US Patent 6912481 Medical equipment predictive maintenance method and apparatus

A technique for scheduling planned maintenance of equipment, such as medical imaging systems, permits selection of time-based or usage-based scheduling. If usage-based scheduling is selected, operational data collected from the systems serves as the basis for computing a maintenance schedule along with reference usage values for parameters indicative of use. Reference may be made to norms for similar equipment, and the schedule may be adapted accordingly. Trends in usage, increasing or decreasing, may be accommodated by comparison of the usage determinations over time, and schedules may be adjusted accordingly.