IoT Alarm Response Automation for Supply Chain Entitlements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current IoT technologies face challenges in effectively managing asset entitlements, leading to complex and time-consuming processes that result in customer dissatisfaction due to frustration and loss of entitlements, especially in the context of asset repair or replacement.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize IoT devices to receive alarms, determine if they are actionable, and automatically apply appropriate entitlements such as vendor warranties or customer contracts by querying databases and initiating warranty claim processes based on asset and component associations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual tracking and requesting of asset entitlements is used, then customers can receive repair or replacement services, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming leading to customer dissatisfaction
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting asset failures through IoT sensors, identifying applicable entitlements from database queries, and initiating warranty claims without customer intervention. The apparatus autonomously tracks entitlement status and coordinates repair/replacement services, freeing customers from manual entitlement management tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring entitlement rules and criteria in the database, so when an asset failure occurs, the appropriate entitlement is automatically identified and applied. The system proactively monitors asset health and prepares entitlement applications before customers need to request them, reducing processing time.
2Productivity
If automated entitlement application is implemented, then processing efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases due to multiple entitlement types and decision logic
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments entitlement processing into distinct modular components: IoT sensor data collection, alarm generation, database querying for entitlement matching, automated decision logic for entitlement selection, and claims initiation. Each module handles a specific aspect of the process, making the complex system manageable and maintainable while achieving high processing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus acts as an intermediary layer between IoT assets and entitlement management systems. It receives alarms from IoT devices, queries the database to match assets with appropriate entitlements, applies decision logic to determine the best entitlement type, and initiates claims with repair/replacement service providers, simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Measurement precision
If hierarchical entitlement evaluation is used, then accurate entitlement selection is achieved, but processing steps increase with multiple entitlement checks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-organizing entitlement data in the database with clear hierarchical structures and selection criteria. When an asset failure occurs, the system efficiently queries the database and applies predetermined decision logic to quickly determine the appropriate entitlement, reducing the time required for hierarchical evaluation while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by evaluating different entitlement attributes in a hierarchical sequence (e.g., checking component-level warranties before asset-level warranties, or prioritizing repair over replacement based on asset condition). This parameter-based hierarchical evaluation ensures accurate entitlement selection while optimizing processing time through structured decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer program products for alarm response automation in manufacturing, distribution, and general supply chain environments. Sensors categorized as part of an industrial IoT environment are used to detect asset health, including asset abnormalities and trends. Alarm exceptions generate actionable events, which are used to invoke a multi-tiered, hierarchical application of asset entitlements. This data guidance provides enhanced alarm response automation via intelligent filtration and consolidation by grouping recurrent or related alarms from assets, models, model types, components, customers, and sites into a single actionable event. This actionable event has its own unique categorizations that work in concert. At any point, additional, definable processes may be executed to further refine the data. The resulting layered, asset entitlement approach thereby creates a high level of filtration and intelligence from the IoT-generated data.