JP7828790B2 - Technician management device - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a technology for managing technicians who perform maintenance work on equipment installed on ships.

Maintenance work, including repairs and inspections of onboard equipment such as radios and radars, is carried out by engineers with the necessary skills and qualifications to operate the equipment. Furthermore, these engineers must visit the ship when it is in port to perform maintenance work. Therefore, arranging for engineers was a complex process, requiring consideration of the ship's port call location and date, the engineer's skills and qualifications, and their schedule.

Patent Application No. 2001-221860

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a technology that makes it easier to arrange for technicians to perform maintenance work on onboard equipment of ships.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the engineer management device of this embodiment is an engineer management device for determining an engineer to perform maintenance work on equipment installed on a ship, and comprises: a ship management unit that manages ship information associating a ship ID that uniquely identifies the ship with the ship's planned port of call; an equipment management unit that manages equipment information associating an equipment ID that uniquely identifies the installed equipment with a ship ID indicating the ship on which the equipment is installed; an engineer management unit that manages engineer information associating an engineer ID that uniquely identifies the engineer with the area the engineer can visit; and a determination processing unit that, in response to a maintenance request including an equipment ID indicating the installed equipment to be maintained, determines a dispatched engineer who will perform the maintenance work based on the ship information, the equipment information, and the engineer information.

According to embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to more easily arrange for technicians to perform maintenance work on the equipment installed on a ship.

This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the engineer management system according to the embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the engineer management device according to the embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the engineer management device according to the embodiment. This is a diagram showing ship information. This is a diagram showing the equipment information. This is a diagram showing maintenance information. This is a diagram showing engineer information. This is a diagram of the report. This is a diagram showing evaluation information. This is a diagram showing the implementation information. This flowchart shows the steps involved in creating a repair request. This is a flowchart showing the operation of the maintenance request acceptance process. This is a flowchart showing the process of determining the engineer. This flowchart shows the operation of the ship visit history comparison process. This is a flowchart showing the operation of the maintenance history comparison process. This is a flowchart showing the process of the public offering. This is a flowchart showing the process for determining the required skills of a technician. This flowchart shows the operation of the process for comparing the required skills and visit history of ships. This is a flowchart showing the operation of the skill comparison process. This is a flowchart showing the operation of the skill level update process.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of the engineer management system)
First, the engineer management system according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the engineer management system according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 1, the engineer management system according to this embodiment includes an ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) 11, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor 12, an AIS (Automatic Identification System) 13, a ship information collection device 14, onboard equipment 16, a maintenance determination device 17, and a ship terminal device 19, all of which are installed on the ship. Furthermore, the engineer management system includes a land-based agent terminal device 31, an engineer terminal device 32, a shipowner terminal device 33, a ship management company terminal device 34, a manufacturer terminal device 35, a shipyard terminal device 36, a system management terminal device 37, an engineer management device 2, and an AIS receiver 5.

The ECDIS 11, GNSS sensor 12, AIS 13, ship information collection device 14, onboard equipment 16, maintenance determination device 17, and ship terminal device 19 are connected to each other via the ship's LAN (Local Area Network). The ship's LAN is connected to the internet via a ship-to-shore communication device (not shown). Furthermore, multiple terminal devices 31-37, the engineer management device 2, and the AIS receiver 5 are connected to the internet. Note that the ECDIS 11, GNSS sensor 12, AIS 13, ship information collection device 14, onboard equipment 16, maintenance determination device 17, and ship terminal device 19 may be connected to each other on the ship by any means necessary.

The GNSS sensor 12 measures the ship's position, course, and speed. The ECDIS 11 displays chart information and the ship's position, course, speed, etc., measured by the GNSS sensor 12, and is a device into which the ship's planned route is input. The planned route includes the ship's planned ports of call and planned times of arrival. An ECS (Electronic Chart System) may be installed on the ship instead of the ECDIS 11. The AIS 13 transmits the ship's position, course, speed, and ports of call to other ships via VHF (Very High Frequency), and receives the position, course, speed, and ports of call of other ships. In AIS13, the ship's position, course, and speed are obtained from the GNSS sensor 12, while the ship's planned port of call and time of call are manually entered.

The ship information collection device 14 acquires the ship's position, course, speed, and planned port of call and time of call entered into the ECDIS 11 or AIS 13, measured by the GNSS sensor 12, and transmits this information to the engineer management device 2 via the internet. The onboard equipment 16 is equipment that is repaired/maintained by engineers; examples of such equipment include surveillance cameras, radar, and two-way radio telephones. The ship terminal device 19 is a terminal used by the ship's crew to input and view various types of information. The maintenance determination device 17 acquires equipment information indicating the status of the onboard equipment 16 and transmits it to the engineer management device 2 via the internet. The maintenance determination device 17 acquires equipment information for the onboard equipment 16 that is automatically entered by the self-diagnostic function performed in the onboard equipment 16, or manually entered by the ship terminal device 19. The equipment information will be described in detail later.

The engineer management device 2 manages equipment information, maintenance information, engineer information, evaluation information, and implementation information, as will be described in detail later. Furthermore, based on this information, the engineer management device 2 presents engineers who meet the requirements for repair/maintenance of the onboard equipment 16. Terminal devices 31 to 37 are all devices configured to allow information input and viewing, and to connect to the internet. Examples of such devices include personal computers and tablet terminals. The agency terminal device 31 is used by agencies employing multiple engineers. The engineer terminal device 32 is used by engineers. The shipowner terminal device 33 is used by the shipowner. The ship management company terminal device 34 is used by the ship management company that manages the ship. The manufacturer terminal device 35 is used by the manufacturer of the onboard equipment 16. The shipyard terminal device 36 is used by the shipyard that builds the ship. The system management terminal device 37 is used by the administrator who manages the engineer management system. The AIS receiver 5 is a device located on land that receives information transmitted from the ship's AIS 13. It is used to obtain ship information when the ship cannot connect to the internet.

In this embodiment, the engineer management device 2 has a web server function, and terminal devices 19, 31-37 all view various information provided to the engineer management device 2 via a web browser or application, and input various information to the engineer management device 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, terminal devices 19, 31, 33-37 are configured as personal computers, and the engineer terminal device 32 is configured as a smartphone.

Ship crew members, engineers, agents, shipowners, ship management companies, manufacturers, and shipyards must register as users with Engineer Management Device 2 prior to using the Engineer Management System, and must perform login authentication to Engineer Management Device 2 when using the Engineer Management System. Furthermore, login authentication to Engineer Management Device 2 is also required for the Ship Information Collection Device 14 and the Maintenance Judgment Device 17. Users of the Engineer Management System are categorized by user type, and the information they can view, register, and update can be set for each user type. Examples of such user types include "Ship" (representing ship crew members), "Engineer" (representing engineers), "Agent" (representing agents), "Shipowner" (representing ship owners), "Ship Management Company" (representing ship management companies), "Shipyard" (representing shipyards), and "System Administrator" (representing administrators of the Engineer Management System).

(Hardware configuration)
The hardware configuration of the engineer management system will now be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the engineer management system according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 2, the engineer management device 2 comprises, as its main hardware, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, RAM (Random Access Memory) 22, a storage device 23, an external interface 24, and a network interface 25. The ECDIS 11, ship information collection device 14, maintenance determination device 17, and terminal devices 19, 31-37 are assumed to have substantially the same hardware as the engineer management device 2.

The CPU 21 and RAM 22 work together to execute various functions, and the storage device 23 stores various data used in the processing performed by these functions. The external interface 24 handles data input and output with output devices such as displays, mice, keyboards, and input/output devices such as touch panels. The network interface 25 is an interface for communication with other devices. It is assumed that the GNSS sensor 12 and a steering device (not shown) that controls the ship's rudder angle are connected to the external interface 24 of the ECDIS 11.

(Functional configuration)
The functional configuration of the engineer management system will now be explained. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the engineer management system according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 3, the engineer management system 2 includes the following functions: a ship management unit 201, an equipment management unit 202, a maintenance management unit 203, an engineer management unit 204, an evaluation management unit 205, a decision processing unit 206, a skill update unit 207, an implementation management unit 208, and a settlement processing unit 209.

The Ship Management Department 201 manages ship information, which displays various information about the ship. The Equipment Management Department 202 manages equipment information, which displays various information about the onboard equipment 16. The Maintenance Management Department 203 manages maintenance information, which displays various information about the maintenance of the onboard equipment 16. The Engineer Management Department 204 manages engineer information, which displays various information about engineers. The Evaluation Management Department 205 manages evaluation information, which displays evaluation results for engineers. The Implementation Management Department 208 manages implementation information, which displays the results of maintenance work performed by engineers on the onboard equipment 16. Ship information, equipment information, maintenance information, engineer information, evaluation information, and implementation information will be described in detail later.

The decision processing unit 206 determines the appropriate engineer for the maintenance request based on ship information, equipment information, maintenance information, engineer information, evaluation information, and implementation information. The skill update unit 207 updates the engineer's skill level based on the number of maintenance tasks performed. The settlement processing unit 209 settles the various charges related to the performed maintenance work.

(Ship information)
This section explains the ship information. Figure 4 shows the ship information. In the table shown in Figure 4, each column represents one record, and each row represents a field.

As shown in Figure 4, the ship information is data that associates the ship ID, ship name, current position, date and time of current position acquisition, planned port of call, planned port of call date and time, desired repair location, desired repair date and time, desired inspection location, and desired inspection date and time. The ship ID is a unique identifier for the ship and is newly issued when the ship is registered. Ship registration is performed, for example, by the ship's crew, the ship owner, the ship management company that manages the ship, or the system administrator who manages the engineer management device 2.

The current position indicates the ship's current location using latitude and longitude coordinates. The current position acquisition date and time indicates the update timing of the corresponding current position in year, month, day, and time. The planned port of call indicates the ship's planned port of call. The planned port of call date and time indicates the planned arrival time at the corresponding port of call in year, month, day, and time. The current position, current position acquisition date and time, planned port of call, and planned port of call date and time are acquired from the ship information collection device 14 installed on the ship; however, if the ship is not connected to the internet, they may be acquired from the AIS receiver 5 installed on land.

The desired repair location indicates the location where the ship's onboard equipment 16 is to be repaired, and the desired repair date and time indicates the time range in which the ship's onboard equipment 16 is to be repaired. Similarly, the desired inspection location indicates the location where the ship's onboard equipment 16 is to be inspected, and the desired inspection date and time indicates the time range in which the ship's onboard equipment 16 is to be inspected. The desired repair location, desired repair date and time, desired inspection location, and desired inspection date and time are updated based on repair requests from the ship's crew, the shipowner, or the ship management company.

Furthermore, users whose user type is "Ship," "Shipowner," "Ship Management Company," or "Shipyard" will be associated with a designated ship ID. Specifically, "Ship" users will be associated with a ship ID indicating the ship they are on board, "Shipowner" users will be associated with a ship ID indicating the ship they own, "Ship Management Company" users will be associated with a ship ID indicating the ship they manage, and "Shipyard" users will be associated with a ship ID indicating the ship they built.

(Device information)
The equipment information will now be explained. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the equipment information. In the table shown in Figure 5, each column represents one record, and each row represents a field.

As shown in Figure 5, the equipment information is information that associates the following: equipment ID, ship ID, manufacturer, product name, model number, serial number, installation date, repair history, periodic inspection history, operating time, operating status, repair request date and time, repair progress, periodic inspection deadline, periodic inspection request date and time, periodic inspection progress, and remarks. The equipment ID is a unique identifier that identifies the onboard equipment 16 and is newly issued when the onboard equipment 16 is registered. The ship ID indicates the ship on which the onboard equipment 16, indicated by the equipment ID, is installed. Registration of the onboard equipment 16 is performed, for example, by the ship's crew, the ship owner, the ship management company that manages the ship, the manufacturer that produces the onboard equipment 16, or the system administrator who manages the engineer management device 2.

The "Manufacturer" field indicates the name of the manufacturer of the onboard equipment 16. The "Product Name" field indicates the name of the product category to which the onboard equipment 16 belongs. The "Model Number" field is a unique identifier for the product category to which the onboard equipment 16 belongs. The "Serial Number" field is a unique identifier for each individual onboard equipment 16 and is issued at the time of manufacture or shipment. The "Installation Date" field indicates the date (year, month, day) when the onboard equipment 16 was installed on the vessel. The manufacturer, product name, model number, serial number, and installation date are entered when the onboard equipment 16 is registered.

The repair history indicates the date (year, month, day) on which repairs have been performed on the onboard equipment 16. The periodic inspection history indicates the date (year, month, day) on which periodic inspections have been performed on the onboard equipment 16. The repair history and periodic inspection history are updated by the ship's crew, the ship's owner, or the ship management company as repair/inspection work is completed.

The operating time indicates the cumulative operating time of the onboard equipment 16 and is periodically notified to the engineer management system 2 by the maintenance determination device 17. The operating status indicates whether the onboard equipment 16 is functioning normally or not. "Good" indicates that the onboard equipment 16 is functioning normally, while "Bad" indicates that the onboard equipment 16 is malfunctioning. If the onboard equipment 16 is malfunctioning, it indicates whether the malfunction was detected automatically and the type of malfunction. In the operating status, "Bad (Manual)" indicates that the malfunction was detected manually, for example, by notifying the engineer management system 2 of the malfunction via the ship terminal device 19. "Bad (Automatic)" indicates that the malfunction was detected automatically, for example, by notifying the engineer management system 2 of the malfunction via the maintenance determination device 17.

The repair request date and time indicates the date and time (year, month, day, and time) when the repair of the onboard equipment 16 was requested. The repair progress status indicates the progress of the repair of the onboard equipment 16. The periodic inspection deadline indicates the deadline (year, month, day, and time) for the periodic inspection of the onboard equipment 16. The periodic inspection request date and time indicates the date and time (year, month, day, and time) when the periodic inspection of the onboard equipment 16 was requested. The periodic inspection progress status indicates the progress of the periodic inspection of the onboard equipment 16. The repair request date and time, periodic inspection request date and time, repair progress status, and periodic inspection progress status are updated by the engineer management device 2 in response to a repair or inspection request for the onboard equipment 16 in the engineer management system. The "Remarks" field is for entering information about the onboard equipment 16 that is not included in the equipment information fields; in Figure 5, contact information for the onboard equipment 16 is entered here.

(Maintenance information)
Maintenance information will be explained. Figure 6 is a diagram showing maintenance information. In the table shown in Figure 6, each column represents one record, and each row represents a field.

As shown in Figure 6, the maintenance information is information that associates the model number, manufacturer, product name, inputter, required skill flag, warranty period, manual document number, manual URL, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document number, FAQ URL, regularly replaced parts, periodic inspection interval, and contact information. Maintenance information is registered for each product type of onboard equipment 16 by the manufacturer, crew, shipowner, or ship management company, but it is preferable that it be registered by the manufacturer.

The model number is a unique identifier that identifies the product type to which the mounted device 16 belongs. The manufacturer indicates the name of the manufacturer of the mounted device 16. The product name indicates the name of the product type to which the mounted device 16 belongs. The inputter indicates the person who input the maintenance information. The required skill flag indicates whether or not skill is required for maintenance work on the mounted device 16; "TRUE" indicates that skill is required, and "FALSE" indicates that skill is not required. The warranty period indicates the warranty period set for the product type. The manual document number is a unique identifier that identifies the manual document containing information on the operation/maintenance of the product type. The manual URL indicates the URL of the manual document published on the network. The FAQ document number uniquely identifies the document containing anticipated questions and answers regarding the product type. The FAQ URL indicates the URL of the FAQ document published on the network. Periodically replaced parts indicate the parts that are recommended to be replaced periodically for the product type and the usage time at which replacement is required. The periodic inspection interval indicates the recommended interval for periodic inspections for each product type. The contact information provides the contact details for inquiries regarding the product type.

(Engineer information)
This section explains the engineer information. Figure 7 shows the engineer information. Figure 8 shows the report. In the table shown in Figure 7, each column represents one record, and each row represents a field.

As shown in Figure 7, the engineer information is a linked set of information including engineer ID, name, affiliated company, serviceable area, notification preference flag, repair skills, inspection skills, serviceable equipment, qualifications held, scheduled visits, and visit history. The engineer ID is a unique identifier for each engineer and is newly issued when the engineer is registered. Engineer registration is performed by the system administrator managing the engineer management device 2. Furthermore, the name, affiliated company, serviceable area, serviceable equipment, and scheduled visits can be updated by the engineer themselves, the agent to which the engineer belongs, or the manufacturer to which the engineer belongs. Additionally, the system administrator and the manufacturer can set repair and inspection skills. Updates to repair and inspection skills are performed through the skill level update process described later.

The "Name" field indicates the engineer's name. The "Affiliated Company" field indicates the name of the company to which the engineer belongs; in this embodiment, it indicates the name of the agency or manufacturer. The "Visitable Area" field indicates the areas the engineer can visit, down to the prefecture level. The "Notification Request Flag" sets whether or not to send a notification from the engineer management device 2 to the engineer terminal device 32; "TRUE" indicates that a notification will be sent, and "FALSE" indicates that a notification will not be sent. The "Repair Skill" field indicates the product type, the skill level indicating the repair skills for the equipment indicated by the product type, and the expiration date set for the skill level. The "Inspection Skill" field indicates the product type, the skill level indicating the inspection skills for the equipment indicated by the product type, and the expiration date set for the skill level. In this embodiment, the skill level is indicated by numbers from 1 to 5, with higher numbers indicating higher skill levels.

The "Maintainable Equipment" section indicates the product types of equipment that the technician is capable of maintaining. The "Qualifications Held" section indicates the qualifications held by the technician. The "Scheduled Visits" section shows the technician's maintenance schedule, including the date of the maintenance, the prefecture of the visit region, the vessel being visited, the model number indicating the product type being maintained, and the type of maintenance work. The "Visit History" section shows the history of maintenance work already performed, including the date of the maintenance, the vessel being visited, the manufacturer and product type of the product being maintained, the type of maintenance work, and a document number uniquely identifying the maintenance work report.

As shown in Figure 8, the maintenance work report is a document used to report the results of maintenance work and includes an overview of the maintenance work. Figure 8 shows an example of a repair work report for radar. Note that the report format may differ depending on the manufacturer of the onboard equipment 16. Furthermore, while the report is intended to be issued to the engineer management device 2, it may also be issued by another system used by the manufacturer and registered in the engineer management device 2.

Engineer registration is performed using the system management terminal device 37. For engineers belonging to a manufacturer, the manufacturer will input the name, repair skills, inspection skills, and serviceable equipment fields in the engineer information, while the engineer themselves will input the other fields. On the other hand, for engineers not belonging to a manufacturer, the engineer themselves may input only the fields in the engineer information other than repair skills, inspection skills, and serviceable equipment.

(Evaluation information)
The evaluation information will now be explained. Figure 9 shows the evaluation information. In the table shown in Figure 9, each column represents one record, and each row represents a field.

As shown in Figure 9, the evaluation information is information that associates the ship ID, ship name, favorite company, favorite engineer, and engineer evaluation result. The ship ID is a unique identifier for the ship. The ship name indicates the name of the ship. The favorite company indicates the manufacturer or agent designated by the ship owner, the ship management company, or the ship's crew. The favorite engineer indicates the engineer designated by the ship owner, the ship management company, or the ship's crew. The engineer evaluation result shows the evaluation of the engineer who performed maintenance work on the onboard equipment 16, and includes the evaluation date and time, model number, type of maintenance work, document number, engineer ID, and evaluation level (shown on a 5-point scale).

(Implementation Information)
The implementation information will now be explained. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the implementation information. In the table shown in Figure 10, each column represents one record, and each row represents a field.

The implementation information, as shown in Figure 10, is information that associates the following: case ID, manufacturer, product name, model number, serial number, work type, start date, work time, necessary expenses, document number, and captain's signature. The case ID is a unique identifier for the maintenance work. The manufacturer, product name, model number, and serial number relate to the onboard equipment 16 that is the subject of the maintenance work. The work type indicates the type of maintenance work. The start date indicates the start date of the maintenance work. The work time indicates the time spent on the maintenance work. The necessary expenses indicate the expenses incurred for the maintenance work. The document number indicates the maintenance work report. The captain's signature indicates the digital signature of the captain of the vessel on which the onboard equipment 16, the subject of the maintenance work indicated by the corresponding case ID, is installed.

(Steps taken until a repair request is made)
This section explains the procedure leading up to a repair request for the installed equipment. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure leading up to a repair request.

As shown in Figure 11, first, the equipment management unit 202 of the engineer management device 2 determines whether or not an abnormality has been detected in the mounted equipment 16 by the maintenance determination device 17 (S101). If the mounted equipment 16 has a self-diagnostic function, the mounted equipment 16 transmits information indicating the type of abnormality of its own unit to the maintenance determination device 17, and the maintenance determination device 17 transmits an abnormality notification including the equipment ID and abnormality type to the engineer management device 2. When the engineer management device 2 receives the abnormality notification transmitted by the maintenance determination device 17, the equipment management unit 202 determines that an abnormality has been detected in the mounted equipment 16 by the maintenance determination device 17.

If the maintenance detection device 17 detects an abnormality in the onboard equipment 16 (S101, YES), the equipment management unit 202 updates the operating status in the equipment information, including the equipment ID included in the abnormality notification, to "Faulty (Automatic)" (S102). The ship's crew performs the recovery work on the onboard equipment 16 (S103). At this time, the ship's crew can refer to the "manual document," "manual URL," "FAQ document number," "FAQ URL," etc., in the maintenance information, including the model number of the onboard equipment 16, via the ship's terminal device 19. After the recovery work, the ship's crew determines whether the onboard equipment 16 has been recovered (S104).

If the onboard equipment 16 is restored (S104, YES), the equipment management unit 202 updates the operational status in the equipment information to "Good" based on the restoration notification transmitted by the ship's terminal device 19 (S105), and this procedure is terminated.

On the other hand, if the onboard equipment 16 fails to recover (S104, NO), a repair request is sent from the ship's terminal device 19, the shipowner's terminal device 33, or the ship management company's terminal device 34 to the engineer's management device 2 (S107), and this procedure is terminated. The repair request includes an equipment ID indicating the onboard equipment 16 to be repaired, and a ship ID indicating the ship on which the equipment 16 is installed. Similarly, the inspection request also includes an equipment ID and a ship ID.

Furthermore, in step S101, if the maintenance determination device 17 does not detect any abnormality in the onboard equipment 16 (S101, NO), the equipment management unit 202 determines whether or not an abnormality in the onboard equipment 16 has been discovered by the ship's crew (S108). If the ship's crew discovers an abnormality in the onboard equipment 16, they transmit an abnormality notification to the engineer management device 2 via the ship's terminal device 19. When the engineer management device 2 receives the abnormality notification transmitted by the ship's terminal device 19, the equipment management unit 202 determines that an abnormality in the onboard equipment 16 has been discovered by the ship's crew.

If a malfunction in the onboard equipment 16 is detected by the ship's crew (S108, YES), the equipment management unit 202 updates the operating status in the equipment information, including the equipment ID included in the malfunction notification, to "malfunctioning (manual)" (S109), and the ship's crew performs the necessary repair work on the onboard equipment 16 (S103).

On the other hand, if no abnormality is detected in the onboard equipment 16 by the ship's crew (S108, NO), this procedure is terminated.

(Maintenance request acceptance processing)
The maintenance request acceptance process will now be explained. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the maintenance request acceptance process. In the flowchart shown in Figure 12, it is assumed that a maintenance request, which is either a repair request or an inspection request, has already been received by the technician management device.

As shown in Figure 12, first, the decision processing unit 206 refers to the installation date and model number associated with the equipment ID included in the maintenance request in the equipment information, and also refers to the warranty period associated with the model number referred to in the maintenance information. Based on the installation date, warranty period, and current date and time, it determines whether the mounted equipment 16 to be maintained is within its warranty period (S201).

If the maintenance target is not within the warranty period (S201, NO), the decision processing unit 206 refers to the ship ID associated with the equipment ID in the equipment information, and also refers to the evaluation information including the ship ID, to determine whether a favorite engineer or authorized service center is set (S202).

If a favorite technician or designated service center is not set (S202, NO), the technician selection process described later will be executed (S203), and the maintenance request acceptance process will be terminated.

On the other hand, if a favorite technician or service provider is set (S202, YES), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the service provider to which the favorite technician belongs, or the service provider terminal device 31 to which the favorite service provider is logged, of a response request (S204). The response request asks the recipient to respond whether or not they accept the maintenance request. Next, the decision processing unit 206 determines whether or not the service provider has accepted the maintenance request (S205).

If the service provider accepts the maintenance request (S205, YES), the maintenance request acceptance process is terminated. Conversely, if the service provider does not accept the maintenance request (S205, NO), the technician selection process is executed (S203).

Furthermore, in step S201, if the item to be maintained is within its warranty period (S201, YES), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the shipyard terminal device 36 of a message prompting the shipyard to submit a maintenance request to the manufacturer of the item to be maintained (S206), and the maintenance request acceptance process is terminated.

(Engineer selection process)
The engineer selection process will now be explained. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the engineer selection process.

As shown in Figure 13, first, the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the required skill flag associated with the equipment ID to be maintained in the equipment information is TRUE (S301).

If the required skill flag is not TRUE (S301, NO), the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S302), and determines whether the maintenance target is included in the maintainable equipment associated with the selected engineer ID in the engineer information (S303).

If the item to be maintained is included in the list of maintainable equipment (S303, YES), the decision processing unit 206 refers to the planned port of call associated with the ship ID on which the item to be maintained is installed in the ship information, and determines whether the region to which the referred port of call belongs is included in the list of areas where the ship can be visited, associated with the currently selected engineer ID in the engineer information (S304).

If the planned port of call is included in the area where visits are possible (S304, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the schedule of the engineer indicated by the selected engineer ID is available (S305). Here, the decision processing unit 206 refers to the planned port of call date and time associated with the ship ID on which the maintenance target is installed in the ship information, and also refers to the scheduled visits associated with the selected engineer ID in the engineer information. If there are no scheduled visits that match the planned port of call date and time, it determines that the schedule is available.

If the engineer's schedule is free (S305, YES), the decision processing unit 206 adds the selected engineer ID to the list of dispatched engineers (S306). The list of dispatched engineers indicates the candidate engineer who will notify the accepted maintenance request. Next, the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S307).

If all engineer IDs are selected (S307, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the number of engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates is 0 (S308).

If the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is not zero (S308, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is two or more (S309).

If the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is not two or more (S309, NO), that is, if only one engineer ID has been added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates, the decision processing unit 206 determines the engineer indicated by this engineer ID to be the dispatched engineer, and notifies the engineer terminal device 32 where the dispatched engineer logs in, or the agency terminal device 31 where the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs logs in, of a maintenance request (S310), and the engineer determination process ends.

On the other hand, if the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is two or more (S309, YES), the ship visit history comparison process described later is executed (S311), and the engineer selection process is terminated.

Furthermore, if the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is 0 in step S308 (S308, YES), the public recruitment process described later is executed (S312), and the engineer selection process is terminated.

Furthermore, if no engineer IDs are selected in step S307 (S307, NO), the decision processing unit 206 again selects an unselected engineer ID from all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S302).

Furthermore, in step S305, if the engineer's schedule is not free (S305, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S307).

Furthermore, in step S304, if the planned port of call is not included in the area where the ship can visit (S304, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S307).

Furthermore, in step S303, if the maintenance target is not included in the list of maintainable equipment (S303, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S307).

Furthermore, if the required skill flag is TRUE in step S301 (S301, YES), the required skill engineer determination process described later is executed (S313), and the engineer determination process is terminated.

(Comparison processing of ship visit history)
The process for comparing ship visit history will now be explained. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ship visit history comparison process.

As shown in Figure 14, first, the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from among the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates (S401). Next, the decision processing unit 206 refers to the ship visit history associated with the selected engineer ID in the engineer information and determines whether or not the ship on which the maintenance target is installed is included in this ship visit history (S402).

If the ship visit history includes a vessel equipped with the maintenance target (S402, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the dispatched engineer has not yet been determined (S403).

If the dispatched engineer has not yet been determined (S403, YES), the determination processing unit 206 determines the currently selected engineer ID as the dispatched engineer (S404) and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates have been selected (S406).

If all engineer IDs added to the list of candidates for dispatched engineers are selected (S406, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether or not the dispatched engineer has been decided (S407).

If the dispatched engineer is not yet determined (S407, NO), the determination processing unit 206 notifies the engineer terminal device 32, which is logged in using the engineer ID determined to the dispatched engineer, or the agency terminal device 31, which is logged in by the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs, of the maintenance request (S408), and the ship visit history comparison process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the dispatched engineer has not yet been determined (S407, YES), the maintenance history comparison process described later is executed (S409), and the ship visit history comparison process is terminated.

Furthermore, if, in step S406, not all of the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates have been selected (S406, NO), the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from among the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates (S401).

Furthermore, in step S403, if the dispatched engineer is not yet determined (S403, NO), the determination processing unit 206 refers to the visit history associated with the currently selected engineer ID and the visit history associated with the engineer ID determined to be the dispatched engineer in the engineer information, and determines whether the visit date of the currently selected engineer is later than the visit date of the dispatched engineer (S405).

If the arrival date of the selected engineer is later than the arrival date of the dispatched engineer (S405, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines the selected engineer ID as the dispatched engineer instead of the engineer ID already determined for the dispatched engineer (S410), and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates have been selected (S406).

Furthermore, in step S402, if the ship visit history does not include any vessels equipped with the maintenance target (S402, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates have been selected (S406).

(Maintenance history comparison process)
The maintenance history comparison process will now be explained. Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the maintenance history comparison process.

As shown in Figure 15, first, the decision processing unit 206 selects engineer IDs that have not been selected in the maintenance history comparison process from among the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates (S501), and determines whether the engineer indicated by the selected engineer ID has previously performed maintenance work on the onboard equipment 16 of the same model number as the maintenance target (S502). Here, the decision processing unit 206 refers to the ship visit history associated with the selected engineer ID in the engineer information and determines whether it includes the same model number as the maintenance target. Furthermore, if the maintenance request was a repair request, the decision processing unit 206 refers only to the ship visit history where repair work was performed, and if the maintenance request was an inspection request, it refers only to the ship visit history where inspection work was performed.

If the engineer has previously performed maintenance work on the same model of equipment 16 as the one being maintained (S502, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the dispatched engineer is still undecided (S503).

If the dispatched engineer has not yet been determined (S503, YES), the determination processing unit 206 determines the currently selected engineer ID as the dispatched engineer (S504), and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates were selected in the maintenance history comparison process (S505).

If all engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates are selected in the maintenance history comparison process (S505, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether or not the dispatched engineer is still undecided (S506).

If the dispatched engineer is not yet determined (S506, NO), the determination processing unit 206 notifies the engineer terminal device 32, which is logged in using the engineer ID determined to the dispatched engineer, or the agency terminal device 31, which is logged in by the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs, of the maintenance request (S507), and the maintenance history comparison process is completed.

On the other hand, if the dispatched engineer has not yet been decided (S506, YES), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the engineer terminal device 32, which is logged in by all engineer IDs included in the dispatched engineer candidates, of a request for a response (S508), and determines whether or not a response has been made to this request (S509).

If a response is received to the response request (S509, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines the engineer indicated by the engineer ID that provided the initial response as the dispatched engineer. It then notifies the engineer terminal device 32 logged in with this engineer ID, or the agency terminal device 31 logged in by the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs, of the maintenance request (S510), and the maintenance history comparison process is completed.

On the other hand, if no response is given to the response request (S509, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines again whether or not a response has been given to the response request (S509).

Furthermore, if, in step S505, none of the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates have been selected in the maintenance history comparison process (S505, NO), the decision processing unit 206 again selects an engineer ID from among the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates that has not been selected in the maintenance history comparison process (S501).

Furthermore, in step S503, if the dispatched engineer is not yet determined (S503, NO), the determination processing unit 206 determines whether the number of maintenance tasks for the onboard equipment 16, which has the same model number as the maintenance target, is greater for the selected engineer than for the dispatched engineer (S511). Here, the determination processing unit 206 compares the number of maintenance targets with the same model numbers included in the visit history corresponding to the selected engineer ID in the engineer information with the number of maintenance targets with the same model numbers included in the visit history corresponding to the engineer ID determined to be the dispatched engineer.

If the selected engineer has more maintenance tasks than the dispatched engineer (S511, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines the selected engineer ID as the dispatched engineer instead of the engineer ID already assigned to the dispatched engineer (S512), and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates were selected in the maintenance history comparison process (S505).

(Public offering process)
This section explains the operation of the public offering process. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the public offering process.

As shown in Figure 16, first, the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from among all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S601), refers to the planned port of call associated with the ship ID on which the maintenance target is installed in the ship information, and determines whether the region to which the referenced planned port of call belongs is included in the area of possible visits associated with the currently selected engineer ID in the engineer information (S602).

If the planned port of call is included in the area where ships can visit (S602, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the selected engineer's schedule is free (S603).

If the selected engineer's schedule is free (S603, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the notification request flag associated with the selected engineer ID in the engineer information is TRUE (S604).

If the notification request flag is TRUE (S604, YES), the decision processing unit 206 adds the selected engineer ID to the list of dispatched engineers (S605), and determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected in the public recruitment process (S606).

If all engineer IDs are selected (S606, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the number of engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates is 0 (S607).

If the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is not zero (S607, NO), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the engineer terminal device 32, to which all engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates are logged in, or the agency terminal device 31, to which the agency to which the added engineer belongs is logged in, of a request for a response (S608), and determines whether or not a response has been given to this request (S609).

If a response is received to the request (S609, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines the engineer indicated by the engineer ID that provided the initial response as the dispatched engineer. It then notifies the engineer terminal device 32 logged in with this engineer ID, or the agency terminal device 31 logged in by the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs, of the maintenance request (S610), and the public offering process is terminated.

On the other hand, if no response is given to the response request (S609, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines again whether or not a response has been given to the response request (S609).

Furthermore, in step S607, if the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is 0 (S607, YES), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the terminal device that sent the maintenance request with a message prompting it to contact the manufacturer of the item to be maintained (S611).

Furthermore, if no engineer IDs are selected in step S606 (S606, NO), the decision processing unit 206 again selects engineer IDs that were not selected in the public recruitment process from among all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S601).

Furthermore, in step S604, if the notification request flag is not TRUE (S604, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected in the public recruitment process (S606).

Furthermore, in step S603, if the selected engineer's schedule is unavailable (S603, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected in the public recruitment process (S606).

Furthermore, in step S602, if the planned port of call is not included in the area where ships can visit (S602, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected in the public offering process (S606).

(Process for determining the required skills of the technician)
The process for determining the required skills of a technician will be explained. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the process for determining the required skills of a technician.

As shown in Figure 17, first, the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from the engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S701), and then refers to the repair or inspection skill associated with the selected engineer ID in the engineer information to determine whether the skill level associated with the model number to which the target equipment belongs is within its validity period (S702). Here, the decision processing unit 206 refers to the repair skill if the maintenance request is a repair request, and to the inspection skill if the maintenance request is an inspection request.

If the skill level is within its validity period (S702, YES), the decision processing unit 206 adds the selected technician ID to the list of repairable technicians (S703) and determines whether all technician IDs managed by the technician management unit 204 have been selected (S704).

If all technician IDs are selected (S704, YES), the determination processing unit 206 determines whether the number of technician IDs added to the list of repairable technicians is 0 (S705).

If the number of engineer IDs added to the list of repair-capable engineers is not zero (S705, NO), the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from among the engineer IDs added to the list of repair-capable engineers (S706), and determines whether the planned port of call of the vessel on which the maintenance target is installed is included in the area where the selected engineer can visit the vessel (S707).

If the planned port of call is within the area where the engineer can visit the ship (S707, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the selected engineer's schedule is free (S708).

If the engineer's schedule is free (708, YES), the decision processing unit 206 adds the selected engineer ID to the list of candidates for dispatched engineers (S709) and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the list of repairable engineers have been selected (S710).

If all technician IDs added to the list of repair-capable technicians are selected (S710, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the number of technician IDs added to the list of dispatched technician candidates is 0 (S711).

If the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is not zero (S711, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is two or more (S712).

If the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is not two or more (S712, NO), that is, if only one engineer ID has been added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates, the decision processing unit 206 determines the engineer indicated by this engineer ID to be the dispatched engineer, notifies the engineer terminal device 32 where the dispatched engineer logs in, or the agency terminal device 31 where the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs logs in, of a maintenance request (S713), and the process of determining the skilled engineer is completed.

On the other hand, if the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is two or more (S712, YES), the required skills visit history comparison process described later is executed (S714), and the required skills engineer determination process is terminated.

Furthermore, if the number of engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates is 0 in step S711 (S711, YES), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the terminal device that sent the maintenance request with a message prompting it to submit a maintenance request with the changed port of call location and scheduled date and time (S715).

Furthermore, if, in step S710, not all technician IDs added to the list of repairable technicians have been selected (S710, NO), the determination processing unit 206 selects an unselected technician ID from among the technician IDs added to the list of repairable technicians (S706).

Furthermore, in step S708, if the technician's schedule is full (708, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether or not all technician IDs added to the list of available technicians have been selected (S710).

Furthermore, in step S707, if the planned port of call is not included in the area where the engineer can visit the ship (S707, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether or not all engineer IDs added to the list of repair-capable engineers have been selected (S710).

Furthermore, in step S705, if the number of technician IDs added to the list of repairable technicians is 0 (S705, YES), the decision processing unit 206 notifies the terminal device that sent the maintenance request with a message prompting it to contact the manufacturer that produced the item to be maintained (S716).

Furthermore, if no engineer IDs are selected in step S704 (S704, NO), the decision processing unit 206 selects an unselected engineer ID from among the engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S701).

Furthermore, in step S702, if the skill level is not within its validity period (S702, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S704).

(Comparison process for required skills during ship visit)
The process for comparing the required skills for ship visits will now be explained. Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the process for comparing the required skills for ship visit history.

As shown in Figure 18, the required skills visit history comparison process differs from the visit history comparison process described with reference to Figure 14 only in that the skills comparison process in step S409A is executed instead of the maintenance history comparison process in step S409.

(Skill comparison process)
The skill comparison process will now be explained. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the skill comparison process.

As shown in Figure 19, first, the decision processing unit 206 selects engineer IDs that have not been selected in the skill comparison process from among the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates (S801), and determines whether or not the dispatched engineer has not yet been decided (S802).

If the dispatched engineer has not yet been determined (S802, YES), the determination processing unit 206 determines the engineer indicated by the currently selected engineer ID as the dispatched engineer (S803), and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates were selected in the skill comparison process (S804).

If all engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates are selected in the skill comparison process (S804, YES), a maintenance request is notified to the engineer terminal device 32 logged in with the engineer ID determined to be the dispatched engineer, or to the agency terminal device 31 logged in by the agency to which the dispatched engineer belongs (S805), and the skill comparison process is terminated.

On the other hand, if none of the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates are selected in the skill comparison process (S804, NO), the decision processing unit 206 selects the engineer IDs that were not selected in the skill comparison process from among the engineer IDs added to the list of dispatched engineer candidates (S801).

Furthermore, in step S802, if the dispatched engineer is not yet determined (S802, NO), the determination processing unit 206 determines whether the skill level of the currently selected engineer is higher than that of the dispatched engineer (S806). Here, the determination processing unit 206 refers to the repair or inspection skill level associated with the currently selected engineer ID in the engineer information and the repair or inspection skill level associated with the engineer ID determined to be the dispatched engineer, and compares the skill levels for the product type being maintained. Note that if the maintenance request is a repair request, the repair skill level is referred; if the maintenance request is an inspection request, the inspection skill level is referred.

If the skill level of the selected engineer is not higher than that of the dispatched engineer (S806, NO), the decision processing unit 206 determines whether all engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates were selected in the skill comparison process (S804).

On the other hand, if the skill level of the selected engineer is higher than that of the dispatched engineer (S806, YES), the decision processing unit 206 determines the engineer indicated by the selected engineer ID as the dispatched engineer, instead of the engineer ID already determined as the dispatched engineer (S807), and determines whether all engineer IDs added to the dispatched engineer candidates were selected in the skill comparison process (S804).

(Skill level update process)
The skill level update process will now be explained. Figure 20 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the skill level update process. The skill level update process is assumed to be performed at predetermined intervals.

As shown in Figure 20, first, the skill update unit 207 selects an unselected engineer ID from among the engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S901), and then determines whether or not a maintenance skill (repair skill or inspection skill) exists in the engineer information associated with the selected engineer ID (S902).

If maintenance skills exist (S902, YES), the skill update unit 207 selects an unselected maintenance skill from among those associated with the selected engineer ID (S903), and determines whether the remaining time until the expiration date of the selected maintenance skill is less than one month (S904).

If the remaining time until the expiration date is less than one month (S904, YES), the skill update unit 207 determines whether the skill level included in the selected maintenance skill is 5 or not (S905).

If the skill level is not 5 (S905, NO), the skill update unit 207 determines whether the number of maintenance tasks (repair or inspection tasks) performed by the selected technician exceeds the set threshold (S906). Here, the skill update unit 207 refers to the evaluation information and counts the number of technician evaluation results, including the selected technician ID and the product types included in the selected maintenance skill, as the number of repair or inspection tasks. The set threshold varies depending on the current skill level, and is set to 100, 50, 20, and 10 for skill levels 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively.

If the number of maintenance tasks performed by the selected technician exceeds the set threshold (S906, YES), the skill update unit 207 increases the skill level of the selected technician by 1 (S907) and determines whether all maintenance skills associated with the selected technician ID have been selected (S908).

If all maintenance skills are selected (S908, YES), the skill update unit 207 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S909).

If all engineer IDs are selected (S909, YES), the skill level update process is terminated. On the other hand, if no engineer IDs are selected (S909, NO), the skill update unit 207 again selects the unselected engineer IDs from the engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 (S901).

Furthermore, if not all maintenance skills are selected in step S908 (S908, NO), the skill update unit 207 selects any unselected maintenance skills from those associated with the currently selected engineer ID (S903).

Furthermore, in step S906, if the number of maintenance tasks performed by the selected technician does not exceed the set threshold (S906, NO), the skill update unit 207 determines whether all maintenance skills associated with the selected technician ID have been selected (S908).

Furthermore, in step S905, if the skill level is 5 (S905, YES), the skill update unit 207 determines whether all maintenance skills associated with the selected engineer ID have been selected (S908).

Furthermore, in step S904, if the remaining time until the expiration date is not less than one month (S904, NO), the skill update unit 207 determines whether all maintenance skills associated with the selected technician ID have been selected (S908).

Furthermore, in step S902, if no maintenance skills exist (S902, NO), the skill update unit 207 determines whether all engineer IDs managed by the engineer management unit 204 have been selected (S909).

As described above, the engineer management device 2 according to this embodiment allows for the determination of an engineer according to the conditions of the maintenance request, and consequently, makes it easier to arrange for an engineer to perform maintenance work on the ship's onboard equipment.

The embodiments of this invention are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

2. Engineer Management System 201, Ship Management Department 202, Equipment Management Department 203, Maintenance Management Department 204, Engineer Management Department 207, Skill Renewal Department

Claims (5)

A technician management system for determining the technicians who will perform maintenance work on equipment installed on a ship,
A ship management department manages ship information that associates a ship ID that uniquely identifies the aforementioned ship with the ship's planned port of call,
A device management unit manages device information that associates a device ID that uniquely identifies the aforementioned installed device with a ship ID that identifies the ship on which the device is installed.
An engineer management department manages engineer information that associates an engineer ID that uniquely identifies the engineer with the areas in which the engineer can visit ships.
The system includes a decision processing unit that, in response to a maintenance request that includes an equipment ID indicating the onboard equipment to be maintained, determines a dispatched engineer who will perform the maintenance work based on the ship information, the equipment information, and the engineer information .
The aforementioned engineer information further associates the engineer ID with a visit history indicating the vessels visited by the engineer indicated by the engineer ID and the timing of the visit.
The engineer management device is characterized in that the decision processing unit refers to the ship ID associated with the equipment ID included in the maintenance request in the equipment information, and, based on the ship visit history in the engineer information, determines the engineer whose ship visit timing indicated by the referenced ship ID is the most recent to be dispatched as the engineer . The engineer management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the decision processing unit determines the engineer to be the dispatched engineer if the engineer is associated with the area of possible visits, including the port of call, which is associated with the referenced ship ID in the ship information. The aforementioned ship information further associates the scheduled port call timing of the ship indicated by the ship ID with the aforementioned ship ID.
The aforementioned engineer information is further associated with the engineer ID with the scheduled arrival time of the engineer indicated by the engineer ID.
The engineer management device according to claim 2, characterized in that the decision processing unit determines an engineer as the dispatched engineer if the scheduled arrival time in the engineer information does not match the scheduled port call time associated with the referenced ship ID. The aforementioned device information further associates the product type to which the mounted device indicated by the device ID belongs with the device ID,
The aforementioned engineer information further associates the engineer ID with a skill level that indicates, in stages, the engineer's skill level for the product type indicated by the engineer ID.
The system further includes a maintenance management unit that manages maintenance information relating the aforementioned product type to a skill flag indicating whether or not skill is required for maintenance work on that product type.
The engineer management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the determination processing unit refers to a skill flag associated with the product type to which the installed equipment, indicated by the equipment ID included in the maintenance request in the maintenance information, belongs, and if the skill flag indicates that the maintenance work requires skill, it determines the dispatched engineer based on the skill level in the engineer information. The technician management device according to claim 4 , further comprising a skill update unit that updates the skill level associated with a technician ID indicating the technician who performed the maintenance work, based on the number of times the maintenance work was performed on the mounted equipment belonging to the aforementioned product type.