ICS I/O Data Tapping With a Computational Twin for Predictive Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems (ICS) face challenges in providing sufficient data to end users due to limited computing resources and difficulty in accessing individual I/O points, which hinders predictive and prescriptive maintenance efforts.
Innovation Solution
A network tap is used to extract I/O data from ICS controllers and transmit it to a secondary system where it is processed using a computational twin or digital twin, enabling the execution of modified control code to generate additional insights without adding processing overhead, and fed into a learned model for predictive maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If I/O data is tapped from ICS controllers and processed using a computational twin or digital twin, then predictive and prescriptive maintenance capabilities are enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computational twin or digital twin as an intermediary system that receives tapped I/O data from the ICS controller and performs complex processing independently. This intermediary handles the computational burden of predictive maintenance analysis without adding processing overhead to the original ICS controller, thereby enhancing reliability while managing system complexity through separation of concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a computational copy (computational twin) or virtual representation (digital twin) of the ICS controller's functionality. This copy executes modified control code to generate additional insights from the same I/O data without affecting the original system's operation. The copying approach enables enhanced predictive capabilities while isolating the complexity from the primary ICS controller.
2Loss of information
If modified control code is executed to generate additional insights, then maintenance capabilities are expanded, but processing overhead on the ICS increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the processing of modified control code from the original ICS controller and relocates it to a computational twin or digital twin running on separate hardware. The ICS controller continues to execute original control code for real-time operation, while the extracted computational tasks run independently on the twin system, eliminating additional processing overhead on the constrained ICS hardware while still generating enhanced insights from the same data stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal or spatial dimension by running the computational twin in parallel with the original ICS controller. The twin system processes data in an additional computational dimension without interfering with the primary control loop, allowing expanded maintenance capabilities while maintaining the original system's real-time performance and resource constraints.
3Ease of operation
If a network tap is used to extract and transmit I/O data, then data accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a network tap as an intermediary device that passively intercepts and forwards I/O data communications between the ICS controller and other system components. The tap operates as a transparent mediator that copies data traffic without requiring modifications to the original controller or adding processing overhead, thereby improving data accessibility while minimizing increases in device complexity through passive operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Some implementations of the disclosure are directed to tapping input/output (I/O) data from an industrial control system (ICS) or applying the tapped I/O data to a learned model to perform predictive or prescriptive maintenance. In one implementation, a method comprises: tapping I/O data from a controller of an ICS while the controller executes first control code to control one or more devices of the ICS; transmitting the tapped I/O data over a network to a second system; and executing, via the second system, second control code comprising an original or modified version of all or a subset of the first control code of the ICS, wherein the second control code executes in response to receiving the tapped I/O data. The output of executing the second control code may be provided to a model to predict a future event involving the ICS or to prescribe maintenance of the ICS.