Malfunction analysis apparatus, malfunction analysis method, and recording medium

• US 9,043,645 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IP Wave Pte. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimaki, Ryohei, Tsukahara, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): GUYTON, PHILIP A
• Application Number:
  US13/643,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20130042148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26
• US Class Current: 714/26
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/024 Quantitative history assessment, e.g. mathematical relationships between available data; Functions therefor; Principal component analysis [PCA]; Partial least square [PLS]; Statistical classifiers, e.g. Bayesian networks, linear regression or correlation analysis; Neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0275 Fault isolation and identification, e.g. classify fault; estimate cause or root of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36

Abstract

A malfunction analysis apparatus (100) is provided with a malfunction-analysis processor (107), an attribute-extraction processor (108), and an outputter (105). The malfunction-analysis processor (107) obtains a malfunction-contribution degree, which indicates a degree that individual malfunctions (to be called malfunctioning elements, hereafter) contribute to the malfunctioning of the object being analyzed, on the basis of the relative relationship between the data to be analyzed that has, as elements thereof, values generated on the basis of a plurality of indicator values of the object being analyzed, and representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to each of the plurality of malfunctions. Then, the malfunctioning elements being generated is specified, on the basis of the obtained malfunction-contribution degree. The attribute-extraction processor (108) specifies, when a malfunctioning is taking place that is a combination of the malfunctioning elements, the indicators that are estimated as the cause of the specified malfunctioning elements, on the basis of the representative values of the plurality of indicators, and the values of each of the elements of the data to be analyzed that was stored. The outputter (105) outputs the specified malfunctioning elements and/or the indicators.

Claims

1. A malfunction analysis apparatus comprising:

a malfunction-contribution degree calculator configured to obtain a malfunction-contribution degree, which indicates a degree that individual malfunctions contribute to a malfunctioning of an object being analyzed, based on a relative relationship between data to be analyzed, of which elements are configured to have values generated based on values of a plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed, and representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions, respectively;

a malfunctioning elements specifier which is configured to specify malfunctioning elements currently occurring, based on the malfunction-contribution degree obtained by the malfunction-contribution degree calculator;

a cause indicator specifier configured to specify, when a malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, an indicator which is estimated as a cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on the representative values of the plurality of indicators and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed; and

an outputter configured to output at least one of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier and the indicator specified by the cause indicator specifier

the malfunction-contribution degree calculator includes;

a memory configured to store data to be analyzed, which stores the data to be analyzed, of which elements have the values generated based on the values of the plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed; and

an obtainer configured to obtain the malfunction-contribution degree, which is configured to indicate the degree that individual malfunctions contribute to the malfunctioning, based on a relative relationship between corresponding values of representative values of the elements of a malfunction pattern which represents representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively, and values of the elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed, which are stored in advance,

wherein the cause indicator specifier is configured to specify, when the malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, the indicator which is estimated as the cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on values of the elements of an attribute pattern, which are stored in advance and represents a set of the representative values of the plurality of indicators, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed, and

a change degree calculator configured to obtain a degree of change of value of each indicator for the data to be analyzed; and

a memory configured to store, as the data to be analyzed, the set of values which represents the degree of change obtained by the change degree calculator,

wherein

the value of each element of the malfunction pattern is a value representing the representative value of the degree of change for the value of each indicator corresponding to each malfunction, and

the value of each element of the attribute pattern is a value representing the representative value of the degree of change for the value of each indicator corresponding to the combination of respective malfunctions.

2. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the malfunction-contribution degree calculator includes:

a memory for data to be analyzed which is configured to store the data to be analyzed of which elements have the values generated based on the values of the plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed; and

an obtainer configured to obtain the malfunction-contribution degree, which indicates the degree that malfunctioning elements contribute to the malfunctioning, based on a relative relationship between corresponding values of representative values of the elements of a malfunction pattern which represents representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively, and values of the elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed, which are stored in advance,

wherein

the cause indicator specifier is configured to calculate, when the malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, values of the elements of an attribute pattern which represents the set of the representative values of the plurality of indicators based on representative values of the elements of a malfunction pattern, and specifies the indicator which is estimated as the cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on the calculated values of the elements of attribute pattern, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed.

3. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data matrix generator configured to generate a first matrix from the data to be analyzed by arranging each indicator value of the data to be analyzed;

a data matrix memory configured to store the value of each element in each line of the first matrix generated by the data matrix generator as the data to be analyzed; and

a malfunction occurrence matrix generator configured to generate a second matrix from the data to be analyzed by arranging presence or absence of malfunction occurrence to the data to be analyzed,

wherein the malfunction-contribution degree calculator includes;

a malfunction pattern memory configured to store the value of each element of data in which the second matrix generated by the malfunction occurrence matrix generator and an unknown malfunction pattern representing representative values of the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively are associated; and

a calculator configured to calculate the malfunction-contribution degree and the values of the elements of the malfunction pattern, based on a relative relationship between corresponding values of the values of a plurality of elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the data matrix memory and the values of respective elements stored in the malfunction pattern memory,

wherein

the cause indicator specifier specifies, when the malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, the indicator which is estimated as the cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on values of the elements of an attribute pattern, which are stored in advance and represents a set of the representative values of the plurality of indicators, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed.

4. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data matrix generator configured to generate a first matrix from the data to be analyzed by arranging each indicator value of the data to be analyzed;

a data matrix memory configured to store the value of each element in each line of the first matrix generated by the data matrix generator as the data to be analyzed; and

a malfunction occurrence matrix generator configured to generate a second matrix from the data to be analyzed by arranging presence or absence of malfunction occurrence to the data to be analyzed,

wherein the malfunction-contribution degree calculator includes;

a malfunction pattern memory configured to store the value of each element of data in which the second matrix generated by the malfunction occurrence matrix generator and an unknown malfunction pattern representing representative values of the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively are associated; and

a calculator configured to calculate the malfunction-contribution degree and the values of the elements of the malfunction pattern, based on a relative relationship between corresponding values of the values of a plurality of elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the data matrix memory and the values of respective elements stored in the malfunction pattern memory,

wherein

the cause indicator specifier calculates, when the malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, values of the elements of an attribute pattern which represents the set of the representative values of the plurality of indicators based on values of the elements of a malfunction pattern, and specifies the indicator which is estimated as the cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on the calculated values of the elements of the attribute pattern, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed.

5. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory for data to be analyzed is configured to store the values of the plurality of indicators of the object being analyzed as the data to be analyzed without any change.

6. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the memory for data to be analyzed is configured to store the values of the plurality of indicators of the object being analyzed as the data to be analyzed without any change.

7. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the memory for data to be analyzed is configured to store the values of the plurality of indicators of the object being analyzed as the data to be analyzed without any change.

8. The malfunction analysis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the memory for data to be analyzed is configured to store the values of the plurality of indicators of the object being analyzed as the data to be analyzed without any change.

9. A malfunction analysis method comprising:

a malfunction-contribution degree calculation step for obtaining a malfunction-contribution degree, which indicates a degree that individual malfunctions contribute to a malfunctioning of an object being analyzed, based on a relative relationship between data to be analyzed, of which elements are configured to have values generated based on values of a plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed, and representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively;

a malfunctioning elements specifying step for specifying the malfunctioning elements currently occurring, based on the malfunction-contribution degree obtained in the malfunction-contribution degree calculation step;

a cause indicator specifying step for specifying, when a malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, an indicator which is estimated as a cause of the malfunctioning elements specified in the malfunctioning elements specifying step, based on the representative values of the plurality of indicators, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed;

an output step for outputting at least one of the malfunctioning elements specified in the malfunctioning elements specifying step and the indicator specified in the cause indicator specifying step;

the malfunction-contribution degree calculation step including;

storing data to be analyzed, which stores the data to be analyzed, of which elements have the values generated based on the values of the plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed; and

obtaining the malfunction-contribution degree, which indicates the degree that individual malfunctions contribute to the malfunctioning, based on a relative relationship between corresponding values of representative values of the elements of a malfunction pattern which represents representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively, and values of the elements of the data to be analyzed are stored for data to be analyzed, being stored in advance,

wherein the cause indicator specifying step is configured to specify, when the malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, the indicator which is estimated as the cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on values of the elements of an attribute pattern, which are stored in advance and represents a set of the representative values of the plurality of indicators, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed, and

a change degree calculation step for obtaining a degree of change of value of each indicator for the data to be analyzed; and

storing, as the data to be analyzed, the set of values which represents the degree of change obtained by the change degree calculator,

wherein

the value of each element of the malfunction pattern is a value representing the representative value of the degree of change for the value of each indicator corresponding to each malfunction, and

the value of each element of the attribute pattern is a value representing the representative value of the degree of change for the value of each indicator corresponding to the combination of respective malfunctions.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording a program which causes a computer to function as:

a malfunction-contribution degree calculator configured to obtain a malfunction-contribution degree, which indicates a degree that individual malfunctions contribute to a malfunctioning of an object being analyzed, based on a relative relationship between data to be analyzed, of which elements are configured to have values generated based on values of a plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed, and representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively;

a malfunctioning elements specifier which is configured to specify the malfunctioning elements currently occurring, based on the malfunction-contribution degree obtained by the malfunction-contribution degree calculator;

a cause indicator specifier which is configured to specify, when a malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, an indicator which is estimated as a cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on the representative values of the plurality of indicators and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed;

an outputter configured to output at least one of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier and the indicator specified by the cause indicator specifier;

the malfunction-contribution degree calculator including;

a memory configured to store data to be analyzed, which stores the data to be analyzed, of which elements have the values generated based on the values of the plurality of indicators for the object being analyzed; and

an obtainer configured to obtain the malfunction-contribution degree, which is configured to indicate the degree that individual malfunctions contribute to the malfunctioning, based on a relative relationship between corresponding values of representative values of the elements of a malfunction pattern which represents representative values for the plurality of indicators corresponding to a plurality of malfunctions respectively, and values of the elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed, which are stored in advance,

wherein the cause indicator specifier is configured to specify, when the malfunction involving a combination of malfunctioning elements occurs, the indicator which is estimated as the cause of the malfunctioning elements specified by the malfunctioning elements specifier, based on values of the elements of an attribute pattern, which are stored in advance and represents a set of the representative values of the plurality of indicators, and the values of respective elements of the data to be analyzed stored in the memory for data to be analyzed, and

a change degree calculator configured to obtain a degree of change of value of each indicator for the data to be analyzed; and

a memory configured to store, as the data to be analyzed, the set of values which represents the degree of change obtained by the change degree calculator,

wherein

the value of each element of the malfunction pattern is a value representing the representative value of the degree of change for the value of each indicator corresponding to each malfunction, and

the value of each element of the attribute pattern is a value representing the representative value of the degree of change for the value of each indicator corresponding to the combination of respective malfunctions.