Building Equipment Maintenance Scheduling Across Short and Long Horizons

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current maintenance and replacement strategies for building equipment often result in cost inefficiencies due to broad recommendations that lack computational accuracy, making it difficult to manage and optimize maintenance and replacement decisions effectively.

Innovation Solution

A model predictive maintenance (MPM) system that uses a controller with processors and computer-readable media to optimize maintenance and replacement schedules based on objective functions that consider short-term and long-term costs, degradation states, and system dynamics, pricing information, and resource demands, generating optimal maintenance and replacement strategies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If broad maintenance recommendations are provided to customers, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of maintenance recommendationVSAvoidaccuracy of maintenance recommendation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the maintenance recommendation process into distinct modules: data collection module, degradation prediction module, maintenance optimization module, and execution module. This segmentation allows the system to provide customized, accurate recommendations rather than broad generalizations, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and recommendation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes parameters by incorporating real-time operational data, degradation rates, and cost parameters into the recommendation algorithm. This enables dynamic adjustment of maintenance strategies based on actual equipment conditions, improving accuracy while maintaining ease of operation through automated parameter optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If computational accuracy of maintenance recommendations is improved, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of maintenance recommendationVSAvoidcomplexity of maintenance system

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary maintenance management system that acts as a mediator between equipment sensors and decision-makers. This intermediary system processes complex computational tasks centrally, providing accurate recommendations without requiring complex local devices at each equipment location, thus improving accuracy while managing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-service through automated data collection, degradation prediction, and maintenance optimization algorithms that operate autonomously. This reduces the need for manual intervention and complex human decision-making processes, improving accuracy while simplifying operational complexity through automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If short-term optimization is performed separately from long-term optimization, then productivity is improved, but loss of information worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveefficiency of optimization processVSAvoidloss of degradation state information

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the end state of short-term optimization (including degradation state at horizon boundary) is fed back as initial conditions for long-term optimization. This feedback loop ensures that degradation information is preserved and utilized across optimization time horizons, maintaining information integrity while improving computational efficiency through staged optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary short-term optimization to determine immediate maintenance actions and predict degradation state at the short-term horizon boundary. This preliminary action provides informed initial conditions for subsequent long-term optimization, ensuring that both time horizons are optimized efficiently without information loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11635751B2Model predictive maintenance system with short-term scheduling

Publication Date: 2023.04.25 TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH

AI summary

A method for performing model predictive maintenance (MPM) of building equipment includes obtaining a first objective function that defines a cost of operating the building equipment and at least one of replacing the building equipment or performing maintenance on the building equipment as a function of operating decisions and at least one of replacement decisions or maintenance decisions for the building equipment for multiple short-term time steps within a short-term horizon. The method also includes performing a first optimization of the first objective function to generate a short-term maintenance and replacement schedule for the building equipment over a duration of the short-term horizon. The method also includes using a result of the first optimization to perform a second optimization of a second objective function to generate a long-term maintenance and replacement schedule for the building equipment over a duration of a long-term horizon.