Critical-Component Sensitivity Analysis for Dependability Trade-Offs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in efficiently determining an optimal design configuration that balances multiple non-functional specifications such as safety, reliability, availability, maintainability, security, and cost, as existing methods often prioritize one specification over others without considering their interdependencies.
Innovation Solution
A method combining sensitivity analysis and trade-off analysis to determine importance values for system components, allowing for iterative design adjustments that optimize a joint quality score by weighing the impact of changes on non-functional specifications, using techniques like fault tree analysis and weighted combinations of partial quality scores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple non-functional specifications are considered simultaneously in design optimization, then the balance and interdependencies among specifications are improved, but the complexity of the analysis process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex multi-criteria optimization problem into two distinct analysis phases: sensitivity analysis (to identify critical components and their impact on individual specifications) and trade-off analysis (to evaluate design alternatives based on weighted specifications). This segmentation reduces the overall complexity by breaking down the intractable simultaneous optimization into manageable sequential steps, where each phase focuses on specific aspects rather than attempting to handle all specifications at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary weighting mechanism that translates multiple non-functional specifications into a unified evaluation framework. By assigning weights to different specifications and using sensitivity coefficients as intermediaries, the system mediates between conflicting requirements and produces a综合 evaluation metric. This intermediary layer simplifies the decision-making process by converting complex multi-dimensional trade-offs into a single comparable score for each design alternative.
2Measurement precision
If sensitivity analysis is combined with trade-off analysis, then the identification of critical components and optimization of joint quality score are improved, but the computational effort and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing sensitivity analysis first to identify critical components and their coefficients before proceeding to the trade-off analysis phase. This preliminary identification of key components and their sensitivity coefficients allows the subsequent optimization to focus only on the most influential factors rather than evaluating all components equally, thereby reducing the computational burden of the second phase while maintaining identification precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment of analysis depth based on intermediate results. The sensitivity analysis phase dynamically identifies which components require detailed consideration, and the trade-off analysis phase dynamically adjusts its focus based on the weighted specifications and sensitivity coefficients. This dynamic approach allows the system to concentrate computational resources on the most critical areas rather than uniformly processing all components, reducing overall computational time while maintaining precision for critical elements.
Data Source
AI summary
Sensitivity analysis of failure events associated with components of a technical system is provided. It is possible to determine, for a plurality of components of a technical system configured in accordance with at least one initial design, importance values which are indicative of a dependency of at least one non-functional specification of a plurality of non-functional specifications of the technical system configured in accordance with the at least one initial design on a change of the technical system with respect to the components of the plurality of components. The method further includes determining a further design of the technical system based on the at least one initial design, the importance values, and a predefined function describing a joint quality score of the plurality of non-functional specifications for the technical system being configured in accordance with a respective design of the technical system.