Abstract: A plurality of wireless sensors can be placed within a large system in various locations to monitor critical elements of that system. Each wireless sensor can include sensor elements usable to monitor one or more parameters of an element of the system and a wireless signal transmitter, such as, for example, a speaker or an antenna. Each sensor can transmit one or more unique identifying signals to a signal-receiving device, which can be processed by a signal processor. The signal processor can determine each received signal, the sensor corresponding to that identified signal, and the time the wireless signal was generated. Based on this information, the wireless signals can be diagnostically compared against expected values for the system being monitored and evaluated. If a discrepancy is detected, then the components and/or subsystems within the system that are implicated in the discrepant wireless signals can be evaluated for possible errors.

Abstract: The systems and methods according to this invention disclose that coverage for an ad hoc sensor network is fundamental to the deployment and utilization of such networks. The invention provides a method which characterizes the coverage of an ad hoc sensor network by defining a sensing field over the space within which the physical phenomenon of interest occurs. Its value at any given point reflects the ability of the sensor network to estimate the phenomenon and/or event, of interest at this point. A statistical method is presented to determine such a field based on sensor layouts and sensor models. The system and methods of the invention define well monitored regions and sensor holes, information that can be used to characterize the quality of service that the network provides for different applications. A graphical user interface may be provided to display this information to the user for monitoring in health management of the network.

Abstract: The systems and methods according to this invention disclose that coverage for an ad hoc sensor network is fundamental to the deployment and utilization of such networks. The invention provides a method which characterizes the coverage of an ad hoc sensor network by defining a sensing field over the space within which the physical phenomenon of interest occurs. Its value at any given point reflects the ability of the sensor network to estimate the phenomenon and/or event, of interest at this point. A statistical method is presented to determine such a field based on sensor layouts and sensor models. The system and methods of the invention define well monitored regions and sensor holes, information that can be used to characterize the quality of service that the network provides for different applications. A graphical user interface may be provided to display this information to the user for monitoring in health management of the network.

Abstract: Most model-based diagnostic approaches are at least partially centralized. Routing information to or through a centralized processing unit is vulnerable to failure of the central processing unit and/or of the communication system connecting the central processing unit to the sensor or the local diagnostic subsystems. Centralized schemes also limit the amount of processing to that provided by the single centralized processing unit. The systems and methods according to this invention use local diagnostic subsystems that include finite state automata to model the possible states of local components given local sensor readings and potential inputs from other local diagnostic subsystems. Potential states are found during diagnosis of a local component, give one or more observations of that component. This state information is then distributed to other local diagnostic subsystems.

Abstract: A plurality of wireless sensors can be placed within a large system in various locations to monitor critical elements of that system. Each wireless sensor can include sensor elements usable to monitor one or more parameters of an element of the system and a wireless signal transmitter, such as, for example, a speaker or an antenna. Each sensor can transmit one or more unique identifying signals to a signal-receiving device, which can be processed by a signal processor. The signal processor can determine each received signal, the sensor corresponding to that identified signal, and the time the wireless signal was generated. Based on this information, the wireless signals can be diagnostically compared against expected values for the system being monitored and evaluated. If a discrepancy is detected, then the components and/or subsystems within the system that are implicated in the discrepant wireless signals can be evaluated for possible errors.

Abstract: Most model-based diagnostic approaches are at least partially centralized. Routing information to or through a centralized processing unit is vulnerable to failure of the central processing unit and/or of the communication system connecting the central processing unit to the sensor or the local diagnostic subsystems. Centralized schemes also limit the amount of processing to that provided by the single centralized processing unit. The systems and methods according to this invention use local diagnostic subsystems that include finite state automata to model the possible states of local components given local sensor readings and potential inputs from other local diagnostic subsystems. Potential states are found during diagnosis of a local component, give one or more observations of that component. This state information is then distributed to other local diagnostic subsystems.

Abstract: A system for the distributed diagnosis of a physical system includes serveral local diagnostic subsystems that generate local diagnoses based on observations of a component of the physical system. An interface is defined by which the local diagnostic subsystems communicate. Further, an algorithm for assembling a global diagnosis from the local diagnoses is fined.