Centralized Robot Fleet Maintenance Prioritization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional fleet management systems lack the ability to intelligently coordinate and prioritize maintenance or repair of robots and machines based on operational data, leading to inefficient maintenance processes and lack of seamless integration with financial and business applications.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising one or more central servers that receive and process operational data from robots and machines, detect deviations, and generate maintenance instructions prioritized by severity and condition, allowing for automated scheduling and integration with financial and business systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If conventional fleet management systems are used, then basic tracking and monitoring can be achieved, but intelligent coordination and prioritization of maintenance based on operational data cannot be implemented

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintelligent maintenance coordinationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A centralized server acts as an intermediary between multiple robots and the fleet management system. The server collects operational data from all robots, processes it centrally, and generates maintenance instructions, thereby enabling intelligent coordination without requiring complex distributed intelligence in each individual robot.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously collects operational data from robots and uses this feedback to dynamically prioritize maintenance tasks. The server compares operational data against reference values, detects deviations, and adjusts maintenance priorities based on the severity and type of deviations detected, creating a closed-loop feedback system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If maintenance is performed without prioritization, then all robots receive equal attention, but critical issues cannot be addressed promptly leading to increased downtime

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverobot availabilityVSAvoidmaintenance downtime
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of operational data to detect deviations before they lead to complete failures. By comparing operational data against reference values and identifying trends early, the system can schedule maintenance proactively, preventing catastrophic failures and reducing unplanned downtime.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different maintenance priorities to different robots based on their specific operational conditions and detected deviations. Instead of uniform maintenance scheduling, each robot receives customized maintenance instructions tailored to its actual condition, ensuring critical issues are addressed first while optimizing overall fleet availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If manual maintenance scheduling is used, then flexibility in handling individual cases is maintained, but efficiency and consistency across the fleet are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemaintenance efficiencyVSAvoidoperational simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automated self-service for maintenance scheduling. The server automatically processes operational data, detects deviations, determines maintenance priorities, and generates maintenance instructions without requiring manual intervention. This automated self-service approach significantly improves maintenance efficiency while maintaining consistency across the entire robot fleet.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Loss of information

If operational data is not analyzed systematically, then data collection is simple, but intelligent decision-making for maintenance prioritization cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational data utilizationVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The data processing system is segmented into distinct functional modules: data collection from robots, data transmission to the server, operational data processing, deviation detection, priority determination, and maintenance instruction generation. This segmentation allows systematic analysis of operational data while managing complexity through modular architecture, enabling intelligent decision-making without overwhelming system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4235527A1Systems and methods for managing robots
Publication Date: 2023.08.30 INTELLIGENT CLEANING EQUIPMENT HOLDINGS CO LTD
  • EP4235527A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4235527A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4235527A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure provides systems andmethodsforfleetmanagement. The presently disclosed systems and methods may be used to process operational data corresponding to an operation or a status of one or more robots or machines, detect one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior for the one or more robots or machines or one or more components of the one or more robots or machines, and generate one or more maintenance or repair instructions for at leastone robotor machine or component based at least in part on a priority of maintenance associated with the at least one robot or machine or component.