Methods and Apparatuses For Monitoring A System

Abstract

A method for determining probable fail cases of a system includes the steps of: (a) receiving a pattern of input features, each feature representing measurable indicators which themselves are indicative of the condition of the system; (b) providing a set of fail cases, each fail case being represented by an expected pattern of input features, and each fail case being associated with a rule in reverse polish notation which produces a true result if the expected pattern for that rule correlates with a pattern of input features or a false result if the expected pattern for that rule does not correlate with a pattern of input features; and (c) applying the received pattern of input features to each rule to determine whether the received pattern has a true result or a false result for the respective fail case, a true result denoting a probable fail case of the system. Typically, the system is a complex mechanical system such as a power plant, including for example gas turbine, spark ignition and compression ignition internal combustion engines.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.