Power converter failure rate prediction by bayesian analyses

In this study, the authors will investigate five methods for predicting the failure rate of a modified, upgraded version of a switching power converter. Considerable data were available on the operational reliability of the original version of this power converter and three others of a similar design. We will predict not a single, point estimate of the failure rate through each method, but rather obtain a probability density distribution in each case. The associated cumulative density function would then show the probability that the power converter's failure rate exceeded any particular, chosen value.