Industrial Remote Access Gateway for Secure OT Asset Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in secure remote access, complex development cycles, and difficulty in managing proprietary intellectual property due to the lack of virtualization and simulation capabilities, leading to project delays and cost overruns.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based Industrial Development Hub (IDH) system provides a repository for storing control project code and device configurations, offering development and testing capabilities, including secure remote access through a virtual private network (VPN) connection between client devices and industrial assets via gateway devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional industrial automation systems are used without virtualization capabilities, then system stability is maintained, but development time and costs increase due to complex development cycles and lack of simulation capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of industrial automation systems through virtualization technology. Virtual machines replicate the functionality of physical control systems, enabling developers to test and simulate control projects without affecting actual industrial equipment. This copying approach allows parallel development and testing, significantly reducing development time while maintaining system stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cloud platform as an intermediary between developers and physical industrial systems. The platform provides simulation environments and virtualization services that mediate the development process, allowing developers to work with virtual representations of industrial assets rather than directly with complex physical systems, thereby reducing development complexity and time.
2Ease of operation
If direct remote access to industrial assets is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but security risks increase due to potential IP theft and unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based gateway as an intermediary layer between remote users and industrial assets. This gateway provides secure authentication, authorization, and encrypted communication channels. Users can remotely access and manage industrial assets through the gateway without direct connections, maintaining ease of operation while implementing multiple security layers to prevent unauthorized access and IP theft.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the remote access system into multiple isolated components: user interface layer, gateway layer, and industrial asset layer. Each layer operates independently with defined communication protocols and security boundaries. This segmentation allows remote access functionality while containing security risks within specific segments, preventing direct exposure of critical industrial assets to external threats.
3Productivity
If cloud-based virtualization services are added to industrial automation systems, then productivity increases through parallel development and testing, but device complexity increases due to additional infrastructure requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the cloud platform to provide multiple functions through a single unified infrastructure. The same virtualization environment supports both simulation and testing operations, while the gateway device handles authentication, data routing, and security functions. This multi-functionality allows parallel development and testing activities that improve productivity without proportionally increasing infrastructure complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial information hub (IIH) and an industrial development hub (IDH) serve as an industrial ecosystem platform where multiple participants can deliver repeatable and standardized services relevant to their core competencies. The IIH system is centered around the development of an ecosystem that creates and delivers value to users—including industrial enterprises, OEMs, system integrators, vendors, etc.—through the aggregation of digital content and domain expertise. The IIH system serves as a trusted information broker between the ecosystem and the OT environments of plant facilities, and provides a platform for connecting assets, contextualizing asset data and providing secure access to the ecosystem. As part of this ecosystem, the IIH system uses a secure remote access architecture to allow users to remotely access data on their plant floor assets via a virtual private network connection.