Techniques for providing a failures in time (FIT) rate for a product design process
AssigneeEMC Corporation
InventorSteven Burnham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A technique for providing a product FIT rate is performed within electronic circuitry (e.g., one or more computerized devices). The technique involves receiving a Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) target for a product and a Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) target for the product (e.g., a circuit board module). The technique further involves establishing a FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target, and then outputting the FIT rate to a design process for the product (e.g., a circuit board design process). The FIT rate is a number of product failures expected per amount of time of product operation.
Claims18
A method, performed by electronic circuitry, for providing a Failures In Time (FIT) rate for a product, the method comprising:
- receiving a Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) target for the product and a Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) target for the product;
- establishing the FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target;
- and
- outputting the FIT rate to a design process for the product, the FIT rate being a number of product failures expected per amount of time of product operation;
- wherein establishing the FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target includes generating an overall product availability target based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target, the overall product availability target indicating a percentage of time that the product is expected to be in operable condition;
- and
- wherein establishing the FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target further includes:
- identifying a number of product subsystems of the product, and
- formulating a generic subsystem availability target based on (i) the overall product availability target and (ii) the identified number of product subsystems, the generic subsystem availability target indicating a percentage of time that a product subsystem is expected to be in operable condition on average.
Electronic circuitry for providing a Failures In Time (FIT) rate for a product, the electronic circuitry comprising:
- an input device configured to receive a Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) target for the product and a Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) target for the product;
- a controller coupled to the input device, the controller being configured to establish the FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target;
- and
- an output device coupled to the controller, the output device being configured to output the FIT rate to a design process for the product, the FIT rate being a number of product failures expected per amount of time of product operation;
- wherein the controller, when establishing the FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target, is configured to generate an overall product availability target based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target, the overall product availability target indicating a percentage of time that the product is expected to be in operable condition;
- wherein the controller, when establishing the FIT rate based on the MTTF target and the MTTR target, is further configured to:
- identify a number of product subsystems of the product, and
- formulate a generic subsystem availability target based on (i) the overall product availability target and (ii) the identified number of product subsystems, the generic subsystem availability target indicating a percentage of time that a product subsystem is expected to be in operable condition on average.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.