A blackboard model of an expert system for failure mode and effects analysis

The design of an expert system to assist in performing a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is approached from a knowledge-use-level perspective to provide a thorough understanding of the problem and insight into the knowledge and expertise needed to automate the FMEA process. A blackboard model is a conceptual model that provides the organizational principles required for the design of an expert system without actually specifying its realization. In the blackboard model of an intelligent FMEA, the system is functionally decomposed into a set of knowledge sources, each containing the knowledge associated with a subfunction of the FMEA process. The conceptual model derived can be used to evaluate attempts to automate the FMEA process, and it can serve as the foundation for further research into automating the FMEA process. An example is presented illustrating the interaction among the knowledge sources in the blackboard model to construct a FMEA for a domestic hot water heater