Malfunction Area Identification From Service Notes and Parts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for identifying malfunction areas in medical imaging systems are labor-intensive, require significant expert effort, and provide retrospective information, often leading to misassignment and lack of real-time guidance for service technicians.

Innovation Solution

An automated system that uses classifiers to identify potential malfunction areas in real-time by analyzing part descriptions and service engineer notes, combining inputs from multiple data sources, including machine logs, to generate a ranked list of likely malfunction areas for immediate consideration by service technicians.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual assignment of malfunction areas based on replaced parts or pre-defined patterns is used, then expert knowledge is utilized for accurate identification, but significant labor effort and time are required to maintain mappings and process data

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of malfunction area identificationVSAvoidefficiency of maintaining mappings and processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automated self-service by using machine learning classifiers that automatically identify malfunction areas from service engineer notes and part descriptions, eliminating the need for manual maintenance of mapping tables and reducing dependency on expert knowledge for routine classification tasks

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Manual expert analysis and rule-based pattern matching are replaced with automated machine learning classifiers that process service data, substituting human cognitive work with computational algorithms that learn from historical service cases

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Loss of information

If retrospective identification of malfunction areas based on replaced parts is used, then complete information is available for analysis, but real-time guidance for service technicians is not provided

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of service case informationVSAvoiddowntime of medical imaging device
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary classification of malfunction areas during the service process itself, using classifiers that analyze available data in real-time to provide immediate guidance, rather than waiting until after the service case is closed to perform retrospective analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides real-time feedback to service technicians by displaying identified malfunction areas and suggesting relevant service actions during the service process, enabling immediate corrective action based on automated analysis of service data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Stability of the object's composition

If fixed rules and pre-defined patterns are used to determine malfunction areas, then consistent classification is achieved, but adaptability to new malfunction patterns and edge cases is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsistency of malfunction area classificationVSAvoidability to handle new malfunction patterns
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from static rule-based classification to dynamic machine learning models that can adapt to new patterns, where classifiers are trained on historical service cases and can learn emerging malfunction patterns while maintaining consistency through standardized prediction outputs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4244865B1System and method for automated identification of malfunction areas for maintenance cases
Publication Date: 2025.01.08 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV
  • EP4244865B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4244865B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4244865B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method (100) of automated identification of one or more malfunction areas of a set (S) of malfunction areas for a service case in which a medical device (12) is serviced includes: generating an output probability vector (40) of probabilities for the set of malfunction areas of the medical device by operations including applying at least one classifier (42, 46) to at least one of (1) text descriptions of parts ordered for the service case and/or (2) a text description of the service case; and displaying a list (56) of one or more most probable malfunction areas for the service case wherein the one or more most probable malfunction areas are the one or more most malfunction areas of the set of malfunction areas having highest probability in the output probability vector.