Classification Server for Conveyance Service Requests

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conveyance systems, such as elevators, often receive unnecessary service requests due to misidentification of their operational status, leading to wasted maintenance efforts and reduced customer satisfaction.

Innovation Solution

A classification server processes service requests using sensor inputs and machine intelligence to determine the operational status of the conveyance system, initiating high-priority service calls only when the system is not functioning properly and low-priority calls for other issues, thereby reducing unnecessary dispatches.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a maintenance person is dispatched to address every service request, then customer service responsiveness is improved, but maintenance resources are wasted on unnecessary dispatches when the system is actually operating properly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice request handling accuracyVSAvoidmaintenance resource waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

A classification server is introduced as an intermediary between service request reception and maintenance dispatch. The server receives service requests, retrieves current conveyance system status from multiple sources (control systems, sensors, logs), classifies the requests based on this data, and only generates service calls for genuinely problematic cases. This intermediary filtering mechanism prevents unnecessary maintenance dispatches while ensuring appropriate responses to actual issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where service request outcomes are tracked and used to improve future classifications. When maintenance personnel complete service calls, their findings (whether the system was actually operating properly or had genuine issues) feed back into the classification system, refining its ability to accurately assess service requests and reduce false positives over time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If service requests are processed manually without automated classification, then simple issues can be quickly addressed, but complex classification and analysis become time-consuming and error-prone

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice request processing efficiencyVSAvoidclassification system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The service request processing system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a reception component that collects service requests, a status retrieval component that gathers system data from multiple sources, a classification component that analyzes and categorizes requests, and a service call generation component that dispatches appropriate responses. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in specific tasks, improving overall processing efficiency while managing complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The classification server is designed as a universal platform that handles multiple types of conveyance systems (elevators, escalators, moving walkways) and processes various service request types through a single integrated system. It can retrieve status data from different sources (control systems, sensors, logs) and apply classification logic across diverse scenarios, reducing the need for separate specialized systems for each conveyance type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If automated status detection is implemented using sensors and machine intelligence, then accurate classification of service requests is achieved, but system complexity and implementation cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational status detection accuracyVSAvoidsensor and processing system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple existing data sources (conveyance control systems, sensor networks, operation logs) into a unified classification framework. Rather than implementing entirely new detection systems, it consolidates and integrates data from already-deployed components, using machine intelligence to synthesize this information for accurate service request classification while avoiding the complexity of redundant sensing infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3798173B1Processing service requests in a conveyance system
Publication Date: 2025.01.08 OTIS ELEVATOR CO
  • EP3798173B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3798173B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3798173B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method of processing a service request related to a conveyance system includes receiving the service request related to the conveyance system; determining whether the service request identifies the conveyance system as running or not running; upon determining that the service request identifies the conveyance system as not running: determining whether a conveyance system status is accessible; when the conveyance system status is accessible, determining from the conveyance system status whether the conveyance system is operating properly; when the conveyance system status is not accessible, obtaining at least one input from the conveyance system and determining from the at least one input whether the conveyance system is operating properly.