Traffic Control System Knowledge Base for SIL-4 Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current traffic network control systems require frequent validation and verification due to changes in customer specifications, which is time-consuming and not suitable for high-security applications like SIL-4 systems, as they lack direct access to field elements and rely on heuristic methods unsuitable for control systems.
Innovation Solution
A control system with a knowledge base generated during the preparation phase, using a rule-based system that includes conditions and actions for transport network elements, ensuring deterministic predictability and high security by maintaining a rigid knowledge base that does not change during operation, allowing modifications only outside the operational phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual or generator-based code creation is used for control systems, then customer specifications can be implemented, but validation and verification become extremely time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The control logic is generated automatically from a formal specification model before deployment. This preliminary generation of control logic from a validated model eliminates the need for time-consuming manual coding and subsequent validation, as the model itself serves as the verified foundation for control decisions
Solution Approach 2:
Manual code creation and validation processes are replaced with an automated model-based system. The formal specification model automatically generates control logic, substituting the mechanical process of manual programming with an automated transformation process that ensures consistency and eliminates coding errors
2Ease of operation
If heuristic methods are used for traffic management, then strategic traffic planning can be performed, but the system cannot achieve high security levels like SIL-4
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into two distinct layers: a strategic traffic management layer using heuristic methods for high-level planning, and a control layer using formal model-based logic for safety-critical decisions. This segmentation allows each layer to operate with appropriate methods while ensuring overall system safety through the formal verification of the control layer
Solution Approach 2:
A formal specification model acts as an intermediary between the heuristic traffic management system and the control execution system. The model translates strategic decisions into verified control logic, ensuring that heuristic operations at SIL-0 level do not compromise the SIL-4 safety requirements of the control system
3Adaptability or versatility
If code is manually created or generated for control systems, then functionality can be implemented, but frequent changes require repeated validation and verification
Solution Approach 1:
The formal specification model is created and validated in advance, serving as a reusable template for control logic generation. When specifications change, only the model needs to be updated rather than rewriting entire codebases, and the automated generation process ensures consistency without requiring re-validation of the entire system
Solution Approach 2:
Control logic is generated as a copy or transformation of the formal specification model rather than being manually programmed. This copying process ensures that the control logic faithfully represents the specification, and any changes to the specification automatically propagate to the control logic through regeneration, eliminating the need for manual updates and re-validation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a control system (10) for a traffic network (50), comprising an output interface (26) configured to output data to the traffic network (50) during an operating phase, wherein the outputs can change the states of elements of the traffic network (50), and further comprising an input interface (28) configured to receive inputs (28) from the traffic network (50) during the operating phase, wherein the inputs relate to the states of elements of the traffic network (50), wherein the control system (10) includes a knowledge base (16) generated during a preparation phase outside the operating phase, and wherein the data stored in the knowledge base (16) has a data structure comprising a triple bit switch, property, and action. The invention further relates to a method for preparing and/or adapting a control system (10).