# US 7,860,682 B2 · Intelligent integrated diagnostics > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,860,682 B2 - Document ID: US7860682B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/577,676 - Filed: 2004-10-29 - Published: 2008-03-06 - Granted: 2010-12-28 - Earliest claimed: 2003-10-31 - Assignees: SeeByte, Ltd.; Heriot-Watt University - Inventors: Kelvin Hamilton; Keith Brown; Nick Taylor; David Lane - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7860682B2 ## CPC - G05B 23/0251: {Abstraction hierarchy, e.g. "complex systems", i.e. system is divided in subsystems, subsystems are monitored and results are combined to decide on status of whole system} - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract A diagnostics system comprising a topological map of a target system that has nodes (38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48) that correspond to components (29, 30, 32, 34, 36) of the target system and links that correspond to connections between the components. Associated with the topological map is a knowledge store (50) that has a structure that reflects or corresponds to that of the topological map. Included in this store (50) is a plurality of sections or libraries each of which is provided for storing design specific data associated with one of the nodes (38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48) of the topological map. Data received from one or more sensors on the target system is included in the topological map, and used together with the design specific information in the knowledge store to diagnose faults. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A diagnostics system comprising: a topological map of a target system that has nodes that correspond to components of the target system and links that correspond to connections between the components; a knowledge store that has a structure that reflects or corresponds to that of the topological map, the store having a plurality of sections or libraries each of which is provided for storing data associated with one of the nodes defined in the topological map; means for receiving data from one or more sensors on the target system; means for including either the received data in the topological map and/or data that is a function of that received data, and means for diagnosing faults using the data in the topological map and the knowledge store. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A system as claimed in claim 1 comprising means for generating data using the received sensor data and adding that generated data to the topological map, preferably wherein the generated data is modelled data and/or activity status data that is indicative of whether a component is active and/or time derivative or dependent data that is indicative of any change in the data as a function of time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one or more parameter nodes are provided in association with each component node for storing the received data and/or the generated data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for diagnosing comprise a plurality of diagnostic tools, preferably one or more domain independent diagnostic tools. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the domain independent diagnostic tool includes a correlator for nominating a component as being faulty on the basis of a correlation of behaviour of two or more components as a function of time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the correlator is operable identify parameters that track faulty parameters and/or components that become active just before the occurrence of a fault and/or components that are being used at the time of occurrence a fault. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) A system as claimed in claim 2 including a topology analyser that is operable to identify components that are connected to apparently faulty components and nominate one or more commonly connected components as being faulty. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the topology analyser is configured to nominate a commonly connected component as being faulty if more than a pre-determined number of active components connected to the commonly connected component appear faulty. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for detecting faults comprise a residual watcher that is operable to nominate a component as being faulty in the event that a sensed parameter is different from a modelled parameter and/or a constraint watcher that is operable to nominate a component as being faulty in the event that a sensed parameter exceeds a pre-determined threshold or is outside a pre-determined range and/or an alarm watcher that is operable to nominate a component in the event that an alarm signal is received. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein for every component identified as being potentially faulty there is included in the topological map a measure of a level of suspicion for that component, preferably wherein the measure of the level of suspicion is stored in the node for that component. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the measure of suspicion is monitored using a suspicion index that is changed each time the component is nominated as faulty. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the suspicion index is a pre-set integer, such as 0, for a component that has not been nominated and is incremented by 1 each time the component is nominated. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A system as claimed in claim 1 comprising means for generating an ordered list of suspicious components, preferably with the most suspicious component presented first. ### Claim 14 A method for diagnosing faults involving: storing a topological map of a target system that has nodes that correspond to components of the target system and links that correspond to connections between the components; storing a knowledge store that has a structure that reflects or corresponds to that of the topological map, the store having a plurality of sections or libraries each of which is provided for storing data, preferably component specific design data, associated with one of the nodes defined in the topological map; receiving data from one or more sensors on the target system; including the received data in the topological map, and/or data that is a function of that received data, and diagnosing faults using the data in the topological map and the knowledge store. ### Claim 15 A computer program, preferably on a data carrier or a non-transitory computer readable medium, for diagnosing faults in a target system, the computer program having code or instructions for: receiving data from one or more sensors on the target system; including the received data in a topological map of the target system, the map having nodes that correspond to components of the target system and links that correspond to connections between the components and diagnosing faults using the data in the topological map and a knowledge store, the knowledge store having a structure that reflects or corresponds to that of the topological map, the store having a plurality of sections or libraries each of which is provided for storing data, preferably component specific design data, associated with one of the nodes defined in the topological map.