Maintenance Process Authentication Through Cognitive Blockchain Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance processes lack an effective method to verify that maintenance procedures are performed correctly and accurately, leading to potential inefficiencies and increased costs due to reactive maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A cognitive and blockchain-based verification technique that records maintenance steps via video and generates textual summaries, comparing event-entity relationships in two blockchains to determine compliance with predefined instructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional maintenance processes are used without verification, then the maintenance can be performed quickly and simply, but there is no assurance that the maintenance procedures are performed correctly, leading to potential equipment failures and increased costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy (textual summary) of the video recording of maintenance activities and stores it in a blockchain. This textual representation serves as a verifiable record that can be compared against the predefined maintenance procedure without requiring complex real-time analysis systems. The copying approach simplifies the verification mechanism while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification system that uses blockchain technology to store and compare maintenance records. Instead of directly monitoring and verifying maintenance activities in real-time (which would be complex), the system uses blockchain as an intermediary layer to immutably store procedure definitions, actual maintenance steps, and compliance certificates, enabling reliable verification through a structured comparison process.
2Reliability
If video recording and analysis of maintenance activities is implemented, then compliance with maintenance procedures can be verified, but the time and computational resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by generating textual summaries of video frames and storing them in the blockchain during or immediately after the maintenance activity. By preparing the video analysis and textual representation in advance (or concurrently with maintenance execution), the system enables rapid compliance verification later without requiring time-consuming post-processing analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical/video analysis systems with a cognitive approach using natural language processing. Instead of using sophisticated computer vision algorithms to analyze video frames in real-time, the system generates textual summaries that can be efficiently compared against procedure definitions, reducing computational overhead and processing time.
3Loss of information
If detailed textual summaries of each video frame are generated and stored in blockchain, then complete audit trail is created, but the storage requirements and data processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information from video frames by generating textual summaries that capture key maintenance actions and steps. Instead of storing entire video files or all visual data, the system extracts and stores only the relevant textual information needed for compliance verification, significantly reducing storage requirements while maintaining information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the maintenance verification process into distinct components: video recording, textual summary generation, blockchain storage of summaries, and compliance comparison. By segmenting the data into manageable textual units (summaries of individual frames or key moments), the system reduces the overall data volume while preserving the essential information needed for complete audit trails.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for dynamically authenticating a performance of a maintenance process via a cognitive and blockchain-based verification technique. Specifically, a person performs a set of maintenance steps as defined by textual summaries stored in a first blockchain. While the person performs the maintenance steps, a video of her performing the steps is recorded. A textual summary for each frame of the video is generated and stored in a second blockchain. A first set of event-entity relationships and the second set of event-entity relationships are extracted from the blockchains and compared to determine a compliance value. Based on the comparison, a determination is made whether the person performed the maintenance process correctly (i.e., as listed in the predefined maintenance steps).