Plant Monitoring Program Execution With Distributed Hash Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing plant monitoring systems lack effective anti-tampering measures, risking program integrity during automatic execution.

Innovation Solution

A plant monitoring system with distributed recording units that securely record and execute programs, using hash values to prevent tampering and requiring consensus from multiple nodes for program execution and recording, ensuring program integrity through secure execution and recording processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automatic program execution is implemented for plant monitoring, then productivity and response time are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to lack of anti-tampering measures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram execution efficiencyVSAvoidprogram integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the program storage into multiple distributed recording units, each storing copies of the same program. This segmentation ensures that no single point of failure or tampering can compromise the entire system, as multiple independent copies exist across different storage locations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system combines multiple hash value verification mechanisms and consensus protocols to ensure program integrity. By merging the verification results from multiple recording units and requiring consensus among them, the system achieves robust anti-tampering protection that maintains reliability while enabling automatic execution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If distributed recording units are used to prevent tampering, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram integrityVSAvoidsystem structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates multiple identical copies of the program across distributed recording units. Each copy is verified using hash values to ensure integrity. This copying approach maintains program integrity through redundancy while keeping the verification process relatively simple and systematic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses hash value parameters to verify program integrity across distributed units. By changing the verification parameter from direct program comparison to hash value matching, the system achieves reliable tamper detection with simpler operational complexity, as hash comparison is computationally efficient and straightforward.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If consensus mechanism is implemented among distributed recording units, then anti-tampering capability is improved, but loss of time increases due to verification overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram execution securityVSAvoidverification time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary hash value verification of programs stored in distributed recording units before execution. By pre-computing and storing hash values alongside the programs, the system can quickly verify integrity without time-consuming re-computation during execution, thus maintaining security while minimizing verification time overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces complex mechanical consensus verification with cryptographic hash value comparison. Instead of elaborate consensus protocols requiring extensive communication and coordination, the system uses efficient hash value matching that can be performed independently and quickly by each recording unit, dramatically reducing verification time while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11262732B2Plant monitoring system, plant operation assistance system, plant monitoring method, and program

Publication Date: 2022.03.01 MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD

AI summary

A plant monitoring system includes a plurality of distributed recording units in which programs for transmitting at least a portion of a group of a pieces of state monitoring information of the plant to a predetermined information processing device are previously recorded in a plurality of storage devices in a distributed manner, a determination unit that sequentially acquires the pieces of state monitoring information and determines whether or not the acquired pieces of state monitoring information satisfy a program execution condition prescribed in advance, and an execution request output unit that outputs a program execution request corresponding to the program execution condition to the distributed recording units in a case where the program execution condition is satisfied. Each of the distributed recording units includes a program execution processing unit that reads and executes the program designated by the execution request in a case where the execution request is output.