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EP-3752970-B1 - COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR PROVIDING DATA, IN PARTICULAR FOR CONFORMITY TRACKING

EP3752970B1EP 3752970 B1EP3752970 B1EP 3752970B1EP-3752970-B1

Inventors

  • RATHGEB, Andreas
  • Udas, Manish

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20190228

Claims (9)

  1. A computer-implemented method for testing a technical system for conformity tracking, comprising the steps of: - loading and/or executing a test control transaction, wherein ∘ the test control transaction comprises or is a smart contract, ∘ a test trigger signal (37) requests loading and executing the test control transaction, ∘ in particular, the test control transaction is loaded from a network application, ∘ the test control transaction comprises control commands and reference data; - controlling a test module, wherein ∘ the control commands control the test module such that a test signal is generated for a subsystem of the technical system; - acquiring measurement data for the subsystem in response to the test signal, wherein ∘ the measurement data is acquired by the test module, ∘ in particular, the measurement data is acquired by a sensor of the test module; - calculating a test result, wherein ∘ a test result is calculated on the basis of the measurement data and the reference data, - controlling the technical system depending on the test result, and/or executing a control function depending on the test result, wherein - the test result is stored in a confirmation transaction, - the measurement data is stored in a measurement data transaction, - the test result is calculated on the basis of the measurement data of the measurement data transaction, - the confirmation transaction, the measurement data transaction, and the test control transaction are secured by means of a respective proof-of-authority verification, - the confirmation transaction, the measurement data transaction, and the test control transaction are stored in a respective data block of a block chain, - additional/meta data is stored for testing in a confirmation transaction, and - the respective data block includes the respective proof-of-authority verification of the corresponding transaction.
  2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, depending on the test result, a reset signal (42) is provided for the subsystem, or the control function provides a reset signal (42) for the subsystem depending on the test result.
  3. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein, depending on the test result, a feedback signal (40) is provided for the subsystem, or the control function provides a feedback signal (40) for the subsystem depending on the test result.
  4. The computer-implemented method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein - the network application is executed in a peer-to-peer network (1) or is executed by the peer-to-peer network (1), - in particular, the peer-to-peer network (1) is a private network.
  5. The computer-implemented method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the proof-of-authority verification (10) has at least a time-limited validity period.
  6. The computer-implemented method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the proof-of-authority verification (10) has at least one content validity.
  7. The computer-implemented method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the proof-of-authority verification (10) has at least one user-related validity.
  8. The computer-implemented method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a data block (4a, 4b, 4c) is configured as a smart contract providing the proof-of-authority verification (10) if a predetermined condition is met.
  9. The computer-implemented method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a healing function is provided for altering and/or identifying at least one of the data blocks (4a, 4b, 4c).

Description

The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for providing data, in particular for compliance tracking. Products and systems can pose a potential hazard and are therefore subject to guidelines, regulations, and laws, compliance with which is monitored by authorities or so-called notified bodies. This monitoring can cover the design, manufacture, documentation, assembly, commissioning, operation, and disposal. Dismantling, meaning the entire life cycle of the system or product. The legislator prescribes a testing and certification process for this, which is carried out by conformity assessment bodies with the appropriate competence. From the DE 10 2017 121 296 A1 is a known test environment for automation tasks, for generating test signals and documenting results. From the EP 2 037 340 A1 A safety switching device with a test module is known, which can be controlled by a control unit. The control unit can be verified by a test process, whereby the generated test results are evaluated. The publications XP033334708, XP033280449, and XP055482191 disclose blockchain technologies with consensus procedures. Depending on the industry, plant, system or product, monitoring-relevant areas or parts are identified during the design or planning phase, and the applicable requirements from standards, guidelines, regulations and laws are specified. Basic and detailed designs are executed accordingly, documented, checked and released for execution. During and after the construction phase, the realized technical system / product prototype is tested against the approved plans and, according to the test results, is put into operation or placed on the market. Released (Declaration of Conformity, Operating Permit). To maintain compliant operation, recurring or random inspections (e.g., for plant or product safety) are carried out and documented as required. Likewise, proper dismantling and disposal documentation are necessary at the end of the equipment's service life and are documented accordingly. For example, in process plants, documentation is available for each phase of the system lifecycle. This procedure is the responsibility of the manufacturer or operator and their representatives. Loss of this documentation, or parts thereof, can lead to the revocation of the operating license, product recalls, the need for reconstruction, plant shutdowns, and consequently, significant losses. Failure to comply with regulations and laws may also result in imprisonment. Documenting compliance with all laws and regulations, including the corresponding test certificates, is currently a comprehensive and complex task requiring the involvement of at least three parties (manufacturer, inspector, operator) and numerous qualified personnel. This documentation must be archived for many decades and also revised regularly to ensure its availability at any time, for example, in the event of an audit or an industrial accident. All root cause analyses, corrective actions, and especially liability issues must incorporate the current information contained herein. To date, verification and documentation are carried out through manual, paper-based processes. The resulting paper documentation, including inspection stamps and initials, is extensive, time-consuming, slow, and inflexible. The use of physical stamps to release documents is inadequate, tamper-proof, and cannot be automated. The acceptance testing of, for example, fail-safe controllers that already provide digital checksums in verified digital systems is based on paper documentation. The use of traditional document formats prevents automation and necessitates the processing of larger units. Flexible, granular, and modular processing of subsystems, or the replacement of individual products within a larger system, always requires the revision of larger systems, with corresponding effort. Producing multiple originals is costly in terms of distribution and archiving, generating high administrative costs over many decades. It is therefore the object of the invention to remedy this situation. This object is achieved by a computer-implemented method for providing data, comprising the features of claim 1. Advantageous or preferred embodiments are the subject of dependent claims 2-9. The instances can be assigned to various stakeholders, such as a supplier, a plant manufacturer, a quality manager, and a notifying body. The first instance is the one that starts a blockchain by creating the first data block. By using proof-of-authority, the required computing power is reduced compared to proof-of-work authentication, and it is also possible to update the blockchain more quickly by adding new data blocks. A proof-of-authority grants an instance the authority to validate transactions (e.g., through validators) and include them in blocks. The proof-of-authority can be provided by the first instance. Alternatively or additionally, it can also be stipulated that subsequent instances can provide proo