Neural Comput & Applic (2010) 19:755–766
DOI 10.1007/s00521-009-0333-4
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Diagnostic system with an artificial neural network
which determines a diagnostic information for the servicing
of a reparable technical object
Stanisław Duer • Radosław Duer
Received: 24 March 2009 / Accepted: 19 December 2009 / Published online: 10 January 2010
 Springer-Verlag London Limited 2010
Abstract In this paper, the features of a diagnostic
measurement setup have been determined. The purpose of
the setup was registration of diagnostic signals taken from
an electronically controlled gasoline-powered engine.
Special attention has been paid to the presentation of the
features of an analog–digital converter card used, as well as
to the possibility of its practical use. Another important
aspect is the design and programming of computer soft-
ware dedicated for action along with the setup. The results
of the work have been presented using the example of the
engine’s microprocessor control module. A diagnostic
analysis was conducted, as a result of which sets of the
functional elements of the object and its diagnostic signals
were determined. Also, the methodology of the diagnostic
examination of the technical system was presented. The
result was a functional and diagnostic model, which con-
stituted the basis for initial diagnostic information, which is
provided by the sets of information concerning the ele-
ments of the basic modules and their output signals.
Keywords Diagnostic systems  Technical diagnostics 
Neural networks  Knowledge bases
S. Duer
Departament of Mechanics, Technical University of Koszalin,
15-17 Raclawicka St., 75-620 Koszalin, Poland
e-mail: stanislaw.duer@tu.koszalin.pl
R. Duer (&)
Departament of Electronics and Informatics,
Technical University of Koszalin, 2 Sniadeckich St.,
75-543 Koszalin, Poland
e-mail: radoslaw.duer@02.pl
1 Introduction
The technical state of the object in a given time of the use
determines the possibilities of the realization of its required
functions. It is determined by a subset of its physical
properties [1–7], which describe a given object. For the
purpose of a description of the quality of the use of an
object, the quality which reflects best the functional prop-
erties is the functional quality function (FC(t)) (Fig. 1) and
the coefficient of the quality of the use of the object (FC),
which is calculated for the boundary value of the function
(FC(t)). The index of the attribute of the functional quality
function can therefore constitute a current assessment of
the state of the object and owing to it can be recognized as
its measure. For practical reasons, to the states of the object
in the diagnosing process, numerical values are assigned,
which depend from the logics of the classification of the
states applied. For divalent logics, these are states from set
{1, 0}, where ‘‘1’’ is the operational state and ‘‘0’’ is the
non-operational state. For the trivalent assessment of the
classification of states [2, 8, 9], to the states of the object,
states marked with the values from set {2, 1, 0} were
assigned, where ‘‘2’’—the state of full operation; ‘‘1’’—the
state of incomplete usability; and ‘‘0’’—the state of non-
operation (defect).
Repairable technical objects for which a short time of
their shutdown is required (radar systems, airplanes etc.)
are frequently equipped with specialist adjustment systems
which reconstruct their functional functions to the nominal
level. An adjustment system of the object’s functionality
functions is a sophisticated system of the regeneration of
the object, which includes the following subsystems:
diagnosing and maintenance. The purpose of the diagnostic
system is current and constant recognition (monitoring) of
the state of the object.
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Ei 2 The structure of diagnostic system for the diagnosis

ME of a technical object

Fc Fc(xi,j) The modern diagnostic system [2, 8–15] (Fig. 3) utilizes

1
X(w)i,j
Δxi,j
0,75
ω (ei,j)
5
0,5
Ei
4 Xi,j
3
0,25 2
1 The measurement system (Fig. 3) was implemented and
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Fig. 1 Distribution of changes of object’s states during operating
time (example), where x—the plane of actual usability features of
the object; ME—the plane of the nominal usability features of the
object; Fc(Xi,j)—the value of usage function; Xi,j—the vector of
actual diagnostic signal; X(w)i,j—the standard vector of diagnostic
signal; and DXi,j—the vector of differential metric of diagnostic
signal
The maintenance subsystem regenerates an object in the
states of shutdown through a reconstruction of its func-
tionality properties to the nominal level [1–3, 6, 7]. An
adjustment system presented in this manner can perform its
function if such a diagnostic system has been developed
which will recognize the object’s states in the values of
trivalent logics {2, 1, 0}. A diagram of the abovementioned
control process of the operation process by the system of
adjustment of the object’s functionality function is pre-
sented in Fig. 2.
A functional and diagnostic analysis constitutes the
basis for the designing of every maintenance system for
any technical object. The result is information obtained
about the object, including usability, diagnostic, functional,
maintenance-specialist and any other data.
not only a measurement A/D converter card with appro-
ω priate signal interfaces but also some computer tool used
for proper signal registration as well as for acquiring and
processing data registered. The purpose of such a process is
to build a diagnostic knowledge base based upon an anal-
ysis of both the object and the results of the measurement
stored.
ej
used within the diagnostic module that recognizes the
10 states of the object. The system is composed of the fol-
lowing elements:
1. A measurement structure of the investigated object
received from the functional analysis. As an effect of
such an analysis, it is possible to establish the set of the
object’s elements (modules) {ei,j} with an adequate
output signal along with the set of diagnostic signals
necessary to measure {X(ei,j)}.
2. A signal track assuring that the levels of the signals
measured match the range of an A/D converter inputs.
3. An A/D converter to measure and acquire the values of
diagnostic signals {X(ei,j)},
4. A PC application (software) to control the operation of
an A/D converter and to register measurement data.
The task of the PC application is also to prepare the
expert knowlegde base {W(e(ei,j))} in the form of a
matrix (Table 2).
3 Functional and diagnostic analysis of a technical
object
The technical object used for tests in the present study is a
reparable complex technical object of an analog class.

Fig. 2 Diagram of operation Fc min

process for technical object influance/interaction
utilizing diagnostic module, maintenance of the object
where X(ei,j)—diagnostic signal
in jth element of ith set; (ei,j) Creation of the {ME}
The object Repairing of
X(w)(ei,j)—model signal for The object expert knowledge
the object
Fc max
to repairing the states base of the object
X(ei,j) signal; and FC—function {1,0}
of the use of the object Fc max
{X(ei,j)} {X(w)(ei,j)}

Diagnostic
module of {W( ε(ei,j))}
the object
operation/
non-operation
of the object
the states {2}

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functional element in the object. It was assumed in the

Measurement
of knowledge paper that such an element is understood as a basic element
base {x(ei,j)}
in the object where there is an output (diagnostic) signal on
its output.
Diagnostic
Measurement knowledge If object has been divided into i structural levels, and in
Object {ei,j} Computer
{X(ei,j)} module base W( ε(ei,j)) each of them, there are j basic elements, then each of the
of the object
object’s structural levels constitutes a set of operating
Diagnostic elements {ei,j}, which was presented in the form of the
{X(w)(ei,j)}
programme following dependence:
"DIAG"
    
Structure of diagnostic system fOg ) fEi g ) ej ¼ ei;j ð1Þ

Fig. 3 Scheme of diagnostic system with measurement module
While preparing a diagnostic model of this class of an
object, its internal structure was divided into four levels of
the maintenance structure (Fig. 4): level one: object, level
two: assemblies (in object), level three: subassemblies (in
each assembly {Ei}), level four: modules-basic elements
(in each subassembly, of each assembly of the object). The
first level of the maintenance structure of the object is
constituted by the object itself. It is a set of functional
assemblies {Ei}. The assemblies of the object constitute the
second level of the object’s maintenance structure, while
each of them is a set of operation subassemblies. Subas-
semblies in assemblies constitute the third level of the
object’s maintenance structure. The lowest level, i.e., the
fourth level of the structure, is constituted by the basic
elements: modules.
As the basic element, modules, the smallest distin-
guished (as a result of the division) functional element in
the object on the output where there occurs at least one
diagnostic signal, are defined. If there are a larger number
of signals on the output of a given element, then one
generalized signal is determined. There is a rule in the
present study that to each element of an object, only one
diagnostic signal is assigned.
Each functional subassembly of the object consists of
basic elements, which are the smallest and indivisible
where {O}—object’s internal structure, )—relation of
result (division), Ei—ith functional assembly of the object,
ej—jth subassembly in ith assembly of the object, {ei,j}—
set of basic elements in the object (structure of the object).
4 The structure of measurement system
for the diagnosis of a reparable technical object
Registration and visualization of the signals measured were
realized using a NI M-series USB-6221 A/D converter card
(Fig. 5). It allows performing up to 16 measurements at
one time. The USB-6221 device (NI M-series family)
contains 16 differential analog inputs (16-bit, 250 kS/s),
two analog outputs (16-bit, 833 kS/s), 24 digital I/O with a
1-MHz timer plus two 32-bit fast counters. M-series
devices are equipped with an NI-STC 2 module, an NI-
PGIA 2 amplifier, and NI-MCal calibration technology that
assures a higher number of highly efficient I/O channels
plus a better resolution and a higher speed [8].
The USB connectivity feature makes these devices
appropriate for a broad spectrum of applications, especially
automatic testing, process management or sensing and
measurements. NI signal streaming technology allows
generation and/or registration of different signals on both
the analog and digital I/O channels simultaneously. A
configuration of a signal track was universal. It consisted of
an A/D converter, analog multiplexers operating in

Fig. 4 Functional and

diagnostic model of the object, e1 x1,1
x1,2
where Ei—i jth functional
assembly in the object, ei—j jth Y1
e1,1 x2,1 e1,2
E1
subassembly or functional
element in a given assembly, e1
Functional and e1
Y1,2,3—input signals in the x2,1 x2,2 X4,1 Diagnostic
diagnostic
object, Xi,j—output signals in analysis of the Y2
e2,1 e2,2 e4,1 knowledge base
the object E2 {X(ei,j)}
object E4

e1 x2,1
x3,1 x3,2

Y3
e3,1 e3,2
E3
Structure of the object

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Fig. 5 Scheme of measurement

module of the object
e1 x1,1
x1,2
Y1
e1,1 x2,1 e1,2
E1

e1
e1
x2,1 x2,2
Computer
Y2
e2,1 e2,2 e4,1 X4,1 programme with
E2
E4 measuring
e1
x3,1
x2,1
x3,2
card
Y3
e3,1 e3,2
E3
Structure of the object

{X(ei,j)}

Structure of measurement system of the object

Measurement of knowledge base of the object

Vector of initial diagnostic signals {X(e i,j)}
X(e1,1) ... X(ei,j) ... X(ei,J)
X(e1,1) ... X(e1,j) ... X(e1,J)
... ...

...
...

...
X(ei,1) ... X(ei,j) ... ∅
... ...

...
...

...
X(eI,1) ... X(eI,j) ... X(eI,J)

different modes according to the characteristic of the cur-
rently registered signal. A high performance amplifier was
placed between A/D converter and multiplexer. The ranges
of each analog input voltage were set independently for
each channel. It was also necessary to use special wires:
they were shielded and dedicated for operating with high
frequency signals.
Data registration control with NI 6221 M was realized in
the LabVIEW environment. In contrast with code pro-
gramming languages, the G-language used within the
LabVIEW environment is a graphical language. Program-
ming is being realized via icons that represent functions
and/or procedures. All of them are translated into a
machine code during the program execution.
Each program is treated as a virtual device (VI—virtual
instrument) due to the fact that it simulates the operation of
a physical device such as oscilloscopes and multimeters.
The virtual instrument consists of three elements: the front
panel, the block diagram, and the icon with the connectors
pane. The front panel serves as the user interface. The
block diagram contains the graphical source code that
defines the functionality of the VI. The icon and the con-
nector pane identify the interface to the VI so that you can
use the VI in another VI. A VI within another VI is called a
subVI. A subVI corresponds to a subroutine in text-based
programming languages [8].
The measurement program (Fig. 6) realizes the control
of the data flow. Every time the A/D converter driver (NI
DAQmx) icon is invoked with the complete set of input
arguments, it triggers the data acquisition task.
Once the whole package of data is acquired (and pro-
cessed if necessary), it is immediately passed to the des-
tination VI through the output terminals (control and
indicator terminals) and program nodes.
The measurement program consists of two applications.
The first one (Fig. 7) performs data acquisition using NI
DAQ Assistant and writing to a measurement file as the
second reads data from a measurement file and writes data
into a spreadsheet file in MS Excel format (Fig. 7). It also
derives an amplitude spectrum of registered signal and
writes it into a separate spreadsheet file.
The configuration and calibration of the A/D converter
is performed with its driver DAQmx using the DAQ
Assistant (Fig. 7). The range of the input analog voltage is
settled for each input channel separately by the software.
Thus, the DAQ Assistant is an interface for configuration
arguments and acquired data between the A/D converter
(hardware) and the LabVIEW application.
Figure 7 presents the DAQ Assistant window. It is used
for setting the A/D converter configuration: any parameter
of a signal track such as the number of samples, the range
of the measured Signac amplitude (for NI M6221 up to
±10 V). The number of samples was fixed to 50 k. Such a
number seems to be a reasonable maximum number con-
cerning the sampling frequency and the computer resources
limitation.
The writing element (Fig. 8) is used for writing mea-
sured samples into LabVIEW measurement file (.lvm). For
the configuration of such an element, it is necessary to set
the filename and the path. Figure 8 depicts also

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Fig. 6 Application for data
acquisition using NI USB-6221
A/D converter card
Fig. 7 DAQ assistant window
‘‘Waveform Graph’’ elements: they are responsible for the
data presentation in the reconfigurable graph.
The division of the object’s internal structure {ei,j}
accepted in the paper defines explicitly the depth of
penetration into this structure. The accepted division is
considered to be sufficient if we distinguish the basic
module-element in the structure of the object. One of the
purposes of the functional-diagnostic analysis is the
759
determination of the object’s state. The object’s state is
determined on the basis of an examination of the set of
output (diagnostic) signals {X(ei,j)} (Table 1) [2, 4, 5, 8,
9, 14, 16–19].
The set of its functional elements {ei,j} determined
during a diagnostic study of the object constitutes the basis
for the list included in the table of a set of diagnostic
signals (Table 1).
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Fig. 8 Application for data

processing and writing into MS
Excel file

Table 1 Table of object’s input diagnostic signals signal {Xi} to all vectors of weights wi;j ¼
½w1 ; w2 ; . . .; wn T ; where i = 1,…, N. In the ANN network
Object Level of Vector of initial diagnostic signals {X(ei,j)}
presented in Fig. 8, the neuron (i) placed in layer F1 is
object Ei
X(e1,1) … X(ei,j) … X(ei,J) connected to neuron (j) placed in layer F2, where
j = 1,2,…, N.
O E1 X(e1,1) … X(e1,j) … X(e1,J)
Neuron (i) sends the signal of value (xi) with the con-
: : … : … :
necting strength (wi,j) of the activation function. Following
Ei X(ei,1) … X(ei,j) … X(ei,J)
the literature of the subject [8, 14, 18–21], the Minkowski’s
: : … : … :
measure is used for the analysis of the measures of signal
EI X(eI,1) … X(eI,j) … X(eI,J)
vectors.
where X(ei,j)—diagnostic signal of jth element in ith assembly The Minkowski’s measure can be expressed by the
following relation (2):
!1=a
5 The structure of diagnostic program DIAG using XN
a
an artificial neural network (ANN) for the diagnosis DM ðXi ; XðwÞi ; aÞ ¼ jXi  XðwÞi j ð2Þ
i¼1
of a technical object
where DM—the standard deviation of the signal measure
The ANN network developed is presented in Fig. 9. It vector.
consists of three layers: F1—the input layer, F2—the output In the comparative analysis of diagnostic signals, a
layer, and the intermediate layer. The input cells of layer F1 special case of Minkowski’s measure was applied, with
process the initial diagnostic information according to the parameter a = 2. Then, the relation (2) becomes the
algorithm of the DIAG program presented in Fig. 10. The Euclidean measure and can be used with the ANN net-
whole of the issue of information processing by ANN work [14, 17, 20]. For this reason, in the process of
neurons (Fig. 9) [11] takes place in D-dimension diag- input data processing, a transformation of input data is
nostic space (x) determined by the elementary signal performed to reduce too high initial disproportions
vectors (Xi). The input signal in the form of Xi ¼ between the initial values in particular dimensions. One
½x1 ; x2 ; . . .; xn T is being passed to all neurons of the ANN’s of certain input data transformation methods, which is at
input layer. the same time quite effective, is the normalization of
The input cells memorize the vectors of signal standards input data which transforms the values into range of [0,
{Xi}. Based upon that, the neurons from the input layer 1].
determine the measures of similarity between the input For the ANN presented in Fig. 9, neuron (i) is connected
signal vector and its standard, and the length of the input with neuron (j), so it transmits a signal of value (Xi) with

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Fig. 9 Diagram of neural w11 n

networks
x1
w12
D
y1 = ∑ υ1i xi
i =1
w1n

w21 n
w22 y 2 = ∑ υ 2 i xi
x2 D i =1
w2n
The diagnostic
DIAG knowledge base of
Diagnostic module programme an object
{W( ε(ei,j))}
of the object
wj1

wj2 n
D y j = ∑ υ ji xi
wjn i =1

wN1
wN2 n

xn D
y n = ∑ υ Ni xi
wNn i =1

Fig. 10 The algorithm of Measurment of knowledge base of the object

Diagnostic knowledge base of the object
diagnostic DIAG program Vector of initial diagnostic signals {X(e i,j)} Vector of states of elementary components {ei,j}
X(e1,1) ... X(ei,j) ... X(ei,J) DIAG programme ε(e1,1) ... ε(ei,j) ... ε(ei,J)
X(e1,1) ... X(e1,j) ... X(e1,J) with ANN module W(ε(e1,1)) ... W(ε(e1,j)) ... W(ε(e1,J))
... ...
...
...
...

K
yl = f ∑ υ i , j ⋅ X i ... ...

...
...
...
X(ei,1) ... X(ei,j) ... ∅
i =1 W(ε(ei,1)) ... W(ε(ei,j)) ... ∅
... ...
...

...
...

... ...

...
...
...
X(eI,1) ... X(eI,j) ... X(eI,J)
W(ε(eI,1)) ... W(ε(eI,j)) ... W(ε(eI,J))

weight coefficient (wi,j) and the activation function, rep- On the final stage of the work of a neural network, a
resented by the relation: classification process of the object’s states is realized
X
K according to the algorithm (Fig. 10). For this purpose, to
fl ðx; wÞ ¼ wi;j  Xi ð3Þ the values of the output function as determined by the
i¼1 network, proper classes of the object’s states [2] were
The value of its output function is s derived from the assigned according to the classification diagram (Fig. 11).
relation (4) The results of the object’s diagnosis are presented in
Table 2.
X
K
yl ¼ f ti;j  Xi ð4Þ
i¼1
7 Research results of the diagnostic system
where ti,j—weight coefficient. for the diagnosis of a car engine

The method for the diagnostic knowledge base determi-

6 The diagnostic rules for the classification
of the object’s states
The determination of the value of the network’s output
function {yl} made it possible to explicitly determine the
set of elementary vectors of signals which describe the
diagnostic space of the object. In view of the fact that the
purpose of a diagnosis of the object [10–15, 18–21] is the
recognition of its state in the values of the accepted logic of
states’ assessment, the results obtained in the form of
relation (4) were subject to the classification process
according to the diagram presented in Fig. 11.
nation presented will be verified on the example of a rep-
arable technical object, which is an analog controller unit
for a combustion automotive engine with its peripheries
(Fig. 12).
Research setup was developed on the basis of a spark
ignition engine with multi-point injection. The object was
subject to a diagnostic development, as a result of which a
functional-diagnostic diagram was developed. In the
example, an object was used whose internal structure
(Fig. 13) is composed of seven modules (E1, E2,…, E7)
(Table 3), and in each one of them, up to five elements
were distinguished [1, 2, 8].

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Fig. 11 Range of variability of

diagnostic signal features, States of the object
where (y1l , y2l )—the range of yl
non-significant changes of the "0"
20
outputs; (y1’ 1 2
l , yl ) and (yl , yl ))—
the range of significant changes
0
yl2'
of the outputs, ((-?, y1l ) and
20
(yl , ??))—the range of
"1" Diagnostic knowledge base of the object
inadmissible changes of the
outputs Vector of states of elementary components {ei,j}
yl2 ε(e1,1) ... ε(ei,j) ... ε(ei,J)
W(ε(e1,1)) ... W(ε(e1,j)) ... W(ε(e1,J))
ANN module
... ...

...
...

...
"2" W(ε(ei,1)) ... W(ε(ei,j)) ... ∅
yl nom ... ...

...
...

...
W(ε(eI,1)) ... W(ε(eI,j)) ... W(ε(eI,J))
yl1

"1"

yl1'

"0"

Table 2 Table of object’s states

State of object State of module Vector of states of elementary components {ei,j}
e(e1,1) … e(ei,j) … e(ei,J)

W(e(O)) W(e(E1)) W(e(e1,1)) … W(e(e1,j)) … W(e(e1,J))

: : … : … :
W(e(Ei)) W(e(ei,1)) … W(e(ei,j)) … [
: : … : … :
W(e(EI)) W(e(eI,1)) … W(e(eI,j)) … W(e(eI,J))
W(e(ei,j))—value of state assessment logics for jth element within ith module (from the set of the accepted three-value logic of states’
assessment)—{2, 1, 0}), [—symbol complementing the size of table

functional and diagnostic model, must be ‘‘addressed’’ in

Fig. 12 Photograph of an electronic controller for a car engine
The presented method of diagnosing technical objects
requires the use of a uniform compliance of the designation
of the elements of the object’s structure. For this reason,
the basic elements, modules of the object included in its
the following manner (ei,j), where j is the number of the
element in a given assembly, and (i) is the ith number of
this assembly of the object.
The object was subject to a diagnostic development, as a
result of which the following was developed: a functional-
diagnostic diagram, on the basis of which a set of main-
tenance elements was determined (Table 3).
This makes data processing application universal and
very convenient. Similarly, the processing measurements
results in MS Excel are highly effective. Table 4 presents
examples of registered data representing the values of the
registered signal amplitude. Each package of data contains
50,000 samples.
The use of the DIAG software requires a preparation
of input diagnostic information on the basis of a func-
tional and diagnostic analysis of a given object. A
functional and diagnostic model of an object needs to be
made.

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X(e1,1) X(e1,2) X(e1,3) X(e1,4) X(e4,2)

e1,1 e1,2 e1,3 e1,4 e1,5 e4,2
ECU

E1 from engine X(e4,1)

e4,1

X(e1,5)
ECU
E4
ECU X(e2,1) X(e2,2)
e2,1 e2,2
E2
X(e5,1)
Engine e5,1 e5,2 e5,3

ECU X(e3,1) X(e3,2) ECU ECU E5

e3,1 e3,2

X(e3,3) X(e6,1) ECU

e3,3 ECU e6,1 e6,2
E3 e7,1 E6
E7

Fig. 13 Diagram of an electronic controller for an automotive
engine, where E1—ignition module: e1,1—automotive alternator,
e1,2—voltage regulator, e1,3—battery, e1,4—coil ignition, e1,5—
sparking plug; E2—fueling module: e2,1—fuel tank ventilation valve,
e2,2—fuel injector; E3—air-feeding module: e3,1—air flow meter,
e3,2—throttle position sensor, e3,3—idle run position controller; E4—
starting circuit: e4,1—combustion knocking sensor e4,2—coolant
temperature sensor; E5—power supply circuit: e5,1—oxygen sensor
(1), e5,2—catalyser, e5,3—oxygen sensor (2); E6—engine block:
e6,1—crank shaft position sensor, e6,2—EGR valve: E7—e7,1 elec-
tronic control unit

Table 3 Elements of diagnostic structure of the object Table 5 Matrix of measures of diagnostic signals from the object
Level of object Ei Structure of the object {ei,j} Level of object Ei Vector of initial diagnostic signals {X(ei,j)} [V]
Ei e1 e2 e3 e4 e5 Ei e1 e2 e3 e4 e5

E1 e1,1 e1,2 e1,3 e1,4 e1,5 E1 12.12 12.11 11.93 47.95 47.98
E2 e2,1 e2,2 [ [ [ E2 14.01 48.09 [ [ [
E3 e3,1 e3,2 e3,3 [ [ E3 2.99 3.03 12.02 [ [
E4 e4,1 e4,2 [ [ [ E4 12.04 1.04 [ [ [
E5 e5,1 e5,2 e5,3 [ [ E5 3.10 2.01 3.10 [ [
E6 e6,1 e6,2 [ [ [ E6 4.04 12.09 [ [ [
E7 e7,1 [ [ [ [ E7 5.09 [ [ [ [

Table 4 Measurement matrix of diagnostic signals

No. Time [s] Amplitude of signal [V]
High voltage coil Connecting rod sensor Idle gear mechanism Fuel injector

1 0 -0.003542 -1.055235 0.024681 -1.143795

2 0.00002 -0.001595 -0.765549 0.02533 -1.142822
3 0.00004 -0.000622 -0.461914 0.025005 -1.143471
4 0.00006 -0.002893 -0.141086 0.024681 -1.143471
5 0.00008 -0.003866 0.200828 0.025005 -1.143471
6 0.0001 -0.005488 0.564152 0.02533 -1.143471
7 0.00012 -0.003542 0.949535 0.02533 -1.143147
8 0.00014 -0.003866 1.439373 0.025005 4.547419
9 0.00016 -0.003866 1.966193 0.025654 3.893109
10 0.00018 -0.00419 2.400884 0.024681 3.397431

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764 Neural Comput & Applic (2010) 19:755–766

Fig. 14 Matrix of measures of

diagnostic signals from the
object

The results of measurements for choosen elements of the
object are presented in Table 5 and Fig. 14.
The elements from this set were grouped into subsets of
classes using the classification method proposed in the
paper. The state of the object was determined on the basis
of the measurements of the diagnostic signal features
processed. They were processed and analyzed by an arti-
ficial neural network.
The final results obtained with the DIAG program were
presented in the form of a table of states (Fig. 15).
The article presents methods applied for the assistance
of the prevention of the devices which control the work of a
car engine. This object was chosen considering costs.
However, this is a device with a complex internal structure
as it includes assemblies and subassemblies of various
classes, including mechanical and electric classes, which is

Fig. 15 Matrix of diagnostic

information of the object: the
result form of DIAG program
‘‘Table of object’s states’’

123
Neural Comput & Applic (2010) 19:755–766
significant for the verification of the methods for objects of
different classes. This object was particularly useful at the
initial stage of the development of the method. On this
device, too, initial tests were carried out during the
development of the method, designing of the measuring
track, records and analysis of the measuring results, the
structure of the diagnostic system, and at the stage of
the construction of the knowledge base which assists the
regeneration of this object. One may wonder whether this
object (as proposed in the initial version of the article) has
been well chosen for this method.
8 Results and discussion
The basis of the presented method is the determination
diagnostic information concerning the recognized states of
the object. Diagnostic information is developed in a diag-
nostic system; in this method, an artificial neural network
was used for the purpose of diagnosing the object. For the
needs of the diagnosing process, the technical object in
question was additionally supplemented with an important
aspect for the method presented, which is a description of
the functional and diagnostic analysis of the object of the
research. In the article, this problem is presented with the
description of the model of the technical object. Also, a
method of the division of the object’s internal structure was
presented. As a result of this division, a set of the basic
elements and a set of diagnostic signals were determined.
The issues presented in the article of the building of a set
of diagnostic information concerns various fields of
knowledge, including technical diagnostics, the theory of
operation, information technology, expert systems, fuzzy
sets, and artificial neural networks. Each of these fields is
well and broadly studied in the literature. It is the author’s
opinion that one can claim with full responsibility that even
the basic problem, i.e., the use of diagnostic information
obtained in the diagnosing process of a technical object in
the designing and organization of the operation process, is
being constantly developed in various aspects (directions).
At present, the direction of the applications of neural net-
works, among others in the diagnostics of technical objects,
is being intensively developed. However, new solutions
and possibilities are constantly being sought; hence, the
author’s papers and studies are presented concerning a
practical application of a trivalent evaluation (classifica-
tion) of the object’s states [2, 8, 9]. However, there is no
full description in the literature of methods to develop ways
and algorithms for the processing of diagnostic information
obtained by diagnostic systems: an artificial neural network
etc. to the form of an expert knowledge base of a main-
tenance system, presented in a computer programming
language.
765
9 Conclusions
The signal track is a highly important part of the diag-
nostics system. Development of methods and equipment
for automotive measurements, usually computer aided and
controlled, allows faster data acquisition and diagnostic
signals analysis with a higher accuracy and precision. Due
to that, the diagnostic and servicing of technical objects can
be done in quasi-real-time.
This article presents the application of a high-class
measurement module with a high-speed and high-precision
A/D converter card as its heart to the diagnostics of an
analog class object. For this purpose, the technical object
was subjected to a diagnostic study. An important stage of
the work is a functional and diagnostic analysis of the
object. Knowing the diagnostic structure of the object, it
was possible to point the most important diagnostic signals,
and to measure their values.
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