Diagnostic expert system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A diagnostic expert system for diagnosing a data processing apparatus having a control unit, memory unit, and input/output unit, according to a fault message issued from the apparatus due to a fault occurring therein, comprising:
- diagnostic memory means for storing therein both diagnostic data and structure data;
diagnostic control means for maintaining the diagnostic data;
first diagnostic means for performing automated reasoning to determine a questionable object, based on both said fault message and said diagnostic data and for diagnosing the questionable object; and
second diagnostic means for hypothesizing the questionable object based on the structure data regarding the data processing apparatus, a related faulty object being specified by said first diagnostic means when possible and, if the related faulty object cannot be specified by said first diagnostic means, said second diagnostic means specifies the related faulty object,wherein in said second diagnostic means, the questionable object is identified, and then data of a processing procedure corresponding to the questionable object is selected, and the processing procedure is executed from last to first in a reverse direction to search for the related faulty object.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A diagnostic expert system is set up with a first diagnostic subsystem based on a maintenance technician'"'"'s knowledge and a second diagnostic subsystem based on a design engineer'"'"'s knowledge. If a fault cannot be located under the first diagnostic subsystem, the second diagnostic subsystem, which operates by using the result obtained from the first diagnostic subsystem is started so as to determine the location of the fault.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A diagnostic expert system for diagnosing a data processing apparatus having a control unit, memory unit, and input/output unit, according to a fault message issued from the apparatus due to a fault occurring therein, comprising:
-
diagnostic memory means for storing therein both diagnostic data and structure data; diagnostic control means for maintaining the diagnostic data; first diagnostic means for performing automated reasoning to determine a questionable object, based on both said fault message and said diagnostic data and for diagnosing the questionable object; and second diagnostic means for hypothesizing the questionable object based on the structure data regarding the data processing apparatus, a related faulty object being specified by said first diagnostic means when possible and, if the related faulty object cannot be specified by said first diagnostic means, said second diagnostic means specifies the related faulty object, wherein in said second diagnostic means, the questionable object is identified, and then data of a processing procedure corresponding to the questionable object is selected, and the processing procedure is executed from last to first in a reverse direction to search for the related faulty object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A diagnostic expert system for diagnosing a data processing apparatus having a control unit, memory unit, and input/output unit, according to a fault message issued from the apparatus due to a fault occurring therein, comprising:
-
diagnostic memory means for storing therein both diagnostic data and structure data; diagnostic control means for maintaining the diagnostic data; first diagnostic means for performing automated reasoning to determine a questionable object, based on both said fault message and said diagnostic data and for diagnosing the questionable object; and second diagnostic means for hypothesizing the questionable object based on the structure data regarding the data processing apparatus, a related faulty object being specified by said first diagnostic means when possible and, if the related faulty object cannot be specified by said first diagnostic means, said second diagnostic means specifies the related faulty object; said first diagnostic means diagnosing the questionable object by using a self diagnostic program, and if the related faulty object is not specified, said second diagnostic means determines the related faulty object by performing automated reasoning based on a connection relationship between the control, memory and input/output units comprising the data processing apparatus, and a processing procedure for the questionable object is executed from last to first in a reverse direction.
-
-
13. A diagnostic expert system for diagnosing a data processing apparatus having a control unit, memory unit, and input/output unit, according to a fault message issued from the apparatus due to a fault occurring therein, comprising:
-
diagnostic memory means for storing therein both diagnostic data and structure data; diagnostic control means for maintaining the diagnostic data; first diagnostic means for performing automated reasoning to determine a questionable object, based on both said fault message and said diagnostic data and for diagnosing the questionable object; and second diagnostic means for hypothesizing the questionable object based on the structure data regarding the data processing apparatus, a related faulty object being specified by said first diagnostic means when possible and, if the related faulty object cannot be specified by said first diagnostic means, said second diagnostic means specifies the related faulty object; said first diagnostic means including a first part for receiving the fault message, translating the fault message into a corresponding fault number and retrieving a diagnostic rule contained in the diagnostic data using the corresponding fault number, and a second part for identifying the questionable object based on the diagnostic rule and starting execution of a test program corresponding to the questionable object to carry out a self-diagnosis, and wherein said second diagnostic means also includes a third part identifying an object corresponding to the fault message as the questionable object based on the automated reasoning performed by said first diagnostic means, a fourth part performing a backtrace of a processing procedure step by step with respect to the questionable object, and a fifth part specifying the questionable object identified as a result of the self-diagnosis achieved in said first diagnostic means.
-
-
14. A diagnostic expert system for diagnosing a data processing apparatus having a control unit, memory unit and input/output unit, according to fault messages issued from the apparatus due to faults occurring therein, comprising:
-
a first knowledge data base containing therein diagnostic rules, created by maintenance technicians, the diagnostic rules defining causes of each fault in connection directly with at least one of the fault messages; a second knowledge data base, created by design engineers, containing therein data relating to structure and function of the data processing apparatus; a first reasoning subsystem for performing automated reasoning with an objective of determining a questionable object liable to cause a corresponding fault based upon a receive fault message with reference to said first knowledge data base; and a second reasoning subsystem for performing automated reasoning to determine the questionable object with reference to said second knowledge data base when the questionable object is not found by the automated reasoning performed by said first reasoning subsystem, a circumstance analysis is carried out by said second reasoning subsystem with reference to the automated reasoning performed by said first reasoning subsystem, and according to the circumstance analysis, a hypothesis regarding the questionable object is generated and verified to find a target faulty object, wherein in said second reasoning subsystem, the questionable object is identified and a processing procedure corresponding to the questionable object is selected, and the processing procedure is executed from last to first in a reverse direction to search for the target faulty object. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A diagnostic expert system as set forth in cl aim 14, further comprising a knowledge base management unit for managing the diagnostic rules and the data in said first and second knowledge data bases, respectively.
-
22. A diagnostic expert system for diagnosing a data processing apparatus having a control unit, memory unit and input/output unit, according to fault messages issued from the apparatus due to faults occurring therein, comprising:
-
a first knowledge data base containing therein diagnostic rules, created by maintenance technicians, the diagnostic rules defining causes of each fault in connection directly with at least one of the fault messages; a second knowledge data base, created by design engineers, containing therein data relating to structure and function of the data processing apparatus; a first reasoning subsystem for performing automated reasoning with an objective of determining a questionable object liable to cause a corresponding fault based upon a received fault message with reference to said first knowledge data base; and a second reasoning subsystem for performing automated reasoning to determine the questionable object with reference to said second knowledge data base when the questionable object is not found by the automated reasoning performed by said first reasoning subsystem, a circumstance analysis is carried out by said second reasoning subsystem with reference to the automated reasoning performed by said first reasoning subsystem, and according to the circumstance analysis, a hypothesis regarding the questionable object is generated and verified to find a target faulty object; said first reasoning subsystem including first means for receiving the fault messages, for translating each fault message into a corresponding fault number and for retrieving a diagnostic rule using the corresponding fault number; and second means for identifying the questionable object based on the diagnostic rule and starting execution of a test program corresponding to the questionable object to carry out a self-diagnosis, and wherein said second reasoning subsystem includes third means for identifying an object corresponding to one of the fault messages as the questionable object based on the automated reasoning performed by said first reasoning subsystem, fourth means for performing a backtrace of a processing procedure step by step with respect to the questionable object, and fifth means for specifying the questionable object identified as a result of the self-diagnosis achieved in said first reasoning subsystem.
-
-
23. A method of diagnosing a fault occurring in an operating device having components, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) storing diagnostic data relating to the operating device; (b) storing structure data defining relationships between the components of the operating device; (c) evaluating the diagnostic data in a data processing apparatus with an objective of identifying a potential source of the fault; (d) evaluating the structure data to hypothesize the potential source of the fault, in dependence upon said evaluating in step (c); and (e) executing a processing procedure corresponding to the potential source in reverse direction to determine the source of the fault. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
Specification