Device for aiding the locating of failure of a complex system

• US 20040153864A1
• Filed: 06/18/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Longere, Jean-Yves
• Granted Patent: US 7,350,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2257 using expert systems

Abstract

Device for aiding the locating of failure of a complex system.

The device (1) comprises a database (2) storing diagnostic aid rules, detection means (3) for detecting a failure, if any, of the complex system and for providing, upon a failure, information relating to the origin of this failure, a central unit (4) determining, for any failure detected, on the basis of said diagnostic aid rules and of said information, the element or elements of the complex system which are at the origin of the failure, as well as for each element thus determined the corresponding probability that it is at the origin of this failure, and presentation means (7) for presenting to an operator, for any failure, the element or elements at the origin of the failure together with the corresponding probability.

Claims

1. A device for aiding the locating of failure of a complex system comprising a plurality of interlinked elements,

which device comprises:

at least one database (2) storing diagnostic aid rules;

detection means (3) for detecting a functional failure, if any, of said complex system and for providing, upon the detection of a failure, information relating to the origin of this failure;

a central unit (4) determining, for any failure detected, at least on the basis of said diagnostic aid rules stored in said database (2) and of the information provided by said detection means (3), the element or elements of the complex system which are at the origin of said failure, as well as for each element thus determined the corresponding probability that it is at the origin of this failure; and

presentation means (7) for presenting to an operator, for any failure, the element or elements determined as being at the origin of the failure together with on each occasion the corresponding probability.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said database (2) stores at least some of the following rules:

reliability data relating to various elements of said complex system;

pre-established diagnostics that directly associate a failure locating result with the result of at least one particular test, implemented by the detection means (3); and

selection rules which are imposed on the central unit (4).

3. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said detection means (3) comprise test means (10) which are integrated into said complex system.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said detection means (3) comprise at least one interactive test means (11).

5. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said detection means (3) comprise at least one means (9) allowing an operator to input information relating to a failure and to its origin into said device (1).

6. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said central unit (4) determines the element or elements at the origin of a failure together with on each occasion the corresponding probability, by using at least one pre-established diagnostic.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said central unit (4) determines, for an element at the origin of a failure, the corresponding probability with the aid of the ratio of the sum of the failure rates of all the failures covered by a test in said element to the sum of the failure rates of all the failures covered by this test in the entire complex system.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said central unit (4) determines, for an element C at the origin of a failure, the corresponding probability with the aid of the ratio Σ

C/Σ

total,

in which;

Σ

C is a sum characteristic of the element C and corresponds to the sum of the failure products of the various components of said element C;

the failure product of a particular component corresponds to the product of result parameters of various tests monitoring the element of which said particular component forms part, the result parameter of a test being equal;

to 1, if the test does not monitor this component;

to 0, if the test monitors this component, but does not detect any fault;

to the failure rate of said component, if the test monitors this component and detects a fault; and

Σ

total corresponds to the sum of the various sums characteristic of all the elements of the complex system which are monitored by these tests.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1,

which furthermore comprises a recording means (12) for recording, upon the detection of a failure, operational parameters available on the complex system, and wherein said central unit (4) also uses said operational parameters to determine the element or elements at the origin of the failure, as well as the corresponding probability.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said presentation means (7) present on a readable support, at least one of the following presentations:

a list of elements of the complex system together with the associated probability of being at the origin of a failure;

an illustration of the various probabilities according to a set of different colors; and

a schematic diagram of the complex system together with a portrayal of the probability of various elements thereof.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said presentation means (7) moreover present, on said readable support, complementary information relating to failure location.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1,

which furthermore comprises a means of dialog (14) allowing an operator to undertake a dialog with said device (1).

13. The device as claimed in claim 1,

which furthermore comprises a means of updating (19) allowing an operator to update at least one of the following means of said device (1):

the database (2) and the central unit (4).

14. The device as claimed in claim 1,

which furthermore comprises storage means (16) for storing the information emanating from the detection means (3).

15. The device as claimed in claim 1,

which furthermore comprises storage means (17) for storing auxiliary information which are able to be presented to an operator by said presentation means (7).

16. The device as claimed in claim 1,

which furthermore comprises means (18) for chronologically ranking the results emanating from the central unit (4).

17. A complex system,

which comprises a device (1) for aiding failure location, such as that specified under claim 1.