Measuring Device Access Sync for Secure Multi-Device Operation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In industrial plants with numerous measuring devices, managing access information such as PINs and passwords for secure operation becomes complex and user-unfriendly, especially when using multiple operating devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets.
Innovation Solution
A centralized user account on a server stores access information data for all measuring devices assigned to a user, allowing any authorized device to access these data, with an operating device's control unit synchronizing and updating access information with the server to ensure current and complete access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If access information data are stored locally on each operating device, then secure access to measuring devices is ensured, but managing access information across multiple devices becomes complex and user-unfriendly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the storage of access information data from multiple distributed operating devices into a single centralized server. The server consolidates all access information data for measuring devices, allowing any authorized operating device to retrieve the same data without manual synchronization. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining secure access through centralized control while eliminating the complexity of managing access information across multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The server is designed as a universal storage solution that serves all operating devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets) uniformly. Instead of each device maintaining its own access information, the server provides universal access to all authorized devices through network communication. This multi-functional approach allows any operating device to access measuring devices without requiring local storage of access credentials, simplifying user operation while maintaining security.
2Stability of the object's composition
If access information data are synchronized across multiple operating devices, then access consistency is improved, but the complexity of data synchronization and updates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between multiple operating devices and measuring devices. Instead of operating devices synchronizing with each other, they all communicate with the server which maintains the master copy of access information data. The server acts as a mediator that provides consistent data to all clients without requiring complex peer-to-peer synchronization protocols, thus achieving access consistency while minimizing synchronization complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The server creates and distributes copies of access information data to multiple operating devices upon request. When a user adds or modifies access information on the server, the updated data is automatically copied to all connected operating devices. This copying mechanism ensures access consistency across all devices without requiring them to maintain synchronized local storage, reducing the complexity of data management.
3Ease of operation
If a centralized server stores access information for all measuring devices, then ease of access across multiple devices is improved, but network dependency and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs preliminary actions by pre-storing and organizing all access information data for measuring devices before any operating device needs to access them. When an operating device connects to the server, the required access information is already prepared and available for immediate retrieval. This preliminary preparation simplifies the access process for users while the server handles the complexity of data organization and network communication in the background.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
An operating device (10) for operating a level measuring device, a flow meter, a density measuring device and/or a pressure measuring device (50) is proposed, which has a communication arrangement (12) with a first communication module (14) for communication between the operating device (10) and a server (200) and a second communication module (16) for communication between the operating device (10) and the measuring device (50).Furthermore, the operating device (10) has a key management module (18) in which access information data for access of the operating device (10) to the measuring device (50) is stored, an authentication module (20) for authenticating a user of the operating device (10) by means of a user ID and a control unit (22) which is set up to compare the access information data stored in the key management module (18) with access information data stored on the server (200) after authentication of the user by means of the authentication module (20).