People Conveyor Maintenance Routing for Robot or Human Dispatch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance practices for people conveyor systems are inefficient and costly, particularly due to the need for human technicians to perform maintenance operations, which can lead to delays and errors.
Innovation Solution
A method, control system, and computer program that classify the state of a people conveyor system to determine whether a mobile robot or a human operator is required to perform maintenance, allowing for automated selection and deployment of the appropriate maintenance resource.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If human technicians are deployed to perform maintenance operations, then complex maintenance tasks can be handled, but maintenance delays and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service maintenance through autonomous robots that can independently diagnose faults, navigate to malfunctioning components, and execute maintenance tasks without human intervention, thereby eliminating maintenance delays associated with human technician deployment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human technicians physically performing maintenance with an automated robotic system that uses sensors, navigation algorithms, and automated manipulation to perform the same maintenance functions, significantly reducing response time
2Reliability
If human technicians are sent to the site for maintenance, then accurate diagnosis can be made, but operational costs increase due to unnecessary trips
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces human diagnostic capabilities with automated diagnostic algorithms and sensor systems that continuously monitor conveyor system parameters, providing accurate fault diagnosis without requiring physical presence of technicians
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensors monitor system parameters, the control system analyzes the data to detect anomalies, and automated notifications are generated only when actual faults are detected, eliminating false alarms and unnecessary technician dispatches
3Reliability
If monitoring systems generate service requests, then system reliability is maintained, but false alarms increase leading to unnecessary technician deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is segmented into multiple independent diagnostic modules, each responsible for specific parameters or components, allowing for more precise fault identification and reducing false alarms by isolating specific issues rather than generating generic service requests
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing a maintenance of a people conveyor system is provided. The method, performed by a control system, includes receiving data indicative of a state of the people conveyor system; classifying the state of the people conveyor system to correspond to one maintenance operation among a plurality of maintenance operations; and setting, in accordance with a classification of the state of the people conveyor system, a detection result to express one of the following: (i) a mobile robot is required to perform the maintenance operation, (ii) a human operator is required to perform the maintenance operation. Also a control system and a computer program are provided.