Touch-Screen HMI Gesturing Password for Industrial Control Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems face challenges in secure operation and user input efficiency due to harsh environments and the need for secure access to control screens, particularly in settings like power plants and factories, where traditional input methods may be cumbersome and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a touch-screen HMI system that uses spatially-defined tactile gestures on a transparent screen to create a gesturing password, allowing secure access to control screens while enabling intuitive and accurate user input through a combination of quadrants and pattern recognition, thereby reducing the risk of sabotage and improving navigation and command execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional input methods (keyboard, pointing device) are used for authentication, then security can be implemented, but the input process becomes cumbersome and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical input devices (keyboard, pointing device) with a touch-screen interface that accepts tactile gestures. This substitution eliminates the cumbersome nature of traditional input methods while maintaining security through gesture-based authentication. The touch-screen allows direct manual input through gestures such as drawing patterns or making circular motions, significantly improving ease of operation without sacrificing authentication reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic gesture recognition that adapts to various user inputs. The system recognizes different types of gestures (circular motions, pattern drawing, swipe gestures) and processes them accordingly. This dynamic approach allows the authentication mechanism to be both secure and convenient, as it can distinguish between intentional authentication gestures and accidental touches, thereby improving both reliability and ease of operation.
2Loss of information
If control screens are kept accessible for monitoring, then operational visibility is maintained, but security against sabotage and inadvertent operation is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the touch-screen interface into multiple functional layers. The display layer remains visible and accessible for monitoring control screens, while the input layer requires authentication through specific gestures. This segmentation allows operational visibility to be maintained without compromising security, as the visible display is decoupled from the actionable control inputs. Users can view the control screen information but cannot execute commands without proper authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a gesture-based authentication intermediary between the user and the control system. This intermediary layer verifies user intent through specific gesture patterns before allowing any control actions. The intermediary maintains security by filtering out inadvertent touches while preserving visibility of the control screen, thus resolving the contradiction between information accessibility and system security.
3Reliability
If complex authentication codes are used, then security is enhanced, but the chance of incorrect input increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex numerical or alphanumeric authentication codes with intuitive tactile gestures on a touch-screen. Instead of requiring users to input sequences of codes that are prone to errors, the system accepts natural gestures such as drawing circular patterns, making sweeping motions, or tracing specific shapes. This substitution maintains security through gesture uniqueness while significantly reducing input errors, as gestures are more intuitive and easier to execute accurately than complex codes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the authentication parameter from discrete code values to continuous gesture trajectories. By measuring the path, speed, pressure, and temporal characteristics of gestures rather than requiring exact code entry, the system achieves both high security and high input accuracy. The gesture parameters provide rich authentication data while being naturally precise for human users, thereby resolving the contradiction between security and input accuracy.
4Reliability
If lengthy touch interaction sequences are required to execute commands, then security is improved, but productivity and user efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic command execution where the authentication gesture itself can be tailored to the desired action. Instead of requiring a fixed lengthy sequence for every command, the system recognizes different gesture types and executes appropriate commands based on the gesture's characteristics. This dynamic approach maintains security through gesture authentication while improving productivity by reducing the number of interaction steps required for common commands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal gesture-based authentication system that can trigger multiple different commands depending on the gesture pattern. A single gesture input mechanism serves multiple functions: it authenticates the user, identifies the intended command, and executes the action. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for lengthy specific sequences for each command, thereby improving productivity while maintaining security through the versatility of the gesture recognition system.
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplified herein is a system and method to accept password on a touch-screen HMI (human-machine interface) device. The system and method uses a combination of tactile gestures that are each received at predefined quadrants (or regions) or the touch-screen. The combination of such tactile gestures and quadrant information are used as a shortcut sequence to a user-interface (UI) function call, e.g., change zoom parameter of a presented screen of the display, navigate to a next presented screen, navigate to a previous presented screen.