Redundant Sensor Signal Processing via Deviation-Based Fault Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing redundant sensor systems struggle to effectively combine output signals from multiple channels to achieve high reliability and consistent fault detection without abrupt signal jumps, especially when dealing with three or more sensors.
Innovation Solution
A computing device calculates absolute magnitudes of differences between all possible pairs of sensor signal values and determines the output signal value by considering these magnitudes, excluding sensor values with significant deviations, thereby isolating faulty channels and ensuring reliable output acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple redundant sensors are used to improve reliability, then fault detection capability is enhanced, but signal consistency and stability deteriorate due to abrupt signal jumps when faulty channels are included in the output calculation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by calculating the deviations of all sensor channels from the mean value before combining them into the output signal. The computing device determines which channels have deviations exceeding a threshold and excludes these faulty channels from the output calculation in advance, preventing signal jumps and maintaining stability while preserving fault detection capability.
2Measurement precision
If all sensor channels are combined to calculate the output signal, then measurement precision is improved through redundancy, but reliability deteriorates when faulty channels introduce erroneous values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taking out principle by extracting and identifying faulty sensor channels through deviation calculation. Channels whose deviations from the mean value exceed a predetermined threshold are separated from the healthy channels and excluded from the output signal calculation, ensuring that only reliable sensor data contributes to the final measurement.
3Device complexity
If a simple mean value calculation is used to combine sensor signals, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability is compromised because faulty channels cannot be identified and excluded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by using the calculated mean value as a reference to evaluate each individual sensor channel. The deviation of each channel from the mean is computed, and this feedback information is used to identify faulty channels that exceed the threshold, enabling dynamic exclusion of unreliable sensors from the output calculation.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for the generation of an output signal value making use of sensor signal values of at least three redundant sensors comprises a computing device that is configured to calculate absolute magnitudes of the differences between all possible pairs of the sensor signal values, and to determine the output signal value taking the calculated absolute magnitudes into consideration.