Distributed Diagnostics for Real-Time Function Reliability Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic systems lack the ability to perform real-time, deterministic assessments of system component reliability, leading to uncertainties in corner cases and uncovered failure combinations, especially in safety-critical systems, and require human intervention for health assessment and decision-making.
Innovation Solution
A distributed system with devices and methods for real-time reliability evaluation of system components, using input means to receive diagnostic information, modules for classifying conditions and determining functional block reliability, and decision means to derive and output reliability measures, allowing for local decision-making without centralized units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized diagnostic analysis is used to assess system reliability, then comprehensive system-wide diagnostics can be performed, but system availability decreases due to required full shutdowns and human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized diagnostic system into distributed diagnostic units, each capable of independently assessing reliability for specific system components or functions. This segmentation allows parallel processing of diagnostic data across multiple components simultaneously, eliminating the need for full system shutdowns while maintaining comprehensive reliability assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The diagnostic system is designed to perform automated reliability assessments without requiring human intervention. The distributed diagnostic units continuously monitor and evaluate system components, automatically generating reliability conclusions and triggering appropriate responses, thereby maintaining high system availability while ensuring accurate reliability assessment.
2Reliability
If deterministic real-time diagnostics are implemented, then corner cases and failure combinations are covered, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex deterministic diagnostic logic is segmented and distributed across multiple independent diagnostic units, each handling specific system components or failure modes. This distribution reduces the complexity burden on any single unit while collectively achieving comprehensive deterministic coverage of all corner cases and failure combinations through parallel operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces standardized communication interfaces and data exchange protocols as intermediaries between distributed diagnostic units and system components. These intermediaries simplify the integration complexity by providing uniform methods for data collection, analysis, and response coordination, thereby enabling deterministic real-time diagnostics without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of all system components is performed, then real-time reliability assessment is achieved, but energy consumption and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnostic system implements selective monitoring where distributed diagnostic units continuously monitor only those system components and parameters that are critical for reliability assessment. Non-critical components are monitored at reduced intervals or only triggered upon fault conditions, thereby achieving real-time reliability assessment for essential functions while reducing overall energy consumption and computational resource usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different monitoring intensities and diagnostic depths to different system components based on their criticality and failure consequences. High-criticality components receive continuous detailed monitoring, while lower-criticality components receive periodic or event-driven monitoring. This localized quality approach enables real-time reliability assessment where needed while minimizing energy and computational resource consumption across the entire system.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a device (106) for determining a reliability measure for a given function established by one or more functional blocks of a system component (105, 120, 130, 140) to be assessed. The device comprises input means (200) for receiving, for each functional block establishing said given function, information from one or more diagnostic blocks each representing a condition of the respective functional block of the system component to be assessed, said functional block being involved in establishing the given function, a module (201) arranged for classifying said conditions, for deriving diagnostic test interval information and for determining a functional block reliability estimation for each of the functional blocks based on the diagnostic test interval information and/or on the classified conditions, calculation means (202) adapted for determining a reliability measure for that given function established by the one or more functional blocks based on the one or more functional block reliability estimations, decision means (203) for deriving a decision from the reliability measures of the given function, output means (204) for outputting the decision in a format adapted for a physical interface of said system component.