Autonomous System Safety Analysis With Availability Requirements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety analysis techniques for vehicles, such as FMEA and CPA, do not effectively evaluate how potential failure modes impact the availability of vehicle systems, which is crucial for maintaining safety and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves expanding safety analysis techniques by incorporating availability requirements, which allow for the evaluation of potential failure modes and their effects on system availability, enabling measures to be taken to maintain availability and ensure safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional safety analysis techniques (FMEA, CPA) are used to identify failure modes, then potential failure modes and their causes/effects are detected, but the impact of failure modes on system availability is not evaluated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining availability requirements and time periods before analyzing failure modes. The system establishes what availability levels are needed and what time periods are acceptable before assessing whether failure modes will impact these requirements, allowing proactive identification of availability risks rather than reactive assessment after failures occur
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the results of failure mode analysis to determine whether availability requirements are met. The system continuously evaluates whether identified failure modes and their effects will impact system availability, and uses this feedback to refine safety analysis and implement appropriate mitigation measures
2Reliability
If safety analysis is expanded to include availability requirements evaluation, then system availability impact is assessed, but the complexity of the analysis process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the safety analysis process into distinct modules: determining availability requirements, determining time periods for failure modes, analyzing effects on availability, and determining compliance. This modular approach allows each aspect to be analyzed separately using appropriate methods, reducing overall analytical complexity while maintaining comprehensive coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality by creating a multi-functional safety analysis framework that can evaluate both traditional safety aspects (failure modes, causes, effects) and availability aspects (availability requirements, time periods, impact assessment) within a single integrated process, eliminating the need for separate analysis procedures
3Reliability
If measures are implemented to maintain system availability during failures, then system functionality is preserved, but the difficulty of system design and operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining appropriate measures to maintain availability before failures occur. The system identifies potential failure modes and pre-determines mitigation strategies, such as switching to backup systems or adjusting operational parameters, so that when failures occur, predetermined actions can be executed quickly without increasing operational complexity during critical moments
Data Source
AI summary
In various examples, confirming or evaluating availability requirements as part of a safety analysis for autonomous and semi-autonomous systems and applications is described herein. For instance, systems and methods are disclosed that may add availability requirements to one or more safety analysis techniques, such as failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), critical path analysis (CPA), and/or any other safety analysis technique. In some examples, an availability requirement may indicate whether a failure mode associated with a detected failure will impact an availability of an element and/or one or more measures that may be taken to avoid impacting the availability of the element. Systems and methods may then analyze a machine using these updated safety analysis techniques to detect failure modes in a system, causes of the failure modes, and effects of the failure modes, as well as determine whether these failure modes will impact the availability of the system.