Diagnostic Test Sequence Optimization Method and Apparatus

• US 20100229044A1
• Filed: 03/08/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions LLC (SPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Portyanko, Oleksiy, Fountain, Gregory, Underdal, Olav, Mayes, Randy, Wittliff, William III, Gilbert, Harry
• Granted Patent: US 9,401,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A method for optimizing a test sequence to diagnose a failure mode of a device, such as a vehicle, is provided. At least one symptom of a fault of the device is received, and a plurality of taxonomies is generated. The taxonomies include a device component taxonomy, a fault taxonomy, and a diagnostic taxonomy, and each taxonomy has a plurality of nodes. At least one diagnostic test sequence, based on the symptom and the taxonomies, is generated, costs associated with the diagnostic test sequence are determined, and a cost optimal test sequence, based on the costs and the diagnostic test sequence, is generated.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a diagnostic test sequence to diagnose a failure mode of a device, comprising:

receiving at least one symptom of a fault of the device;

generating a plurality of taxonomies, including a device component taxonomy, a fault taxonomy, and a diagnostic taxonomy, each taxonomy having a plurality of nodes;

generating at least one diagnostic test sequence based on the symptom and the taxonomies;

determining costs associated with the diagnostic test sequence; and

generating a cost optimal test sequence based on the costs and the diagnostic test sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a vehicle and each node of the component taxonomy represents a component of the vehicle, each node of the fault taxonomy represents a failure mode associated with a component node, and each node of the diagnostic taxonomy represents a failure mode test associated with a failure mode node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating at least one diagnostic test sequence includes generating a diagnostic case history and generating a diagnostic sequence.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said diagnostic sequence is an prioritized ordered list of failure mode tests.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said determining costs includes calculating a diagnostic cost for each failure mode test and calculating a hypothetical resolution cost for each failure mode test.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to perform a speculative repair.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said determining whether to perform a speculative repair includes calculating a repair cost for each failure mode test, calculating an expected total repair cost, calculating speculative termination criteria, and determining whether to perform the speculative repair based on the speculative termination criteria.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of taxonomies includes a repair taxonomy in which each node represents a repair procedure associated with a failure mode node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of taxonomies includes an information taxonomy in which each node represents additional information associated with a component node.

10. A system for optimizing a diagnostic test sequence to diagnose a failure mode of a device, comprising:

an input for receiving at least one symptom of a fault of a vehicle;

a taxonomy generator for generating a plurality of taxonomies, including a vehicle component taxonomy, a fault taxonomy, and a diagnostic taxonomy, each taxonomy having a plurality of nodes;

a diagnostic test sequencer for generating at least one diagnostic test sequence based on the symptom and the taxonomies;

a cost analyzer for determining costs associated with the diagnostic test sequence;

a sequence optimizer for generating a cost optimal test sequence based on the costs and the diagnostic test sequence; and

at least one processor, coupled to the input, wherein the taxonomy generator, the diagnostic test sequencer, the cost analyzer and the sequence optimizer are software modules adapted to be executed by the processor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each node of the vehicle component taxonomy represents a component of the vehicle, each node of the fault taxonomy represents a failure mode associated with a component node, and each node of the diagnostic taxonomy represents a failure mode test associated with a failure mode node.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said generating at least one diagnostic test sequence includes generating a diagnostic case history and generating a diagnostic sequence.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said diagnostic sequence is an prioritized ordered list of failure mode tests.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said determining costs includes calculating a diagnostic cost for each failure mode test and calculating a hypothetical resolution cost for each failure mode test.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor determines whether to perform a speculative repair.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor calculates a repair cost for each failure mode test, calculates an expected total repair cost, calculates speculative termination criteria, and determines whether to perform the speculative repair based on the speculative termination criteria.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of taxonomies includes a repair taxonomy in which each node represents a repair procedure associated with a failure mode node.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of taxonomies includes an information taxonomy in which each node represents additional information associated with a component node.

19. An apparatus for optimizing a diagnostic test sequence to diagnose a failure mode of a device, comprising:

means for receiving at least one symptom of a fault of a vehicle;

means for generating a plurality of taxonomies, including a device component taxonomy, a fault taxonomy, and a diagnostic taxonomy, each taxonomy having a plurality of nodes;

means for generating at least one diagnostic test sequence based on the symptom and the taxonomies;

means for determining costs associated with the diagnostic test sequence; and

means for generating a cost optimal test sequence based on the costs and the diagnostic test sequence.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for determining whether to perform a speculative repair.