Structure Checksums for Data Corruption Detection in Safe Industrial Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing error-proof communication protocols, such as Profisafe, fail to reliably identify data corruption when data structures with different types are transferred between automation components, leading to potential safety risks in industrial control systems.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where data-specific representatives are associated with the data types in a data structure to form a structure checksum, which is transferred and recalculated at the receiving end, allowing for the identification of data corruption by comparing the transferred and recalculated checksums.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a standard checksum is used for error-proof communication, then data transfer security is improved, but data corruption in data structures cannot be reliably identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data structure into individual data types and assigns a representative value to each data type. A structure checksum is then calculated based on these representative values, creating a separate verification layer that specifically detects data structure corruption without interfering with the overall telegram checksum functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new parameter (structure checksum calculated from data type representatives) to the existing communication protocol. This additional parameter enables detection of data structure corruption while maintaining compatibility with standard checksum mechanisms, thereby improving measurement precision without sacrificing reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If data structures with different data types are transferred, then communication versatility is improved, but data corruption identification becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces representatives as intermediary elements that map different data types to standardized values. These representatives act as mediators between diverse data structures and the verification mechanism, allowing the system to handle various data types reliably while maintaining consistent error detection capabilities across different communication scenarios.
3Measurement precision
If a structure checksum is added to detect data corruption, then detection precision is improved, but communication protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by assigning representative values to data types before the actual data transfer occurs. This pre-processing step creates a mapping that simplifies the checksum calculation process, as the structure checksum can be directly computed from pre-assigned representatives rather than analyzing the actual data structure during transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method for identifying data corruption in a data transfer over an error-proof communication link, wherein additional structure checksums are formed to secure a data structure during transfer of the data structure, where representatives are associated with the data types, and the structure checksum is formed via the representatives to provide identification of data corruption in a data transfer over an error-proof communication link between a first automation component and a second automation component in industrial control engineering.