Industrial Process Blockchain with Deletable Blocks for Field Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial process controllers face challenges in protecting against manipulation while maintaining reliability, as existing solutions require significant effort and memory resources, which are limited in low-cost field devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a block chain mechanism where field devices can delete and adapt blocks to manage data securely, ensuring data integrity through decentralized storage and consensus among field devices, allowing for operation on devices with limited memory and computing capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a block chain is operated by field devices to protect against manipulation, then data security and reliability are improved, but memory space requirements and computing effort increase continuously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements deletion of blocks from the block chain when they are no longer needed for manipulation protection. The system determines which blocks can be safely deleted based on whether their data is still required for security purposes, thereby recovering memory space while maintaining adequate protection against manipulation attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the block chain size and retention policy based on available memory space and security requirements. By changing parameters such as block retention period and deletion thresholds, the system optimizes the balance between manipulation protection and memory consumption for resource-constrained field devices.
2Reliability
If a block chain is operated by field devices to protect against manipulation, then data security is improved, but computing capacity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements deletion of blocks from the block chain when they are no longer needed for manipulation protection. The system determines which blocks can be safely deleted based on whether their data is still required for security purposes, thereby recovering memory space while maintaining adequate protection against manipulation attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the block chain size and retention policy based on available memory space and security requirements. By changing parameters such as block retention period and deletion thresholds, the system optimizes the balance between manipulation protection and memory consumption for resource-constrained field devices.
3Quantity of substance
If blocks are deleted from the block chain to manage memory space, then memory space requirements are reduced, but the block chain must be adapted to maintain integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors the block chain integrity and automatically adjusts the block chain structure after deletions. The field devices detect changes in the block chain and trigger recalculation of cryptographic hashes and reorganization of block references to maintain integrity, ensuring that the decentralized ledger remains consistent without manual intervention.
4Reliability
If the same block chain is stored on multiple field devices for decentralized storage, then external storage can be omitted, but the complexity of maintaining consistency across devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the storage and validation functions across multiple field devices into a unified decentralized block chain system. Each field device maintains a copy of the block chain and participates in consensus mechanisms to validate additions and deletions, combining individual device capabilities into a collectively secure and consistent distributed ledger that eliminates the need for external centralized storage.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an industrial process controller comprising at least three field devices coupled to one another by means of a data link, with the field devices controlling and/or monitoring an industrial process, wherein the field devices are configured to store a block chain, wherein the block chain comprises a plurality of blocks, and wherein the blocks store use data. The process controller is characterized in that the field devices are configured to delete one or more blocks from the block chain and to adapt the block chain to the change caused by the deletion.