Sensor Placement Using Dependency Matrices for Fault Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Complex systems like power plants and jet engines often have sub-optimal sensor placement and selection during design, leading to ineffective fault monitoring, increased maintenance costs, and potential catastrophic failures, due to limited analysis and evaluation of sensor suites during the design phase.
Innovation Solution
A computing device performs failure mode analysis using a dependency-matrix to recommend optimal sensor placement and selection by simulating fault conditions and calculating sensor-fault condition correlation scores, incorporating user preferences and cost analysis to determine the most effective sensor suite.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensor selection and placement are determined during design phase with comprehensive failure mode analysis, then fault detection coverage and reliability are improved, but device complexity and analysis time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs failure mode analysis and sensor optimization during the design phase before the complex system is built. By conducting comprehensive analysis upfront including generating dependency matrices, evaluating candidate sensors against multiple fault conditions, and determining optimal sensor suites beforehand, the system ensures high fault detection coverage without adding operational complexity. This preliminary action prevents the need for complex sensor additions later.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual sensor suites through simulation to evaluate different sensor configurations before physical implementation. By copying and testing various sensor arrangements in a virtual environment against simulated fault conditions, the system identifies optimal sensor selections without physically installing multiple candidate sensor suites, thus reducing actual device complexity while maintaining high reliability.
2Reliability
If comprehensive failure mode analysis is performed during design phase, then sensor placement effectiveness is improved, but loss of time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The failure mode analysis process is segmented into distinct computational stages: generating dependency matrices for different fault conditions, evaluating candidate sensors against each fault type, ranking sensors based on detection effectiveness, and selecting optimal sensor suites. This segmentation allows the comprehensive analysis to be performed systematically in the design phase, improving sensor placement effectiveness while managing computational time through structured processing.
3Ease of manufacture
If sub-optimal sensor placement is discovered after construction, then ease of manufacture is maintained, but reliability and maintenance costs worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines the optimal sensor suite and placement locations during the design phase through comprehensive failure mode analysis, before construction begins. By establishing the definitive sensor configuration upfront, the system ensures both ease of manufacture (simple construction following clear specifications) and high reliability (optimal sensor placement for fault detection). This eliminates the need for post-construction modifications that would compromise either ease of manufacture or reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium for performing improved and/or optimal sensor placement may include a computing device caused to, receive a plurality of fault conditions and an initial sensor suite associated with at least one object to be simulated, the initial sensor suite including a plurality of candidate physical sensors for the at least one object, perform failure mode analysis of the initial sensor suite, the performing the failure mode analysis including generating at least one dependency-matrix (D-matrix) based on the plurality of fault conditions and the plurality of candidate physical sensors, and generate a recommended sensor suite associated with the at least one object based on results of the failure mode analysis, the recommended sensor suite including at least one recommended sensor, the at least one recommended sensor being a subset of the plurality of candidate physical sensors.