Methods for determining multiple simultaneous fault conditions

A non-transient computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed on a processor performs the acts of:

• receiving symptoms of a complex system from monitors connected in a many-to-many relationship to multiple failure mode;
• when some of the symptoms suggest multiple simultaneous fault conditions, then:
• mapping each received symptom to an associated position in a first bit array to create a symptom signature;
• mapping each symptom received to an associated position in each bit array of a plurality of additional bit arrays thereby creating failure mode signatures, each failure mode signature being associated with only one failure mode;
• creating an error code for each failure mode signature in regard to the symptom signature;
• determining a Hamming distance for each error code in regard to its respective failure mode;
• grouping each failure mode with the same error code and a lowest Hamming distance together as a simultaneous fault condition;
• and
• assigning all remaining failure modes with other Hamming distances into one of the simultaneous fault conditions.

A system for determining multiple simultaneous fault conditions on complex systems comprising:

• a plurality of sensors generating symptoms;
• a memory device containing a reference model of the complex system;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• receive symptoms of a complex system from monitors connected in a many-to-many relationship to multiple failure modes;
• when some of the symptoms suggest the existence of multiple simultaneous fault conditions, then:
• map each received symptom to an associated position in a first bit array to create a symptom signature;
• map each symptom received to an associated position in each bit array of a plurality of additional bit arrays thereby creating one or more failure mode signatures, each failure mode signature being associated with only one failure mode;
• create an error code for each failure mode signature in regard to the symptom signature;
• determine a Hamming distance between the error code and the failure mode signature for each failure mode;
• grouping each failure mode with the same error code together into a plurality of simultaneous fault conditions based on error code and a lowest Hamming distance;
• and
• assigning all remaining failure modes with other Hamming distances into one of a plurality simultaneous fault conditions.