Machine Diagnostics
The last decades have seen a tremendous increase in societal dependency on automated systems, often performing functions that are either safety-critical or economically critical.
Despite the high complexity of these systems, they must perform reliably, preferably with a long operational lifetime with minimal downtime due to maintenance or failures. While reliability is typically achieved through design features such as quality and redundancy, diagnostic techniques to actually verify system health during deployment can be regarded as even more crucial. System Health Management (SHM) software is embedded software that provides diagnostic information on a system's health status in order to optimize system availability. Diagnosis is performed by analyzing sensor information based on knowledge of the system's modes of behaviour.
SHM software can be embedded within a larger software environment, including components such as software agents that autonomously invoke the recovery procedures in case of malfunctioning, and (condition-based) maintenance systems that can optimize the operational procedures for the entire installed base.
SHM software is a critical factor in systems where properties such as availability (uptime), reliability, and safety are vital. Example systems include spacecraft, aircraft, automobiles, nuclear and conventional electrical power plants, chemical plants, robots, medical equipment, (military) command and control, (embedded) computing and telecommunication, pace makers, and traffic light control.