Sensor Optimization Selection Model Based on Testability Constraint

Sensor selection and optimization is one of the important parts in design for testability. To address the problems that the traditional sensor optimization selection model does not take the requirements of prognostics and health management especially fault prognostics for testability into account and does not consider the impacts of sensor actual attributes on fault detectability, a novel sensor optimization selection model is proposed. Firstly, a universal architecture for sensor selection and optimization is provided. Secondly, a new testability index named fault predictable rate is defined to describe fault prognostics requirements for testability. Thirdly, a sensor selection and optimization model for prognostics and health management is constructed, which takes sensor cost as objective function and the defined testability indexes as constraint conditions. Due to NP-hard property of the model, a generic algorithm is designed to obtain the optimal solution. At last, a case study is presented to demonstrate the sensor selection approach for a stable tracking servo platform. The application results and comparison analysis show the proposed model and algorithm are effective and feasible. This approach can be used to select sensors for prognostics and health management of any system.