Shared Blockchain Nodes for Secure Multi-Entity Asset Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing industry faces challenges in data management and security due to the distributed nature of suppliers, OEMs, and clients, leading to improper operation and maintenance of machines, as well as difficulties in identifying the cause of failures. Blockchain technology is hindered by high deployment costs, lack of technical expertise, and issues with data access and authenticity.
Innovation Solution
A blockchain platform with shared nodes that utilize hash functions to generate user identifiers, enabling secure data association and access control, real-time monitoring through IoT devices, and smart contract functionality for trustworthy interactions between entities, facilitating secure data recording and warranty validation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blockchain nodes are deployed by each participant to ensure data security and authenticity, then data trustworthiness is improved, but deployment cost and technical complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple entities share a single blockchain node infrastructure through virtualization, combining computational resources while maintaining logical separation of data and identities. This reduces deployment complexity and cost while preserving data trustworthiness through cryptographic isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
A single blockchain node is designed to serve multiple entities simultaneously, making the infrastructure universal and multi-functional. The node handles transactions and data storage for various suppliers, OEMs, and clients while maintaining entity-specific data integrity through cryptographic mechanisms.
2Reliability
If all component data is provided to OEMs to improve operational safety, then safety is improved, but data security and access control become more difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
Data access rights are customized for each entity and data type, implementing local quality control. Suppliers can specify which data (specifications, test data, maintenance data) is accessible to OEMs and clients, allowing selective information sharing that ensures safety while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain platform acts as an intermediary that manages data access control between suppliers, OEMs, and clients. Smart contracts enforce access policies automatically, reducing the complexity of manual data permission management while ensuring operational safety through transparent data sharing.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional data storage is used to reduce costs, then deployment cost is reduced, but data authenticity and immutability cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing expensive physical hardware for each entity, virtual copies of blockchain node functionality are deployed through software. Multiple entities share access to the same physical infrastructure while cryptographic mechanisms ensure each entity's data authenticity and immutability are preserved.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure provides a blockchain platform having functionality that enables blockchain nodes to be shared among multiple entities while maintaining security with respect to the blockchain. Blockchain platforms of embodiments include a hash function (also referred to as a chain-code) that enables attributes to be generated and attached to user identifiers, where the attributes associate users with specific entities supported by the blockchain. For shared nodes, the attribute may be utilized, at least in part, to control access permissions to data recorded to the blockchain. Embodiments of blockchain platforms may find particular utility when applied to complex use cases involving multiple entities.