Abstract:
An integrated large-scale expert system called Health-2000, for the management of
health services in regions where tropical diseases are endemic, has been designed.
This system combines knowledge and databases, the contents of which are operated upon
by an inference engine, to produce usable information. The system allows a host of
applications, ranging from medical diagnosis to fault detection and preventive maintenance
of biomedical equipment.
The theoretical background and approach used in the development of the fault diagnosis
and equipment maintenance sub-system of Health-2000 is presented. Model-based knowledge
acquisition, and an extension of the Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis
are two methodologies applied to build its knowledge bases. The inference engine which
supports backward and forward chaining, operates on numerical and non-numerical facts,
and uses fuzzy logic to handle vague and uncertain knowledge. Fault isolation proceeds
in a top-down fashion, from equipment sub-system, to modules and components.
Keywords:
Expert Systems - Biomedical Equipment - Fault Diagnosis - Fuzzy Logic - Inference
Engine
