Control Network Recovery for Passenger Conveyor Coordinators
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Solution Overview
Problem
The replacement of a network coordinator apparatus in a control network for people flow systems, such as elevators and escalators, requires manual re-establishment of the site control network, which is cumbersome and prone to human errors, leading to prolonged unavailability of passenger transport.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for managing access to a control network that involves admitting further apparatuses via a pairing procedure with a predefined shared secret, adding device IDs to a list, and transmitting this list to an external entity for storage, allowing automatic re-admission of apparatuses with the correct ID and secret knowledge to a restored site control network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual re-establishment of the site control network is performed after coordinator replacement, then network security is maintained through authentication procedures, but the time required for network restoration increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing configuration data and device identification information in a secure external location (cloud storage or external server) before the coordinator is replaced. When the coordinator fails or needs replacement, the new coordinator can automatically retrieve this pre-stored information and reconstruct the network configuration without requiring manual re-pairing of each device, thus reducing restoration time while maintaining security through the predefined authentication mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating and storing a copy of the network configuration data (device lists, authentication credentials, pairing information) in an external secure storage system. This copy serves as a backup that can be quickly loaded into the replacement coordinator, avoiding the need to manually recreate the entire network configuration from scratch while ensuring data integrity through the existing authentication protocols.
2Reliability
If manual pairing procedure is repeated for each device during coordinator replacement, then network security is ensured through authentication, but the complexity of the repair process increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the replacement coordinator to automatically perform the pairing and configuration process. The new coordinator autonomously retrieves pre-stored configuration data, identifies network devices, and re-establishes connections using the stored authentication information, eliminating the need for technicians to manually pair each device while maintaining security through the predefined authentication mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary element in the form of external secure storage (cloud service or external server) that holds the network configuration data. This intermediary acts as a bridge between the replacement coordinator and the network devices, providing the necessary authentication and configuration information automatically, thus simplifying the replacement process while maintaining security through the intermediary's controlled access mechanisms.
3Productivity
If comprehensive device information is stored externally for network restoration, then network restoration efficiency is improved, but the amount of information that must be securely transmitted and stored increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies taking out by extracting only the essential configuration data and device identification information needed for network restoration and storing it externally. Rather than storing complete device configurations or redundant information, the system extracts and stores only the critical elements (device IDs, authentication credentials, network topology information) required for快速 restoration, thus improving efficiency while minimizing data volume and storage requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an example embodiment, a method (200, 200′) for managing access to a control network of a people flow system (101) is provided, where the people flow system (101) includes a passenger conveyor system (101) and a conveyor system controller (110), where the site control network (105) communicatively couples the conveyor system controller (110) to a network coordinator (120) and to one or more further apparatuses (130), the method comprising: admitting (202), by the network coordinator (120), the one or more further apparatuses (130) to the site control network (105) via carrying out a respective pairing procedure with each of said one or more further apparatuses (130) based on a predefined shared secret; adding (204), by the network coordinator (120), a respective device identifier, ID, of each further apparatus (130-k) to a list of apparatuses admitted to the site control network (105); transmitting (206) said list from the network coordinator (120) to an external entity (110, 150) for storage therein; and creating (208, 208′), following a loss of site network control information in the network coordinator (120), a restored site control network (105′) in one of the network coordinator (120) or the replacement network coordinator (120′), said creating (208, 208′) comprising receiving (208a, 208a′) said list from the external entity (110, 150); and automatically admitting (208b, 208b′) an apparatus to the restored site control network (105), provided that said apparatus has its device ID included in said list and has a knowledge of the predefined shared secret.