System for telemetry-based condition modeling and state transition diagnostics for adaptive automated testing of electromechanical devices

Abstract

System for telemetry-based condition modeling and state transition diagnostics for adaptive automated testing of electromechanical devices, including: • a telemetry interface unit designed to receive and provide telemetry signals from multiple device modules of an electromechanical device under test; • a state mapping unit designed to map telemetry signals to logical machine states according to predefined or dynamically configurable mapping rules; • a state machine modeling unit that is trained to map detected machine states into a formal state machine model; • a condition monitoring unit that is trained to monitor actually observed state transitions; • a state transition diagnostic unit designed to detect and evaluate deviations between expected and observed state transitions; • a test execution control unit trained to trigger test actions depending on the state; wherein the system is trained to enable automated diagnostics and adaptive test control based on telemetry-driven machine state modeling.

Description

Summary

[0001] The invention relates to a system for the automated testing and diagnosis of electromechanical devices which provide telemetry signals via several functional device modules during their operation.

[0002] The system includes a telemetry interface unit for acquiring and temporally correlating asynchronous telemetry signals, a state machine modeling unit for deriving logical machine states and managing a formal state machine model, a state transition diagnostic unit for detecting and classifying deviant state transitions, and a test execution control unit for adaptively controlling automated test sequences.

[0003] Based on telemetry-driven state modeling, the system is designed to automatically diagnose warnings, recoverable errors, and unrecoverable errors, as well as to adjust, interrupt, or resume test execution based on the condition. Optionally, recovery measures or operator intervention can be triggered.

[0004] The invention enables reproducible, robust and largely manual-intervention-free testing of complex electromechanical systems and is not limited to specific types of equipment. Title of the invention

[0005] System for telemetry-based condition modeling and state transition diagnostics for adaptive automated testing of electromechanical devices Technical field

[0006] The present invention relates to the automated testing and diagnosis of electromechanical devices which provide telemetry interfaces for monitoring, control or testing purposes during their operation.

[0007] In particular, the invention relates to the derivation of formal machine state models from telemetry data and the use of such state models for controlling adaptive and automated test execution and for diagnosing abnormal device behavior based on observed state transitions. State of the art

[0008] Modern electromechanical devices, such as beverage or coffee machines, provide telemetry signals and diagnostic data via internal or external interfaces during operation. These telemetry signals typically represent low-level events, measured values, or status indicators generated asynchronously by various functional or device modules.

[0009] In known systems, telemetry data is primarily used for monitoring, logging, visualization, or subsequent analysis. However, such systems do not derive a coherent and formalized machine state model from the acquired telemetry signals. Consequently, individual telemetry events remain isolated and cannot be reliably correlated to meaningful machine states or state transitions.

[0010] Automated testing of such devices is therefore based on predefined and static test scripts that assume expected and idealized machine behavior. These test scripts are typically executed without real-time knowledge of the actual internal machine state. As a result, automated tests are unable to reliably respond to unexpected states, abnormal state transitions, or time-dependent behaviors.

[0011] Furthermore, the asynchronous and only partially ordered nature of telemetry signals prevents known systems from establishing a consistent state representation of the device under test. If warnings, errors, or undefined intermediate states occur, the lack of a state-aware diagnostic mechanism necessitates interrupting, aborting, or handing over the test execution to manual operator intervention. This results in increased testing effort, reduced reproducibility, and limited fault coverage.

[0012] Known testing and diagnostic systems therefore exhibit the following deficiencies in particular: • no unified state machine model derived from telemetry data; • No automated diagnosis based on observed state transitions; • No adaptive control of test execution depending on the current machine behavior.

[0013] Consequently, it is not possible to execute a fully automated test suite consisting of multiple test cases unless a technical mechanism is available to derive machine states from telemetry signals, diagnose abnormal state transitions, and dynamically adjust the test execution accordingly. Object of the invention

[0014] The object of the invention is to provide a technical solution for the automated testing and diagnosis of electromechanical devices, which overcomes the limitations of static test scripts and isolated use of telemetry data.

[0015] In particular, a system should be provided that: • derives a coherent machine state model from asynchronous and heterogeneous telemetry signals; • Detects, classifies, and diagnoses abnormal, unexpected, or inconsistent state transitions based on the derived state model; • dynamically controls and adapts the automated test execution depending on the detected machine states and the diagnostic results.

[0016] By integrating telemetry-driven state modeling, state transition diagnostics, and adaptive test control, the need for manual intervention is reduced, the robustness and coverage of automated tests are improved, and deterministic and reproducible testing of complex electromechanical systems is enabled. Core of the invention: Telemetry-based state derivation • a telemetry interface unit designed to receive and provide telemetry signals from multiple device modules of an electromechanical device under test; • a state mapping unit designed to map telemetry signals to logical machine states according to predefined or dynamically configurable mapping rules; • a state machine modeling unit that is trained to map detected machine states into a formal state machine model; State transition diagnostic unit • a condition monitoring unit that is trained to monitor actually observed state transitions in real time; • an evaluation unit that is designed to detect and assess deviations between expected and observed state transitions based on transition patterns, temporal boundary conditions, or inconsistent state combinations. Classification of deviations

[0017] Detected deviations are classified as: • Warnings, • correctable errors, • Irreparable errors. Adaptive and automated test control • a test execution control unit that is trained to dynamically select test execution paths depending on the current machine state; • The test execution control unit is furthermore designed to trigger test actions depending on the state; • The test execution control unit is further designed to pause, adjust or redirect test execution upon detection of an abnormal condition; • an interface unit trained to trigger external actions;

[0018] An exemplary system context of the invention is shown in the attached sequence diagram. System structure of the invention

[0019] The invention provides a technical system consisting of functional modules configured to • To receive telemetry signals from multiple modules of an electromechanical device under test, • a telemetry processing unit designed to capture telemetry data as discrete events or continuous data streams, • To normalize, align, or correlate asynchronous telemetry signals originating from different subsystems and modules of the device.

[0020] The telemetry signals can include, among other things, sensor data, internal status indicators, control confirmations, warning messages and error codes.

[0021] This enables a reliable temporal correlation of telemetry signals originating from independent subsystems. State machine modeling unit

[0022] The state machine modeling unit is designed to • to derive logical machine states from the received telemetry signals, • To assign combinations of telemetry signals to defined state representations based on predefined, configurable, or dynamically adaptable assignment rules, • to maintain a formal state machine model that describes permissible states and state transitions of the device under test.

[0023] The state machine model can represent hierarchical, parallel, or sequential state structures.

[0024] The state machine model can be implemented as a finite automaton, an extended state machine, or through equivalent formal representations. State transition diagnostic unit

[0025] The state transition diagnostic unit is designed to • to monitor observed state transitions in real time, • to compare observed state transitions with expected or allowed state transitions defined in the state machine model, • To identify abnormal, unexpected, or impermissible state transitions based on transition patterns, timing conditions, or inconsistent state combinations.

[0026] The detected deviations are classified as warnings, correctable errors, or uncorrectable errors. Test execution control unit

[0027] The test execution control unit is designed to • to trigger automated test actions depending on the current machine status, • Dynamically select, pause, resume, redirect, or abort test sequences based on diagnostic results, • To coordinate test actions with the state machine model and the state transition diagnostic unit to ensure state-consistent test progress. Optional external recovery and actuator interface

[0028] The system may also include an optional external recovery and actuator interface designed to • to initiate automatic recovery measures in response to errors classified as recoverable, • to trigger external actuators, auxiliary devices or operator interventions, • to continue automated test execution after successful recovery or troubleshooting. Module for results evaluation and persistence

[0029] The system may also include a results evaluation module designed to • To evaluate test results based on telemetry values, state transitions, and diagnostic classifications, • to generate reproducible test reports and diagnostic artifacts, • To save test results, telemetry histories and state transition histories for later analysis. Examples of implementation (non-limiting)

[0030] In one exemplary embodiment, the electromechanical device is a beverage preparation machine.

[0031] This embodiment serves solely to illustrate the invention and does not limit the scope of protection of the invention.

[0032] The beverage preparation machine can have several functional modules, each of which generates telemetry signals, including in particular: • a brewing module for controlling and monitoring the brewing process; • a capsule recognition module for detecting inserted capsules; • a user interface module for displaying information and capturing user input; • Sensor and actuator modules for detecting physical states and executing control commands.

[0033] The telemetry signals from these modules are received by the system's telemetry interface unit and correlated in time.

[0034] Based on the received telemetry signals, the state machine modeling unit derives logical machine states and represents them in a formal state machine model.

[0035] The state transition diagnostic unit is designed to monitor state transitions observed during test execution. An evaluation unit is designed to detect and assess deviations between expected and observed state transitions based on transition patterns, temporal boundary conditions, or inconsistent state combinations.

[0036] Deviations are classified as warnings, recoverable errors, or non-recoverable errors.

[0037] The optional external recovery and actuator interface is designed to initiate automatic recovery measures in response to errors classified as recoverable.

[0038] In the event of irrecoverable errors, operator interaction can be requested, providing diagnostic information based on the state machine model.

[0039] The results and persistence module is designed to store test results, telemetry data, detected state transitions, and diagnostic classifications and make them available for later analysis.

[0040] The in Fig.The functional units shown in Figure 1 represent exemplary logical components and correspond to the system modules defined in the description and the patent claims. Technical effects and benefits

[0041] The invention achieves in particular the following technical effects and advantages: • Reduction of manual interventions: By automatically deriving machine states from telemetry data and controlling test execution based on the state, the need for manual interventions during automated tests is significantly reduced. • Improved fault detection and diagnosis: Abnormal, unexpected, or inconsistent state transitions are systematically detected and diagnosed, enabling earlier, more reproducible, and more accurate fault identification. • Increased test coverage: Adaptive test execution paths based on the current and predicted machine state allow for the coverage of additional states, transitions, and edge cases that are not achievable with static test scripts. • Deterministic and reproducible diagnoses: State modeling and state transition diagnostics enable reproducible test results and diagnoses, regardless of an operator's experience or interpretation. • Robust processing of asynchronous telemetry data The temporal normalization and correlation of asynchronous telemetry signals from different device modules enables a consistent and reliable state representation of complex electromechanical systems. • Improved test reliability and efficiency: Test aborts due to undetected intermediate states or missing diagnostic contexts are reduced, thereby decreasing test duration and costs. • Wide applicability The invention is not limited to a specific device or industry and can be applied to different electromechanical systems with telemetry interfaces. Expansion beyond beverage preparation machines

[0042] The invention is not limited to beverage preparation machines. It can also be applied to other electromechanical systems that provide telemetry signals and internal status information via suitable interfaces.

[0043] This includes, in particular but not exclusively, machines, devices or systems with distributed functional modules whose operating states, transitions or fault states can be described by telemetry data. Reference symbol list 1 External trigger unit 2 Test Orchestration Unit 3 Telemetry interface unit 4 State Machine Modeling Unit 5 Test execution control unit 6 State transition diagnostic unit 7 External recovery and actuator interface 8 operators 9 Module on results evaluation and persistence 10 Test definition and state model memory

Claims

[1] System for telemetry-based state modeling and state transition diagnostics for adaptive automated testing of electromechanical devices, comprising: • a telemetry interface unit designed to receive and provide telemetry signals from multiple device modules of an electromechanical device under test; • a state mapping unit designed to map telemetry signals to logical machine states according to predefined or dynamically configurable mapping rules; • a state machine modeling unit that is trained to map detected machine states into a formal state machine model; • a condition monitoring unit that is trained to monitor actually observed state transitions; • a state transition diagnostic unit designed to detect and evaluate deviations between expected and observed state transitions; • a test execution control unit trained to trigger test actions depending on the state; wherein the system is trained to enable automated diagnostics and adaptive test control based on telemetry-driven machine state modeling. [2] System according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of device modules comprises at least two of the following modules: • a control module, • a user interface module, • a sensor module, • a drive or actuator module, • a security or monitoring module. [3] System according to claim 1, wherein the telemetry interface unit is configured to normalize, align in time or correlate in time asynchronous telemetry signals from different device modules. [4] System according to claim 1, wherein the state machine modeling unit is configured to represent the state machine model as a finite automaton, extended state machine, hierarchical state machine or a combination thereof. [5] System according to claim 1, wherein the state transition diagnostic unit is configured to detect deviations based on at least one of the following criteria: • prohibited state transitions, • unexpected consequences of the condition, • Time violations between successive machine states, • Inconsistent state combinations derived from telemetry signals from different device modules. [6] System according to claim 1, wherein the state transition diagnostic unit is configured to detect deviations as • Warnings, • correctable errors or • To classify irreparable errors. [7] System according to claim 1, wherein the test execution control unit is configured to dynamically adapt test execution paths based on the classification of detected deviations. [8] System according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an external recovery and actuator interface configured to initiate automated recovery measures by outputting control signals to the electromechanical device or to external auxiliary equipment. [9] System according to claim 1, further comprising an operator interface unit configured to provide diagnostic instructions to enable operator interaction when a fault classified as irreparable has been detected. [10] System according to claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is a beverage preparation machine comprising at least one brewing module, one capsule recognition module and one user interface module.

Images