Method and system for autonomously resolving a failure

• US 7,133,756 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bharadwaj, Raj Mohan, Jammu, Vinay Bhaskar
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Mark T.
• Application Number:
  US11/059,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20050139728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 246/122.R, 246/167.R, 246/2, 701/3, 701/29, 701/35, 701/31, 105/26.05, 105/29, 706/45, 706/50, 340/945
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0286 Modifications to the monitored process, e.g. stopping operation or adapting control

Abstract

In a railroad locomotive having a plurality of systems which collectively are used for locomotive operations, a method of self-healing a system of the plurality of systems comprising monitoring operational conditions of the system, detecting at least one of a pending and a current failure, determining a self-healing procedure to correct the failure, and applying the self-healing procedure comprising at least one of a safe mode technique, a redundancy technique, and an automatic configuration technique.

Claims

1. Computer readable medium comprising a computer software code for autonomously self-healing each system of a plurality of systems of a locomotive having at least one computer, said computer software code comprising:

a. a software module for a computer for monitoring operational conditions said each system of said plurality of systems;

b. a software module for a computer for detecting at least one of a pending and a current failure in at least one of said systems;

c. a software module for a computer for determining a self-healing procedure to correct said failure in at least one of said systems;

d. a software module for a computer for applying said self-healing procedure comprising code for at least one of a self-healing control technique, a redundancy technique, and an automatic fix technique to correct said failure in at least one of said systems;

e. wherein at least one of the software module for a computer for determining a self-healing procedure and the software module for a computer for applying said self-healing procedure comprises code for providing a sub-software module for operating a controller at less than an optimal level while using an alternate software module to perform controller functions; and

f. wherein said code for the hardware and software redundancy technique further comprises code for ceasing use of a software program associated with said system experiencing said failure and using a redundant copy of said software program.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said code for the self-healing control technique comprises code for operating said system in a safe mode condition.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said code for the redundancy technique comprises code for using a hardware and software redundancy technique.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3 wherein said code for the hardware and software redundancy technique further comprises code for ceasing use of said system experiencing said failure and using a redundant system.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 3 wherein said code for the hardware and software redundancy technique further comprises code for reprogramming said redundant system to replace said system experiencing said failure.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said code for the automatic fix technique comprises code for automatically resetting said system when a pending fault is detected.

7. The computer readable medium-of claim 1 further comprising a software module for logging an alert if at least one of said self-healing techniques did not correct said failure and a level of confidence does not exceed a desired threshold.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the software module for determining said self-healing technique further comprises code for evaluating said failure with a matrix comprising a list of failures fixable with said self-healing technique.

9. Computer readable medium comprising a computer software code for autonomously self-healing each system of a plurality of systems of a locomotive having at least one computer;

said computer software code comprising;

a. a software module for a computer for monitoring operational conditions of said each system of said plurality of systems of the locomotive

b. a software module for a computer for detecting at least one of a pending and a current failure in at least one of said systems based on a change in operational conditions;

c. a software module for a computer for determining a self-healing procedure to correct said failure in at least one of said system;

d. a software module for a computer for applying said self-healing procedure comprising code for at least one of a self-healing control technique, a redundancy technique, and an automatic fix technique to correct said failure in at least one of said systems;

e. wherein said code for the self-healing control technique comprises code for providing a software module for operating a controller at less than an optimal level while using an alternate software module to perform controller functions; and

f. wherein said code for the hardware and software redundancy technique further comprises code for applying an analytical model to estimate a measurable value generated by said system when said value can not be measured due to said failure.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein said code for the self-healing control technique comprises code for operating said system in a safe mode condition.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein said code for the redundancy technique comprises code for using a hardware and software redundancy technique.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said code for the hardware and software redundancy technique further comprises code for ceasing use of said system experiencing said failure and using a redundant system.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said code for the hardware and software redundancy technique further comprises code for reprogramming said redundant system to replace said system experiencing said failure.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein said code for the automatic fix technique comprises code for automatically resetting said system when a pending fault is detected.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising a software module for logging an alert if at least one of said self-healing techniques did not correct said failure and a level of confidence does not exceed a desired threshold.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the software module for determining said self-healing technique further comprises code for evaluating said failure with a matrix comprising a list of failures fixable with said self-healing technique.