Solutions
Diagnostics Based on Expert Knowledge of the Diagnostic Design
Beginning Early in Design Development
Using the inherent power of Integrated Systems Diagnostic Design, or “ISDD”, the Expertise of the Diagnostic Design data is captured and vetted for accuracy and completeness within the eXpress diagnostic modeling process. As the functional and failure causes are propagated throughout the Design architecture during the Design Development process, the functional and failure interdependencies are also established and retained within the eXpress modeling process.
Have eXpress Capture Design and Support Expertise
Since eXpress is a very capable and sophisticated diagnostic engineering tool, it has an assortment of advanced facilities, some of which accommodate and expedite the gathering, storing, interconnecting and propagating of any of the properties of any components, or any set of components contained in any design. This will be the case regardless if we are referring to the use of any level or multiple levels within any design, subsystem, system or system of systems (SoS). One of the core strengths of eXpress is to provide a palate to establish such a robust capability.
Have eXpress Check Your Work – and All Contributing Parties
Once the eXpress design is considered to be at a point of evaluation (as determined by having eXpress auto-check the models for the existence of any logical errors), then it will structure and organize all of the data contained within each component contained in the model. Since the model represent the propagation of functions and failures throughout the design, it will establish any and all of the known or unknown interdependencies. As these interdependencies are further propagated among any other “integrated” design contained within the “system” architecture, these interdependencies establish more comprehensive functional and failure interrelationships extending throughout the “integrated system”.
Once we’ve been able to capture and validate all of the functional and failure interrelationships between any or all of the integrated designs contained in the system(s), we can now create an “Expert Diagnostic Knowledgebase”. Eventually, this Knowledgebase can serve as an invaluable resource that is capable of accommodating any design updates or modifications either during the design development and/or during design sustainment lifecycles.
Realize Value in Design Development and Sustainment
Furthermore, it provides a springboard towards drastically reducing the development schedule and costs of developing such a similarly robust knowledgebase for future variant design, if any. Keep in mind that another ISDD tool, “RTAT”, is able to merge any design documents, drawings, images or maintenance procedures with the Diagnostic Knowledgebase from eXpress for one-button transfer to the Field Technician using “DSI Workbench”, for run-time guided troubleshooting.
Ensure Sensor Corroboration and Explicit Test Coverage
With ISDD, all of the sensors used throughout the subsystems are fully described in the eXpress Diagnostic model. When the eXpress model is “processed” by eXpress, “ALL” of the interdependencies are identified and exposed to elaborate diagnostic design scrutiny, including the ability to determine the confidence or effectiveness of the sensors as used within the design architecture. As such, the Test Coverage for every sensor contained therein is fully represented and extrapolated throughout the integrated design(s), and any constraints (knowingly or unknowingly) reducing or “interfering” with the BIT Test Coverage (as may exist in any operational mode or “state”) is fully considered and reported within eXpress for better-informed design or sustainment decision-making purposes.
Since the diagnostic interdependencies are fully represented as a core characteristic of the expert diagnostic knowledgebase, it will be fully capable of determining the effectiveness of on-board BIT for any of the systems exercising this capability, specifically for such purposes as any operational “Health Management” implementations, if any.
The eXpress Design Viewer is a Free “Shareware”
Once the eXpress Diagnostic Model has been exported through “DiagML”, it can be immediately “published” in RTAT and a “Project Data”, or “PD” file is generated. This PD file is a highly compressed file that intended to be sent by electronic transmission to any or all program parties so they can review the same project file. The recipient does not need to have purchase any software application on their computer to read and open the file for technical review. Instead, the recipient only needs to install the free “eXpress Design Viewer” onto any computer used to view the PD file. The eXpress Design Viewer is available from the DSI website as described below.
Ensure Health Management Provides “Diagnostic Conclusions” to the Field
Such Health Management Implementations (IVHM, ISHM, PHM, etc.) have not typically been designed in coordination with the “bridging” of the on-board “diagnostic conclusions” to the off-board diagnostic implementation. This has been a ubiquitous shortcoming of the designing for on-board HM as it is not designed to comingle with the off-board diagnostic activities nearly as diagnostically-conclusive as it would naturally be capable of doing with ISDD.
Ensure Desired Level of Expertise is Available to All Skill Levels in the Field (or Production Environment)
The multiple “levels of diagnostics” involved in the transferring of diagnostic conclusions (in lieu of the simplistic BIT “test results”) to the off-board diagnostic implementation that is effectively engaged in the systems’ sustainment paradigm, provides a robust and unique capability to carry the captured expert diagnostic design knowledgebase to the Field Technician. Typically, the reporting of on-board failed BIT codes is not blessed with “diagnostic savvy” and simply reports detected “pass” or “fail” BIT results, which omits the transferring of the “Diagnostic Conclusions” (knowledge), to the off-board Field Technician.
Targeting Your Application for Success
This capability has extensive customizing alternatives to service a broad range of critical or sophisticated products ranging from advanced, large-scale military systems, to rail transportation, advanced automotive, energy or communication systems. Bringing the “Collaborative” Expert Knowledge to the Field Technician.
MUST be a Design Characteristic that is designed into the Development Process – ISDD. Exploit your diagnostic effectiveness per any sustainment paradigm using “STAGE”, which provided a potpourri of data analytics for extensive operational evaluation.
The Limitations of Spreadsheets as a Diagnostic “Knowledgebase”
The reliance on Diagnostic development for critical or sophisticated systems without the use of eXpress, and as solely contained and represented in “Spreadsheets”, is an antiquated and vastly inferior endeavor. The data contained in various cells in any spreadsheet is unable to describe any of the diagnostic interdependencies with or among any other data contained in any arbitrary cell, or if there is, in fact, any diagnostic interrelationship. This limitation inherent with the use of spreadsheets for serious diagnostic objectives is not only incomplete and unsustainable, but can be costly throughout the design development and sustainment lifecycles. As a result, “EXPERT DIAGNOSTIC KNOWLEDGE to the Field Technician is severely compromised when relying on the use of Spreadsheets for such purposes.
Fortunately, ISDD is a vastly superior and scalable alternative!
