Fault Diagnosis Apparatus with Probabilistic Verification Loop
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fault diagnosis systems using probabilistic models can derive the most probable fault cause or location but cannot confirm whether the estimated fault is actually occurring, leading to the need for additional manpower and risk of erroneous fault responses.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic apparatus that includes a state estimating unit using a probabilistic inference algorithm, a test performing unit for verification, and a determining unit to assess the likelihood of the estimated state, allowing for confirmation of fault occurrence and correction of probability estimates based on test results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a probabilistic model is used for fault diagnosis, then the fault cause can be derived with highest probability, but the actual occurrence of the fault cannot be confirmed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the probabilistic diagnosis result is fed back into the system to generate a verification test. The test result then feeds back to update the probability estimation, creating a closed-loop system that continuously refines the diagnosis accuracy and confirms actual fault occurrence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs a verification test as a preliminary action before finalizing the fault diagnosis. This preliminary verification step checks whether the fault estimated by the probabilistic model is actually occurring, allowing the system to confirm or refute the diagnosis before taking corrective actions.
2Reliability
If manual confirmation operations are performed, then fault diagnosis reliability is improved, but additional manpower and time are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-verification by automatically generating and executing verification tests based on the probabilistic diagnosis results. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual confirmation operations, maintaining high reliability while improving diagnosis efficiency and reducing manpower requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical confirmation operations with an automated electronic verification system. The verification test performing unit automatically executes tests and the determining unit processes results, substituting human operators with automated computational mechanisms to improve efficiency.
3Reliability
If verification tests are performed for all diagnosed faults, then diagnosis reliability is improved, but system complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial verification by selectively performing verification tests based on the probability threshold. Only faults with probability above the threshold undergo verification, avoiding unnecessary tests for low-probability faults and reducing system complexity while maintaining reliability for critical faults.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses probability threshold as a parameter to control the verification process. By adjusting the threshold parameter, the system can balance between verification coverage and complexity, performing tests only when the estimated probability justifies the additional complexity and time investment.
Data Source
AI summary
A fault diagnosis unit (42) of a fault diagnosis apparatus (4) performs a fault diagnosis of a communication network (2) with a probabilistic inference algorithm using information on the communication network (2) having been gathered by an NW monitoring unit (41). A diagnosis result determining unit (43) determines test items for confirming and determining a diagnosis result of the fault diagnosis. A test performing unit (44) performs a confirmation test of the determined test items. The diagnosis result determining unit (43) determines a likelihood of the diagnosis result of the fault diagnosis based on a result of the confirmation test.