NOVELTY DETECTION SYSTEMS, METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR REAL-TIME DIAGNOSTICS/PROGNOSTICS IN COMPLEX PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

• US 20080097945A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Saffron Technology, Inc. (Intel Corporation), University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina System)
• Inventors: Olin, Jack, Aparicio, Manuel, Greis, Noel
• Application Number:
  US11/960,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097945A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3037 where the computing system component is a memory, e.g. virtual memory, cache accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/00; checking stores for correct operation G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16

Abstract

Sensors are configured to repeatedly monitor variables of a physical system during its operation. A novelty detection system is responsive to the sensors and is configured to repeatedly observe into an associative memory, states of associations among the variables that are repeatedly monitored, during a learning phase. The novelty detection system is further configured to thereafter observe at least one state of associations among the variables that are sensed relative to the states of associations that are in the associative memory, to identify a novel state of associations among the variables. The novelty detection system may determine whether the novel state is indicative of normal operation or of a potential abnormal operation. Multiple layers of learning for real-time diagnostics/prognostics also may be provided.

Claims

1. A diagnostic/prognostic system for a physical system comprising:

a plurality of sensors that are configured to repeatedly monitor variables of the physical system during operation;

an associative memory; and

a novelty detection system that is responsive to the plurality of sensors and that is configured to repeatedly observe into the associative memory, states of associations among the variables that are repeatedly monitored during a learning phase independent of a model of the physical system, and that is further configured to thereafter imagine at least one state of associations among the variables that are monitored relative to the states of associations that were observed into the associative memory independent of a model of the physical system during the learning phase, to identify a novel state of associations among the variables.

2. A diagnostic/prognostic system according to claim 1 wherein the novelty detection system is further configured to determine whether the novel state is indicative of normal operation or of a potential abnormal operation.

7. A diagnostic/prognostic system according to claim 1 wherein the novelty detection system is further configured to assign the variable values that are repeatedly monitored to bins, and wherein the novelty detection system is configured to repeatedly observe by repeatedly observing into the associative memory, states of associations among the binned values during the learning phase.

12. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program code configured to provide the associative memory and/or the novelty detection system of claim 1.

3-6. -6. (canceled)

8-11. -11. (canceled)

13. A diagnostic/prognostic system for a physical system comprising:

a plurality of sensors that are configured to repeatedly monitor variables of the physical system during operation;

a novelty detection system that is responsive to the plurality of sensors and that is configured to identify a novel state among the variables that is indicative of a potential abnormal operation independent of a model of the physical system;

a failure mode learning system that is responsive to the novelty detection system and that is configured to identify and/or predict a potential failure mode for the physical system in response to the novel state; and

an intervention system that is responsive to the failure mode learning system and that is configured to identify a potential response to the potential failure mode.

14. A diagnostic/prognostic system according to claim 13 wherein the failure mode learning system comprises:

a failure mode identification and diagnostics system; and

a trend learning and prognostics system.

15. A diagnostic/prognostic system according to claim 13 wherein the intervention system is further configured to apply the potential response to the physical system in real-time.

16. A diagnostic/prognostic system according to claim 13 wherein the novelty detection system, the failure mode learning system and the intervention learning system operate on the physical system in real-time.

17. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program code configured to provide the novelty detection system, the failure mode system and/or the intervention system of claim 13.

18. A diagnostic/prognostic method for a physical system that includes a plurality of sensors that are configured to repeatedly monitor variables of the physical system during operation, the diagnostic/prognostic method comprising:

repeatedly observing into an associative memory, states of associations among the variables that are repeatedly monitored independent of a model of the physical system, during a learning phase; and

then

imagining at least one state of associations among the variables that are monitored relative to the states of associations that were observed into the associative memory independent of a model of the physical system during the learning phase, to identify a novel state of associations among the variables.

19. A diagnostic/prognostic method according to claim 18 further comprising:

determining whether the novel state is indicative of normal operation or of a potential abnormal operation.

23. A diagnostic/prognostic method according to claim 19 further comprising:

observing the novel state that is indicative of normal operation into the associative memory.

26. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program code configured to perform the method of claim 18.

20-22. -22. (canceled)

24-25. -25. (canceled)