Local Consensus Mechanism for Distributed Ledger Trustworthiness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed ledger systems lack an effective consensus mechanism for validating changes in the physical condition of products across the supply chain, particularly in traceability applications, as they rely on global resources and do not account for physical event validation, leading to trustworthiness issues.
Innovation Solution
A local consensus mechanism is introduced, where nodes receive signals from sensors to generate initial transaction records, form a localized consensus based on signal quality, and add the transaction record to the distributed ledger, incorporating weighted averages and trust indicators, while excluding contradictory records and storing local copies for later inclusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a global consensus mechanism is used in distributed ledger systems, then system-wide consistency is achieved, but trustworthiness of physical event validation deteriorates due to lack of local physical verification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the global consensus problem into local consensus segments. Each node performs consensus validation locally within its vicinity using sensors and local networking, rather than requiring all nodes to participate in a single global consensus process. This segmentation improves trustworthiness by enabling local physical event verification while reducing the complexity of coordinating global consensus across the entire distributed ledger network.
2Reliability
If nodes validate physical events locally using sensors, then trustworthiness of physical event validation is improved, but data exchange efficiency deteriorates due to increased validation overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial validation where nodes perform sensor-based physical event validation only when locally relevant events occur, rather than validating all data transactions globally. This partial action approach maintains trustworthiness for physical events while avoiding the excessive overhead of universal validation, thus preserving data exchange efficiency. Nodes selectively engage in validation based on local sensor triggers rather than participating in every consensus round.
3Reliability
If contradictory transaction records are excluded from consensus, then data integrity is improved, but information completeness deteriorates due to potential loss of valid data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where excluded transaction records are not permanently discarded but are stored and made available for future inclusion. When consensus conditions change or new validation information becomes available, previously excluded records can be re-evaluated and incorporated into the distributed ledger. This feedback loop maintains data integrity by filtering contradictory records while preventing information loss through potential future reinstatement.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method of providing a localised consensus mechanism for a distributed ledger comprising a plurality of nodes. The method comprises, in one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes, receiving, from a sensor associated with the node of the plurality of nodes, a signal indicative of a physical property sensed by the sensor and generating, based on the received signal, an initial transaction record. The method further comprises forming a localised consensus of a transaction record to be added to the distributed ledger based on the initial transaction records generated by the one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes, generating said transaction record using the localised consensus and adding the transaction record to the distributed ledger.