Method and apparatus for providing on-board diagnostics

Abstract

On-board diagnostics for fleet maintenance is improved by embedding a microprocessor programmed with a prognostication algorithm on a vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing a computationally less intense prognostication algorithm by providing a stripped down version of a standard prognostication algorithm by using selected input sets and a selected output of a monitored system, determining the probability of the output and developing a prognostication algorithm utilizing modeling and simulation based on an acceptable probability. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 2 , and further including the step of embedding the developed prognostication algorithm at the point of performance. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein only one selected input and one selected output that describes the operation of the monitored system to determine the acceptable probability. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the result of the analysis of the single input and the single output is used to develop the prognostication algorithm. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein multiple inputs are utilized with at single output for ascertaining acceptable probability. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the monitored system has nodes, and wherein when the probability of a node is sufficiently high, the inputs and output are used in he modeling and simulation to develop the prognostication algorithm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the selected input and selected output determine the probability at a predetermined node in the monitored system, whereby a reduced set of inputs is utilized in developing the prognostication algorithm.