Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Theory diagnoses: A concise characterization of faulty systems

  • Published:
Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this article a new characterization of the set of diagnoses in the domain of consistency-based diagnosis is developed. The needs for such a characterization arise from the inability of the current characterizations (e.g. minimal diagnoses and kernel diagnoses) to deal with abstractions like component hierarchies. We propose a characterization based on theories which takes advantage of hierarchies and therefore allows a concise description of various sets of diagnoses (e.g. minimal diagnoses and kernel diagnoses). We investigate a concise description of the set of all minimal diagnoses in detail and focus on hierarchical theories. Finally, we show that theory-based diagnoses and hierarchical theories provide efficient generators for computing minimal diagnoses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. L. Console, D.T. Dupré and P. Torasso, A theory of diagnosis for incomplete causal models, in:Proc. Int. Joint Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), Detroit, 1989 (Morgan Kaufmann) pp. 1311–1317.

  2. R. Davis, Diagnostic reasoning based on structure and behaviour, Artificial Intelligence 24 (1984) 347–410.

    Google Scholar 

  3. J. de Kleer, A.K. Mackworth and R. Reiter, Characterizing diagnoses, in:Proc. National Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Boston, 1990 (Morgan Kaufmann) pp. 324–330.

  4. J. de Kleer, A.K. Mackworth and R. Reiter, Characterizing diagnoses and systems, Artificial Intelligence 56 (1992) 197–222.

    Google Scholar 

  5. J. de Kleer, O. Raiman and M. Shirley, One step lookahead is pretty good, in:2nd Int. Workshop on the Principles of Diagnosis, Milano, Italy, 1991.

  6. O. Dressler and P. Struss, Back to defaults: Characterizing and computing diagnoses as coherent assumption sets, in:3rd Int. Workshop on Principles of Diagnosis, Rosario, WA, 1992.

  7. H. Freitag and G. Friedrich, Focusing on independent diagnosis problems, in:Proc. Int. Conf. on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Cambridge, MA, 1992.

  8. G. Friedrich, G. Gottlob and W. Nejdl, Physical impossibility instead of fault models, in:Proc. National Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Boston, 1990, pp. 331–336. Also appeared in:Readings in Model-Based Diagnosis (Morgan Kaufmann, 1992).

  9. G. Friedrich and F. Lackinger, Diagnosing temporal misbehavior, in:Proc. Int. Joint Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), Sydney, Australia, 1991 (Morgan Kaufmann) pp. 1116–1122.

  10. G. Friedrich and W. Nejdl, Choosing observations and actions in model-based diagnosis-repair systems, in:Proc. Int. Conf. on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Cambridge, MA, 1992.

  11. W.C. Hamscher, Modeling digital circuits for troubleshooting, Artificial Intelligence 51 (1991), 223–271.

    Google Scholar 

  12. K. Konolige, Abduction versus closure in causal theories, Artificial Intelligence 53 (1992) 255–272.

    Google Scholar 

  13. I. Mozetič, Hierarchical model-based diagnosis, Int. J. Man-Machine Stud. 35 (1991) 329–362.

    Google Scholar 

  14. G.M. Provan and D. Poole, The utility of consistency-based diagnostic techniques, in:Proc. Int. Conf. on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Cambridge, MA, 1991 (Morgan Kaufmann) pp. 461–472.

  15. O. Raiman and J. de Kleer, Critical reasoning, in:3rd Int. Workshop on Principles of Diagnosis, Rosario, WA, 1992.

  16. R. Reiter, A theory of diagnosis from first principles, Artificial Intelligence 32 (1987) 57–95.

    Google Scholar 

  17. V.A. Saraswat, J. de Kleer and O. Raiman, Contributions to a theory of diagnosis, in:1st Int. Workshop on Principles of Diagnosis, Stanford, 1990, pp. 33–38.

  18. P. Struss, A theory of model simplification and abstraction for diagnosis, presentation at the 5th Int. Workshop on Qualitative Reasoning QR-91, 1991.

  19. P. Struss, What's in SD? Towards a theory of modeling for diagnosis, in: W. Hamscher, L. Console, and J. de Kleer (eds.),Readings in Model-Based Diagnosis (Morgan Kaufmann, 1992) pp. 419–449.

  20. T.D. Wu, Efficient diagnosis of multiple disorders based on a symptom clustering approach, in:Proc. National Conf.on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Boston, 1990.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Informationssysteme, Christian Doppler Labor für Expertensysteme, Technische Universität Wien, Paniglgasse 16, A-1040, Wien, Austria

    Gerhard Friedrich

Authors
  1. Gerhard Friedrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This is an extended version of a paper which appeared inProceedings IJCAI-93.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Friedrich, G. Theory diagnoses: A concise characterization of faulty systems. Ann Math Artif Intell 11, 263–282 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530745

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530745

Keywords

Search

Navigation