Method for the Computer-Aided Analysis of the Reliability of a Technical System, Corresponding Device, and a Corresponding Technical System

• US 20090222239A1
• Filed: 09/04/2006
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Ehlers, Petra, Sutor, Ariane, Klein, Wolfram
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the computer-assisted analysis of the reliability of a technical system comprising a plurality of technical components. According to said method, the reliabilities of the components are respectively described by a component function that depends on at least one parameter and a parameter interval of the at least one parameter, which is associated with the components and influences the reliability of the components; a system reliability of the technical system is determined from the reliabilities of the components; a variation value is respectively determined for at least some of the components f&, constituting a value for the variation of the system reliability according to the variation of the parameter interval of the respective component; and an influence quantity relating to the influence of the respective components on the system reliability is respectively determined for at lest some of the components from the variation value.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method for computer-aided analysis of the reliability of a technical system with a plurality of technical components, comprising:

describing the reliability of each of the plurality of technical components by a component function which is a function of at least one parameter and a parameter interval for the at least one parameter which is assigned to one of the components and affects the reliability of the component;

determining a system reliability for the technical system from the reliabilities of the components;

determining for each of at least some of the components a change magnitude which is a measure of the change in the system reliability as a function of the change in the parameter interval for the component concerned; and

determining a factor for the effect of the component concerned on the system reliability via the change magnitude for each of at least some of the components.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein, based on the factors determined, at least one component is identified having a greater effect on the system reliability than the other.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein at least one parameter is time.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the parameter intervals assigned to the components are predefined time maintenance intervals for the components.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the reliabilities of the components are variables which characterize the probability of a fault and/or failure and/or the availability of the component concerned.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the component functions comprise at least one probability distribution function.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the probability distribution function is selected from the group consisting of:

a Weibull distribution, a gamma distribution, a lognormal distribution, an exponential distribution and combinations thereof.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the reliabilities of the components are combined with each other using a Boolean algebra.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein each of the change magnitudes comprises the derivative of the system reliability with respect to the parameter interval concerned.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the factors for a plurality of the components comprise in each case an integral, with respect to the at least one parameter of the change magnitude for the component concerned.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the factors for each of the plurality of the components comprise the maximum value of the absolute value of the change magnitude for the component concerned in an interval of the at least one parameter.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the factors for each of the plurality of the components comprise the absolute value of the change magnitude for the component concerned at a predefined value of the at least one parameter.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the reliability of a power station, and/or of a technical control system is analyzed.

32. A device for the computer-aided analysis of a technical system having a plurality of technical components, comprising:

a describing device that describes the reliability of each of the plurality of technical components by a component function which is a function of at least one parameter and a parameter interval for the at least one parameter which is assigned to one of the components and affects the reliability of the component;

a determining device that determines a system reliability for the technical system from the reliabilities of the components;

a further determining device that determines for each of at least some of the components a change magnitude which is a measure of the change in the system reliability as a function of the change in the parameter interval for the component concerned; and

a further determining device that determines a factor for the effect of the component concerned on the system reliability via the change magnitude for each of at least some of the components.

33. A technical system with a plurality of technical components, comprising:

a describing device that describes the reliability of each of the plurality of technical components by a component function which is a function of at least one parameter and a parameter interval for the at least one parameter which is assigned to one of the components and affects the reliability of the component;

a determining device that determines a system reliability for the technical system from the reliabilities of the components;

a further determining device that determines for each of at least some of the components a change magnitude which is a measure of the change in the system reliability as a function of the change in the parameter interval for the component concerned; and

a further determining device that determines a factor for the effect of the component concerned on the system reliability via the change magnitude for each of at least some of the components.

34. The technical system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the technical system comprises a power station, having a steam turbine and/or a technical control system having a motor control unit.