Method and apparatus for diagnostic testing including a neural network for determining testing sufficiency
First Claim
1. An improved electronic diagnostic tester for evaluating a failure state of a system having a defined number of functional elements, said diagnostic tester comprising:
- an electronic signal input interface for providing electronic test signals;
evaluating means, responsive to at least one inputted test signal corresponding to test data relating to at least one predetermined parameter of the system, for producing;
a set of possible diagnoses of the failure state of the system ranked according to a level of certainty associated with each diagnosis of being valid;
first and second candidate signals corresponding respectively to first and second ones of said possible diagnoses respectively having the first and second highest levels of certainty of being valid, andfirst and second certainty signals corresponding respectively to values of said first and second highest levels of certainty; and
testing sufficiency means, responsive to said first and second certainty signals, for producing an output signal indicative of whether sufficient test data has been evaluated to declare a diagnosis.
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Abstract
A diagnostic tester evaluates at least one inputted test signal corresponding to test data relating to at least one predetermined parameter of a system being tested, to produce first and second candidate signals corresponding respectively to first and second possible diagnoses of the condition of the system respectively having the first and second highest levels of certainty of being valid, and first and second certainty signals corresponding respectively to values of the first and second highest levels of certainty. The diagnostic tester further determines the sufficiency of the testing that has taken place responsive to the first and second certainty signals, and produces an output signal indicative of whether sufficient test data has been evaluated to declare a diagnosis. Preferably, an uncertainty signal corresponding to a measure of the uncertainty that the evaluated at least one test signal can be validly evaluated is also produced and used to produce the output signal.
194 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An improved electronic diagnostic tester for evaluating a failure state of a system having a defined number of functional elements, said diagnostic tester comprising:
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an electronic signal input interface for providing electronic test signals; evaluating means, responsive to at least one inputted test signal corresponding to test data relating to at least one predetermined parameter of the system, for producing; a set of possible diagnoses of the failure state of the system ranked according to a level of certainty associated with each diagnosis of being valid; first and second candidate signals corresponding respectively to first and second ones of said possible diagnoses respectively having the first and second highest levels of certainty of being valid, and first and second certainty signals corresponding respectively to values of said first and second highest levels of certainty; and testing sufficiency means, responsive to said first and second certainty signals, for producing an output signal indicative of whether sufficient test data has been evaluated to declare a diagnosis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An automatic diagnostic tester for testing a system state according to a set of defined relationships between a plurality of sources for providing information about the system and a plurality of conclusions about the state of the system, said tester comprising:
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an electronic signal input interface for providing electronic test signals corresponding to the information provided by the plurality of sources; first control means for selecting the test signals provided by said signal input interface corresponding to successive ones of the information sources for evaluation according to the relative amount of information provided by each information source until the test signals for all of the information sources have been selected or the information which would be provided thereby has been determined; second control means for further selecting the test signals provided by said signal input interface corresponding to successive ones of the information sources for evaluation according to which information source will increase the level of certainty that a selected candidate conclusion constitutes a valid diagnosis of the system state. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An automatic controller for controlling the operation of a physical system, said controller comprising:
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sensor means for sensing at least one predetermined system parameter indicative of an operating state of the system and producing output data signals indicative of the value of said at least one sensed parameter; control means responsive to said sensor means output data signals for controlling a value of at least one operating parameter of the system to control the operating state of the system, said control means comprising; evaluating means, responsive to said sensor means output data signals, for producing; a set of possible diagnoses of the operating state of the system ranked according to a level of certainty associated with each diagnosis of being valid, first and second candidate signals corresponding respectively to first and second ones of said possible diagnoses respectively having the first and second highest levels of certainty of being valid, and first and second certainty signals corresponding respectively to values of said first and second highest levels of certainty; and testing sufficiency means, responsive to said first and second certainty signals, for producing an output signal indicative of whether sufficient sensor output data signals have been evaluated to declare a diagnosis, said control means being responsive to said testing sufficiency means output signal.
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Specification