Maintenance Effectiveness Estimation System for Predictive Equipment Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current maintenance tracking systems lack the ability to effectively measure the effectiveness of maintenance actions, leading to inefficient and costly maintenance practices, including unnecessary actions and unexpected equipment failures.

Innovation Solution

A system that processes sensor data before and after maintenance actions to determine the overall performance impact, using data-driven performance degradation modeling and monitoring to provide insights for predictive maintenance, enabling the detection of pre-failure conditions and optimizing maintenance planning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If preventive maintenance is performed on a regular basis regardless of equipment condition, then equipment availability is improved and unexpected failures are reduced, but maintenance costs increase significantly as most actions are performed while equipment is in good condition

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveequipment availabilityVSAvoidmaintenance costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter of maintenance timing from fixed periodic intervals to condition-based timing by monitoring equipment parameters (vibration, temperature, pressure) and performing maintenance only when parameters indicate degradation thresholds are approached, thereby avoiding unnecessary maintenance while preventing failures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback loops by monitoring equipment condition parameters in real-time and using this feedback to dynamically adjust maintenance scheduling decisions, allowing maintenance to be performed only when actually needed based on measured equipment state rather than predetermined schedules

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Loss of energy

If corrective maintenance is performed after equipment failure, then maintenance costs and time are reduced compared to preventive maintenance, but equipment availability decreases due to unexpected downtime

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance costsVSAvoidequipment availability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring equipment condition parameters and detecting early signs of degradation before actual failure occurs, allowing maintenance to be scheduled in advance during planned downtime rather than performing emergency repairs after unexpected failures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If maintenance effectiveness is not measured, then maintenance tracking is simpler, but maintenance efficiency decreases leading to unnecessary maintenance actions and unexpected failures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance tracking complexityVSAvoidmaintenance efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual maintenance tracking with automated electronic monitoring and data analysis systems that automatically collect sensor data, analyze equipment condition, determine maintenance needs, and track maintenance effectiveness, thereby improving efficiency while the complexity is managed through automation rather than manual processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10109122B2System for maintenance recommendation based on maintenance effectiveness estimation

Publication Date: 2018.10.23 HITACHI LTD

AI summary

Example implementations described herein are directed to a decision-support system for maintenance recommendation that uses analytics technology to evaluate the effectiveness of a maintenance action or a group of actions in improving the performance of equipment and its components, and provide recommendations on which maintenance actions or a group of maintenance actions should be pursued and which should be avoided.