A case study on the use of model-based systems for electronic fault diagnosis

Abstract A generic model-based system for fault diagnosis of switching-mode power supplies is described in this paper. The system contains a generic deep model that captures structural and behavioural knowledge about modules and components used in switching-mode power supplies. This deep model provides building blocks that can be instantiated to describe particular power-supply designs. Once this generic system has been developed, it is a simple matter to develop a diagnostic system for a particular circuit. This represents a considerable knowledge engineering advantage over the alternative shallow KBS approach. The generic nature of the diagnostic competence of the system suggests that it should be weaker than an alternative shallow system, specific to a particular circuit. However, the evaluation of the system shows that it can locate between 80% and 90% of faults. This evaluation is described in detail in the paper.

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