Vehicle Access Maintenance Using Cross-Device Status Deviation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Condition-based maintenance of vehicle access devices is susceptible to external factors such as temperature and humidity, making it difficult to distinguish degradation-related abnormalities from transient state variations, leading to unnecessary maintenance and high costs.
Innovation Solution
The method compares actual status signals of all access devices to an overall average value, using deviation limits and a simulation model to determine maintenance status, thereby isolating degradation-related issues from external factor influences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service intervals are calculated with safety factors to prevent failures, then reliability is improved, but maintenance frequency increases and costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from fixed time-based service intervals to condition-based maintenance by monitoring actual operational parameters (cycle counts, energy consumption). This changes the maintenance parameter from time-dependent to usage-dependent, allowing maintenance to be scheduled based on actual wear rather than conservative estimates, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/time-based scheduling system with an electronic monitoring and evaluation system that tracks actual device usage and condition. This substitution enables more precise maintenance timing by using digital data collection and analysis instead of predetermined schedules, resolving the contradiction between reliability and maintenance efficiency
2Measurement precision
If extensive measurement series and complex sensors are used to account for external factors, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and monitors only the critical internal parameters (cycle counts, energy consumption) that directly reflect degradation, rather than measuring all possible external factors. This selective approach achieves sufficient measurement precision for degradation detection without the complexity and cost of extensive sensor systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses energy consumption as an intermediary parameter that indirectly reflects the combined effects of degradation and external factors. Instead of directly measuring multiple external factors (temperature, humidity, position), the energy consumption metric serves as a mediator that captures their cumulative impact, simplifying the measurement system while maintaining detection accuracy
3Ease of operation
If fixed service intervals are used for maintenance, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of time increases due to premature replacements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static fixed intervals to dynamic condition-based scheduling. Maintenance timing becomes dynamic and adapts to actual device condition and usage patterns, allowing optimization of maintenance schedules to coincide with actual need rather than arbitrary time points, thereby reducing unnecessary downtime while maintaining operational simplicity
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for condition-based maintenance of an access arrangement (5) of a vehicle (1), in particular a vehicle (1) for public transport, wherein the access arrangement (11) comprises a plurality of access devices (2a, b) attached to the vehicle, each with a movable element (3a, b) and an electric drive (4a, b) for adjusting the movable element (3a, b), wherein the electric drives (4a, b) are controlled by respective control signals, wherein, based on a detected respective state of the access devices (2a, b), a respective actual state signal (9a, b) is generated to describe the respective state, wherein an overall average value of the actual state signals (9a, b) is formed from the actual state signals (9a, b) for at least some of the access devices (2a, b), and wherein, based on a respective comparison between the actual state signals (9a,b) and the overall average value, a respective maintenance status (25a, b, c, d) of the multitude of access devices (2a, b) is determined.