputs data for displaying information on workers whose calculated maintenance evaluation is equal to or greater than the predetermined value among the identified workers, and the maintenance evaluation of those workers.

4. A maintenance support device according to claim 1, The aforementioned processor, The system outputs data for displaying an input screen that includes an area for receiving the designation of the equipment ID to be maintained, and an area for receiving input of the first threshold and the second threshold. A maintenance support device that accepts the specification of the maintenance target equipment ID and the input of the first threshold and the second threshold via the input screen.

5. A method for supporting maintenance operations using a maintenance operation support device, The aforementioned maintenance support device includes a processor and memory, The aforementioned memory is Classification information indicating the equipment IDs of multiple devices, the industry classification corresponding to the installation location of each of the multiple devices, and the product classification indicating the type of equipment and manufacturer associated with each of the multiple equipment IDs, The system maintains performance information indicating the equipment ID of the equipment each worker has experience maintaining, The aforementioned maintenance support method is The processor determines, for each pair of device IDs of the devices included in the plurality of devices, the first similarity of the industry classification corresponding to each device ID of the device ID pair, and the second similarity of the product classification corresponding to each device ID of the device ID pair. The processor receives a designation of a device ID for a device to be maintained, which is the device ID of a device to be maintained included in the plurality of devices. The processor refers to the performance information to determine whether there is an operator with experience in maintaining the equipment with the equipment ID to be maintained. If the processor determines that there is an operator with experience maintaining the equipment with the equipment ID, it outputs data to display the operator with experience maintaining the equipment with the equipment ID. If the processor determines that there are no workers with experience in maintaining the equipment with the equipment ID to be maintained, The processor identifies an equipment ID whose first similarity to the equipment ID to be maintained is equal to or greater than the first threshold, and whose second similarity to the equipment ID to be maintained is equal to or greater than the second threshold. The processor identifies, from the performance information, an operator who has experience maintaining the equipment with the identified equipment ID. A maintenance support method comprising the processor outputting data for displaying information indicating the identified worker.

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