INTEGRATED HIERARCHICAL PROCESS FOR FAULT DETECTION AND ISOLATION
First Claim
1. A method for providing fault detection and isolation in a vehicle, said method comprising:
- separating the vehicle into a plurality of systems, a plurality of sub-systems and a plurality of components;
categorizing the systems, sub-systems and components into a hierarchical tree having levels where each system receives signals from a plurality of sub-systems at a lower level than the plurality of systems and each sub-system receives signals from a plurality of components at a lower level than the sub-systems;
employing algorithms in the systems, sub-systems and components that provide and analyze diagnostic codes, trouble codes and other information to provide confidence estimate signals as to the likelihood that a particular sub-system or component has failed;
sending signals from the components to the sub-systems and from the sub-systems to the systems that include the confidence estimate signals;
analyzing the confidence estimate signals in the plurality of systems to attempt to isolate a fault; and
sending signals to a supervisor at the top of the tree that identifies a particular fault with a certain level of confidence.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for determining the root cause of a fault in a vehicle system, sub-system or component using models and observations. In one embodiment, a hierarchical tree is employed to combine trouble or diagnostic codes from multiple sub-systems and components to get a confidence estimate of whether a certain diagnostic code is accurately giving an indication of problem with a particular sub-system or component. In another embodiment, a hierarchical diagnosis network is employed that relies on the theory of hierarchical information whereby at any level of the network only the required abstracted information is being used for decision making. In another embodiment, a graph-based diagnosis and prognosis system is employed that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by information pathways. The nodes are fault diagnosis and fault prognosis nodes for components or sub-systems, and contain fault and state-of-health diagnosis and reasoning modules.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for providing fault detection and isolation in a vehicle, said method comprising:
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separating the vehicle into a plurality of systems, a plurality of sub-systems and a plurality of components; categorizing the systems, sub-systems and components into a hierarchical tree having levels where each system receives signals from a plurality of sub-systems at a lower level than the plurality of systems and each sub-system receives signals from a plurality of components at a lower level than the sub-systems; employing algorithms in the systems, sub-systems and components that provide and analyze diagnostic codes, trouble codes and other information to provide confidence estimate signals as to the likelihood that a particular sub-system or component has failed; sending signals from the components to the sub-systems and from the sub-systems to the systems that include the confidence estimate signals; analyzing the confidence estimate signals in the plurality of systems to attempt to isolate a fault; and sending signals to a supervisor at the top of the tree that identifies a particular fault with a certain level of confidence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for providing fault detection and isolation in a vehicle, said method comprising:
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identifying a plurality of systems, a plurality of sub-systems and a plurality of components in the vehicle; employing algorithms in the systems, sub-systems and components that provide and analyze diagnostic codes, trouble codes and other information to provide confidence estimate signals as to the likelihood that a particular sub-system or component has failed; sending the confidence estimate signals between and among the plurality of systems, the plurality of sub-systems and the plurality of components; and analyzing the confidence estimate signals in the plurality of systems and sub-systems to attempt to identify and isolate a fault. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A fault diagnosis system for providing fault detection and isolation in a vehicle, said system comprising:
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means for identifying a plurality of vehicle systems, a plurality of sub-systems and a plurality of components in the vehicle; means for employing algorithms in the vehicle systems, sub-systems and components that provide and analyze diagnostic codes, trouble codes and other information to provide confidence estimate signals as to the likelihood that a particular sub-system or component has failed; means for sending the confidence estimate signals between and among the plurality of vehicle systems, the plurality of sub-systems and the plurality of components; and means for analyzing the confidence estimate signals in the plurality of vehicle systems and sub-systems to attempt to identify and isolate a fault. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification