ICS Data Tap and Digital Twin for Predictive Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems (ICS) face challenges in data accessibility and processing due to limited computing resources and design constraints, making it difficult to obtain additional data and perform predictive or prescriptive maintenance effectively.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a network tap to extract I/O data from an ICS controller and transmit it to a secondary system, where a computational twin or digital twin can process the data using modified or additional control code, enabling predictive and prescriptive maintenance without overburdening the ICS.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If additional data processing and predictive maintenance functions are implemented directly in the ICS controller, then maintenance accuracy and system intelligence are improved, but computing resource consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the data processing functionality into two segments: the ICS controller handles real-time control operations, while a separate secondary system handles predictive maintenance analysis and machine learning model execution. This segmentation allows each system to be optimized for its specific function without overburdening the controller.
Solution Approach 2:
A network tap serves as an intermediary component that extracts data from the controller's communication bus and forwards it to the secondary system. This intermediary enables data access for predictive maintenance without requiring additional processing resources or modifying the controller's core functionality.
2Loss of information
If more I/O data is collected and processed by the ICS controller, then predictive maintenance capability is improved, but processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data extraction at the network tap level, capturing I/O data as it passes through the communication bus. This preliminary action ensures data is captured without waiting for the controller to process it, eliminating processing delays while maintaining complete data accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The network tap creates a copy of the data stream passing through the controller's communication bus. This copying mechanism allows the secondary system to receive and process complete I/O data without interfering with the controller's real-time operations or adding processing time to the control loop.
3Reliability
If a computational twin or digital twin is implemented to process ICS data, then maintenance prediction accuracy is improved, but system resource requirements and infrastructure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The computational twin is implemented as a virtual copy of the ICS system running on the secondary system's processors. This virtualization approach creates a complete digital replica for simulation and prediction without requiring physical duplicate hardware, reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining prediction reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The network tap acts as an intermediary that bridges the physical ICS system and the virtual computational twin. It extracts real-time data from the controller and delivers it to the digital twin, enabling accurate predictions without direct integration that would complicate the system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Some implementations of the disclosure are directed to a method, comprising: receiving tapped data that was tapped from a controller of an industrial control system (ICS) while the controller executed first control code to control ICS devices of the ICS, the tapped data used during execution of the first control code, and the tapped data comprising input data obtained from one or more input components of the controller communicatively coupled to the ICS devices, or output data obtained from one or more output components of the controller communicatively coupled to the ICS devices; and after receiving the tapped data, executing, using at least the tapped data, second control code that provides an emulation of the controller, the emulation comprising running, using at least the tapped data, a process of the first control code at a faster rate than it is run by the controller executing the first control code.