# US 8,086,423 B2 · Intelligent integrated diagnostics

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- Number: US 8,086,423 B2
- Document ID: US8086423B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/852,126
- Filed: 2010-08-06
- Published: 2010-12-02
- Granted: 2011-12-27
- Earliest claimed: 2003-10-31
- Assignees: SeeByte, Ltd.; Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh
- Inventors: Kelvin Hamilton; Keith Brown; Nick Taylor; David Lane
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8086423B2

## 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 diagnostic tools and methods are disclosed. The diagnostic tool is configured or operable to nominate a commonly connected component in a target system as being faulty if more than a pre-determined number of active components connected to the commonly connected component appear faulty.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for diagnosing faults in a target system comprising:
receiving sensor data for sensors in the target system;
using the received data to generate system specific data;
searching for potentially faulty components by applying a plurality of diagnostic tools to the received and/or generated data, which tools are operable to nominate components that are potentially faulty;
storing a fault suspicion indicator for each component that is nominated as being faulty;
focusing the search for potentially faulty components using details of the nominated faulty components, preferably component specific design information and
creating a list of potentially faulty components based on the results of the steps of searching and focusing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of storing a fault suspicion indicator involves allocating a measure of suspicion to every potentially faulty component and changing this, typically increasing this, each time that component is nominated as faulty by one of the diagnostic tools.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising storing the sensor data and/or generated data as a function of time.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of focusing uses the time dependent data to determine if there is a correlation between the behaviour of a faulty component and any other components.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of focusing involves identifying commonly connected components associated with components that are suspected of being faulty.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein only active components are considered.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a step of analysing component specific data to determine whether components are faulty, preferably wherein the component specific data is provided in a knowledge database that has the same structure as the topological model.

### Claim 8

A diagnostics system for detecting and/or diagnosing faults in a target system, the system being configured or operable to: receive sensor data for sensors in the target system; generate system specific data, using the received data; search for potentially faulty components by applying a plurality of diagnostic tools to the received and/or generated data, which tools are operable to nominate components that are potentially faulty; store a fault suspicion indicator for each component that is nominated as being faulty; focus the search for potentially faulty components using details of the nominated faulty components and create a list of potentially faulty components based on the results of the steps of searching and focusing.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A system as claimed in claim 8 further comprising 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.

### Claim 10

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, for diagnosing faults in a target system, the computer program having code or instructions for:
processing data received from one or more sensors on the target system to generate system specific data;
searching for potentially faulty components by applying a plurality of diagnostic tools to the received and/or generated data, which tools are operable to nominate components that are potentially faulty;
storing a fault suspicion indicator for each component that is nominated as being faulty;
focusing the search for potentially faulty components using details of the nominated faulty components and
creating a list of potentially faulty components based on the results of the steps of searching and focusing.