Process Control Search Gateway With a Unidirectional Data Diode
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Solution Overview
Problem
Process control systems in industrial plants face challenges in providing search functionality for complex data sets and securing data delivery to remote devices, especially due to the risk of cyber intrusions and the complexity of process plant-related data, which hinders efficient operation and data access.
Innovation Solution
A process plant search query server that receives and analyzes queries, utilizing a contextual knowledge repository to generate and present search results, while ensuring secure data delivery through an edge gateway system with a unidirectional data diode, allowing remote access without compromising system security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If process plant data is made accessible to remote devices, then data accessibility and remote viewing capability are improved, but system security and vulnerability to cyber intrusions worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an edge gateway system as an intermediary component between the process control network and remote devices. This gateway includes a unidirectional data diode that allows data to flow only from the control network to remote devices, preventing reverse access. The gateway acts as a security mediator that enables remote viewing while blocking potential cyber intrusions, thus resolving the contradiction between data accessibility and system security.
2Productivity
If search functionality is added to handle complex process data, then information retrieval efficiency is improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a search query server that pre-processes and indexes process plant data before remote access requests occur. The system maintains a searchable database of historical and real-time data, allowing rapid retrieval through search queries. This preliminary organization of data reduces the complexity of handling complex process data during actual operations, as the search infrastructure is already in place to efficiently manage information retrieval.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide search capabilities in a process control system, a contextual knowledge repository is generated that organizes process plant-related data according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities. When a user submits a process plant search query related to process plant entities within a process plant, search results are obtained by identifying a data set from the contextual knowledge repository which is responsive to the process plant search query. The search results are then presented on a user interface device based on the identified data set. To allow for searches to be performed by user interface devices external to the process plant, a data diode is disposed between a field-facing component and an edge-facing component of the process plant so that data flows from the field-facing component to the edge-facing component without flowing from the edge-facing component to the field-facing component.