Device management method, analysis system used therein, maintenance inspection support method, and maintenance inspection support apparatus used therein

A maintenance inspection support method for a maintenance inspection operation comprising:

• periodically performing a complete test involving all the devices in a group of managed devices installed at a predetermined installation site to determine whether the devices are operating normally or have a malfunction, and
• repairing or replacing a device that has been found to be malfunctioning, the maintenance inspection support method comprising:
• acquiring attribute information and a test result for each of the managed devices each time the complete test is performed;
• combining the acquired test result and attribute information and storing the data in a management database;
• creating analysis data on the basis of history information for each installation site of interest relating to the devices, the history information being a single piece of history information for a single installation site which is an accumulation of pieces of history information before and after replacement of two or more devices that have been installed at the installation site of interest, the history information obtained from the test result that spans a plurality of cycles and is stored in the management database;
• and
• generating, based on the analysis data, support information related to determining the suitability of a device model or selecting a suitable device model for each of the installation sites provided with the managed devices.

A maintenance inspection support apparatus for a maintenance inspection operation comprising periodically performing a complete test involving all the devices installed in a plurality of installation sites to determine whether the devices are operating normally or have a malfunction, and repairing or replacing a device that has been found to be malfunctioning, the maintenance inspection support apparatus comprising:

• a device attribute value acquisition unit for acquiring attribute information about each of the managed devices;
• a device test data acquisition unit for acquiring a test result;
• a device evaluation data generator for combining the acquired test result and the attribute information and generating device evaluation data;
• a database management unit for appending a history code to the device evaluation data, storing the resulting data in a management database, and extracting device evaluation data that conforms to a search condition;
• a device analysis processor for creating analysis data that shows history information for each installation site of interest relating to the devices, the history information being a single piece of history information for a single installation site which is an accumulation of pieces of history information before and after replacement of two or more devices that have been installed at the installation site of interest on the basis of the test result included in the device evaluation data that spans a plurality of cycles and is stored in the management database;
• and
• an assistance information generator for generating, based on the analysis data, support information related to determining the suitability of a device model or selecting a suitable device model for each of the installation sites provided with the managed devices.

A device management method comprising:

• periodically performing a complete test involving the entire number of managed devices installed in a plurality of installation sites to determine whether the devices are operating normally or have a malfunction;
• recording a test result in a management database for each cycle of the complete test, and repairing or replacing a device that has been found to be malfunctioning;
• and
• selecting a suitable device model for each of the installation sites provided with the managed devices on the basis of history information for each installation site of interest relating to the devices, the history information being a single piece of history information for a single installation site which is an accumulation of pieces of history information before and after replacement of two or more devices that have been installed at the installation site of interest, the history information obtained from the test result of the complete test that spans a plurality of cycles, as recorded in the management database.