Method for analyzing the reliability of technical installations with the use of physical models

• US 20090083014A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Original Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Inventors: Schallert, Christian
• Application Number:
  US12/231,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083014A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

A method for analyzing and/or optimizing technical systems, comprising the following steps:

• • modeling a technical system using a software model,
  • determining for all relevant combinations of functional and/or failed individual components of the technical system, whether an orderly functioning or a failure of the entire technical system exists, the determination being performed automatically using the software model established,
  • determining the individual failure probabilities of the components of the technical system,
  • calculating a total failure probability for the technical system based on the individual failure probabilities of the components of the technical system and on the determined functioning/failure of the entire technical system for the respective functional and/or failed circuit components.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing and/or optimizing technical systems, comprising the following steps:

modeling a technical system using a software model,

determining for all relevant combinations of functional and/or failed individual components of the technical system, whether an orderly functioning or a failure of the entire technical system exists, the determination being performed automatically using the software model established,

determining the individual failure probabilities of the components of the technical system,

calculating a total failure probability for the technical system based on the individual failure probabilities of the components of the technical system and on the determined functioning/failure of the entire technical system for the respective functional and/or failed circuit components.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

calculating the importances of the individual components of the technical system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the total failure probability is based on the calculations of a minimal cut set analysis, especially an automated minimal cut set analysis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the total failure probability is based on the calculations of a minimal path set analysis, especially an automated minimal path set analysis.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the minimal cut set analysis comprises the step of

determining all relevant, especially all possible combinations of failed individual components of the entire technical system that lead to a failure of the entire technical system, the determination of the functioning/failure of the entire technical system preferably being done following a trial-and-error method.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the minimal cut set analysis comprises the step of

calculating the probabilities of the occurrence of the determined combinations of failed individual components that would cause a failure of the technical system, based on the known failure probabilities of the individual components.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the minimal path set analysis comprises the step of

determining all possible combinations of functional individual components of the technical system that lead to the functioning of the entire technical system, the determination of the functioning/failure of the entire technical system preferably being done following a trial-and-error method.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the minimal path set analysis comprises the step of

calculating the probabilities of the occurrence of the determined combinations of functional individual components that would cause the functioning of the technical system, based on the known failure probabilities of the individual components.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the model of the technical system is done using a physical and object-oriented modeling software, the object limits and the connections between the objects in the software model preferably corresponding to the actual individual components and their connections.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the minimal cut set analysis and/or the minimal path set analysis is executed in an automated manner by an analysis software which preferably has an interface to the software model of the technical system.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the object-oriented software for establishing the software model of the technical system has a graphical user interface for the visual representation of the modeled technical system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the software model of the technical system and in particular of the individual components can be modified preferably via the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, upon a modification of the software model of the technical system, a recalculation of the minimal cut set analysis and/or the minimal path set analysis, as well as a new execution of the steps following the minimal cut set analysis and/or the minimal path set analysis is effected automatically, preferably initiated by the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, for each modification of the software model of the technical system, a new total failure probability of the technical system is automatically calculated, preferably initiated by the user.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining a total mass of the technical system from the individual masses of the individual components of the technical system, the determination of the total mass being effected preferably automatically by the software for modeling the technical system.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining the physical behavior of the technical system, the determination of the physical behavior preferably being done automatically by the software for modeling the technical system.

17. A method for optimizing an electric on-board network of an aircraft by the for analyzing and/or optimizing technical systems of claim 1.

18. A data carrier with software for executing the method of claim 1.