Predictive Hardware Procurement for Component Failure Replacement

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data processing systems face challenges in maintaining optimal hardware component availability and uptime due to unpredictable hardware failures, leading to potential system downtime and increased management costs.

Innovation Solution

A proactive management system that utilizes component failure predictions to create procurement plans, balancing acquisition limits and stock levels to ensure timely replacement of hardware components, thereby maintaining inventory levels and reducing costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If hardware component inventory is maintained at high levels to ensure availability for replacement, then system uptime is improved, but acquisition costs and inventory management complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem uptimeVSAvoidinventory management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by predicting component failures before they occur and proactively procuring replacement components in advance. The failure prediction module analyzes component health data to identify components at risk of failure, and the procurement plan generator creates acquisition plans before failures happen, ensuring replacements are available when needed without maintaining excessive inventory.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where component performance data and failure information are continuously collected and fed back to the failure prediction module. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from actual failures and improve prediction accuracy over time, enabling more precise inventory management that balances availability with cost efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If hardware component inventory is maintained at high levels to ensure availability for replacement, then replacement availability is improved, but acquisition costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereplacement availabilityVSAvoidacquisition costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by predicting component failures before they occur and proactively procuring replacement components in advance. The failure prediction module analyzes component health data to identify components at risk of failure, and the procurement plan generator creates acquisition plans before failures happen, ensuring replacements are available when needed without maintaining excessive inventory.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of inventory levels from static high levels to dynamic levels adjusted based on predicted failure rates. The procurement plan generator optimizes acquisition quantities by considering factors such as component criticality, failure predictions, lead times, and cost constraints, adjusting inventory parameters to achieve the right balance between availability and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If hardware component failures are managed reactively rather than proactively, then acquisition process simplicity is maintained, but system downtime and operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacquisition process simplicityVSAvoidsystem downtime

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by predicting component failures before they occur and proactively procuring replacement components in advance. The failure prediction module analyzes component health data to identify components at risk of failure, and the procurement plan generator creates acquisition plans before failures happen, ensuring replacements are available when needed without maintaining excessive inventory.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-service by automatically monitoring component health, predicting failures, generating procurement plans, and triggering reorders without manual intervention. The failure prediction module and procurement management system work autonomously to manage the acquisition process, reducing operational complexity while improving response time to component failures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12614148B2System and method for proactive management of components based on predicted component failures

Publication Date: 2026.04.28 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

Methods and system for managing data processing system are disclosed. To manage the operation of the data processing system, hardware components may be replaced from time to time. To improve the likelihood of hardware components being available, procurement plans for proactive management of hardware component inventors for replacement may be used. The procurement plans may be based on various limits regarding when and how many hardware components may be purchased, predicted hardware component failures, and goals for hardware component acquisition that may reduce or manage cost associated with hardware component acquisition.