Patent ID: 6343261
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: G06F,G06N

Abstract:
A device for automatically diagnosing a technical system (tS), comprising components havinga first information-processing unit (diagnosis machine) and a second information-processing unit (inference machine), in which the two information-processing units have reading access to a first memory region (S1),which, for each component type (Comp Type) of which at least one copy is present in the technical system, stores information, including which parameters characterize this component type (Comp Type), the two information-processing units having reading and writing access to a second memory region (S2),which stores information about the design of the technical system (tS), and, for each component of the technical system (tS), stores the following information: the component type of the component (Comp); and the other components to which the component (Comp) is connected, in that, for each other component (Comp_1) that is connected to the component (Comp), it is noted which parameter of the component (Comp) is identified with which other parameter of the connected component (Comp_1); the two information-processing units having reading and writing access to a third memory region (S3),which can store value contexts, with a value context being information about the allocation of certain values to certain parameters of the technical system (tS), and which stores at least one value context (WT), at least from time to time; the two information-processing units having reading and writing access to a fourth memory region (S4),which can store the value contexts, the first information-processing unit (diagnosis machine)diagnosing the technical system, and, during a diagnosis, the second information-processing unit (inference machine) determining the value of at least one other parameter as a function of the value contexts in the third memory region (S3) for at least one value context that is stored in the third memory region (S3), through the evaluation of information that is stored in the first memory region (S1), and through the evaluation of information that is stored in the second memory region (S2), the inference machine storing this information in the form of a value context in the fourth memory region (S4), characterized in that, for at least one component type (Comp Type),information about at least one measure (M) that can be implemented at the component type (Comp Type) is stored in the first memory region (S1), with the information about the parameter of the component type (Comp Type) to which the measure (M) relates being stored in a first partial memory region (S1.1) of the first memory region (S1), and a local prerequisite for the validity of the measure (M) being noted in a second partial memory region (S1.2) of the first memory region (S1), namely a specification that stipulates for which values of parameters of the component type (Comp Type) the measure (M) may be implemented, and, for at least one component (Comp) of this component type (Comp Type), and for at least one value context (WT) that is stored in the third memory region (S3), the first information-processing unit (diagnosis machine)tests the validity of the measure (M) in the value context (WT), that is, it tests whether the measure (M) can be implemented at the component (Comp) in the value context (WT), and, for this test, it compares a value context that is stored in the fourth memory region (S4) to the local prerequisite for the validity of the measure (M), which is stored in the second partial memory region (S1.2).