Wireless Infrastructure Node Pooling for Network Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial process control and automation systems face challenges in scalable and efficient deployment of wireless infrastructure nodes for multiple collocated wireless field device networks, leading to capacity limitations, wasted resources, and increased costs due to the need for physical separation and re-engineering of infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables a pool of shared wireless infrastructure nodes to support multiple logical wireless field device networks, allowing these nodes to communicate with any WFN controller or field device network, thereby eliminating geographical and capacity limitations, and enabling flexible expansion without additional engineering costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical separation of infrastructure nodes is implemented for each wireless field device network, then network isolation and dedicated resources are achieved, but device complexity, deployment cost, and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wireless field device networks into separate logical networks while maintaining a shared physical infrastructure. Each logical network is assigned specific infrastructure nodes through virtualization, achieving network isolation without physical separation. This resolves the contradiction by providing reliability through logical segmentation while avoiding the complexity of physical duplication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes infrastructure nodes universal by enabling them to serve multiple logical wireless field device networks simultaneously. Through infrastructure node virtualization, a single physical infrastructure node can be allocated to different logical networks, achieving both network isolation and resource sharing. This eliminates the need for dedicated physical infrastructure for each network, reducing deployment and maintenance complexity.
2Reliability
If dedicated infrastructure nodes are deployed for each wireless field device network, then network performance and reliability are improved, but deployment cost and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple logical wireless field device networks onto a shared physical infrastructure through virtualization. Instead of deploying separate physical infrastructure for each network, the system combines resource utilization while maintaining logical separation. This achieves network performance through dedicated virtual allocation while significantly reducing deployment and maintenance costs through infrastructure sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables infrastructure nodes to perform multiple functions by serving different logical networks simultaneously. Through dynamic allocation and virtualization, a single physical infrastructure node can support multiple logical networks, achieving cost efficiency while maintaining the reliability benefits of dedicated network resources through virtual separation.
3Productivity
If infrastructure nodes are re-engineered to support multiple networks, then resource utilization improves, but deployment complexity and engineering cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of infrastructure node functionality through virtualization rather than physically re-engineering hardware. The virtualization layer replicates the necessary network functions for multiple logical networks on top of shared physical infrastructure, achieving high resource utilization without complex hardware modifications. This software-based approach avoids the engineering complexity of physical re-design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an infrastructure node virtualization layer as an intermediary between the physical infrastructure and multiple logical wireless field device networks. This virtualization intermediary manages resource allocation, network isolation, and multi-network support without requiring changes to the underlying physical infrastructure, thereby improving resource utilization while avoiding deployment complexity.
4Reliability
If geographical separation of infrastructure nodes is enforced, then network isolation is achieved, but system flexibility and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves network isolation from the physical/geographical dimension to the logical/virtual dimension. Instead of requiring physical separation of infrastructure nodes for network isolation, the system achieves isolation through virtualization in the logical layer. This dimensional shift enables network isolation while maintaining physical flexibility and scalability, as infrastructure nodes can be geographically distributed or collocated without affecting logical network separation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wireless infrastructure node (110a, 110b, 210a-210n, 510) includes at least one processing device (600) configured to receive (703) a data packet from a wireless field device network (WFN) controller (120, 203a-203n, 503a-503n), where the data packet includes a network identifier. The at least one processing device is also configured to determine (705) a field device network (220a-220n, 520a-520n) to receive the data packet based on the network identifier. The at least one processing device is further configured to transmit (707) the data packet to a field device (112a-112e, 204, 205, 504) in the field device network. The wireless infrastructure node, the WFN controller, and the field device network comprise one logical WFN among a plurality of logical WFNs (501a-501n). The wireless infrastructure node is one of a plurality of pooled infrastructure nodes configured to communicate between a plurality of WFN controllers and a plurality of field device networks arranged in the plurality of logical WFNs.