Machine Tool Remote Maintenance Gateway for Secure Network Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote monitoring techniques for machine tools do not adequately maintain the confidentiality of operation state information, allowing unauthorized access and compromising security.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device with a remote maintenance system that utilizes a gateway to establish a private network, enabling remote access to machine tools while maintaining confidentiality through a remote maintenance switch and data transmission switch, ensuring secure communication via a dedicated circuit or VPN, and isolating machine tool networks from corporate networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote monitoring application is used to access machine tool operation state, then remote maintenance capability is improved, but information confidentiality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into distinct areas: a machine tool area containing the machine tool and gateway, and a corporate network area containing the server. This segmentation allows remote monitoring functionality while preventing unauthorized access to the machine tool itself, thus maintaining information confidentiality while enabling remote maintenance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary device between the machine tool and the corporate network. The gateway controls and filters information flow, allowing operation state data to be transmitted to the server for remote monitoring while preventing direct access to the machine tool, thereby resolving the contradiction between remote access capability and information security.
2Adaptability or versatility
If machine tool network is connected to corporate network for remote access, then remote maintenance is enabled, but network security is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The network is divided into separate segments with the machine tool area and corporate network area isolated from each other. This segmentation enables the corporate network to access operation state information while preventing the machine tool network from being vulnerable to corporate network security issues, thus maintaining both remote access functionality and network security.
Solution Approach 2:
Different security policies and network characteristics are applied to different areas. The machine tool area maintains its own security characteristics and isolation, while the corporate network area handles remote access operations. This local quality approach allows each area to optimize for its specific function while maintaining overall system security.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an information processing device including: a first communication unit configured to permit communication with a remote maintenance device that remotely operates machine tools; a second communication unit configured to permit communication with the machine tools; an operation unit including a remote maintenance switch; and a control unit configured to, according to whether the remote maintenance switch is in an ON state or an OFF state, determine whether or not to permit communication for remotely operating the machine tools by the remote maintenance device, and control connection and disconnection between the remote maintenance device and the machine tools. Accordingly, it is possible to perform remote maintenance on machine tools while maintaining the confidentiality of information indicating the operation state of the machine tools.