WO2023012558A1

WO2023012558A1 - Method and verification tool for securing verification data of a measurement device

Info

Publication number: WO2023012558A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/056622
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ayyanar KAVITHASAN; Boby SABU; Subin T
Original assignee: Abb Schweiz Ag
Priority date: 2021-08-04
Filing date: 2022-07-19
Publication date: 2023-02-09

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to method and verification tool (103) for securing verification data (209) of a measurement device in an industrial plant (104). The method comprises receiving device data (206) of the measurement device from data sources. Further, the method comprises comparing the device data (206) with specification data (207) of the measurement device. Furthermore, the method comprises generating verification data (209) comprising result of the comparison and timestamp associated with the verification. The verification data (209) is secured using one or more cryptographic techniques. Thereafter, the method comprises transmitting the verification data (209) to entity servers (1011, 1012,......., 101n) in a blockchain network (102). The verification data (209) is stored in the blockchain network (102).

Description

TITLE: “METHOD AND VERIFICATION TOOL FOR SECURING VERIFICATION DATA OF A MEASUREMENT DEVICE”

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure generally relates to measurement devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and a verification tool for securing verification data of a measurement device in an industrial plant.

BACKGROUND

[002] An industrial/ process plant comprises a plurality of industrial or process equipments. The plurality of industrial or process equipments generally include measurement devices. The measurement devices are used to measure values of parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow, level, and the like. The measurement devices are important for continuous operation of the industrial/ process plant. A failure of the measurement devices leads to plant downtime. Further, an unscheduled maintenance activity upon such failure is expensive. Also, it is necessary to verify accuracy of measurements made by the measurement devices. As the measurement devices are used in non-ideal environment, device performance can reduce. Hence, it is essential to verify the performance of the measurement devices to avoid the above- mentioned problems. Also, early indications of failure of the measurement devices can be provided to end users, to avoid shutdown of the industrial/ process plant. Further, the verification of the measurement devices on a regular basis helps in determining the performance and health of the measurement devices without removing the measurement devices from the process.

[003] Usually, there are multiple entities involved in the verification of each measurement device. For example, the entities associated with the verification of the measurement device may include end customer organization, service organization, vendor organization, channel partner organization, integrator organization, control system organization, and the like. When the verification of the measurement device is performed, verification data related to the verification is stored in the system. The verification data is a track record for all the entities involved, to agree on health of the measurement device. Further, any of the entities may be responsible for the failure of the measurement device. For example, the service organization may have failed to perform regular health check of the measurement device. In another example, improper calibration of the measurement device may have led to false readings and may have impacted process associated with the measurement device. To avoid this, the verification data needs to be shared with all the entities to track timely verification of the measurement device by the entities. The timely verification ensures the health of the measurement device and the industrial /process plant. In the existing systems, the integrity of the verification data across the multiple entities is not ensured. Data tampering of the verification data should be taken care which can affect the performance, safety, compliance, and business of the industrial/ process plant. Hence, there is a need for a system that overcomes one or more limitations of the above-described systems.

[004] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

[005] In an embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a method of securing verification data of the measurement device in an industrial plant. The industrial plant comprises a plurality of measurement devices. The performance of the plurality of measurement devices are verified by a plurality of entity servers connected in a blockchain network. The verification is performed by a verification tool comprising an interface configured to connect to the plurality of measurement devices, one or more processors, and a memory. The method comprises receiving device data of the measurement device from the plurality of measurement devices, from one or more data sources. Further, the method comprises comparing the device data with specification data of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device. Furthermore, the method comprises generating verification data for the measurement device. The verification data comprises a result of the comparison and a timestamp associated with the verification. The verification data is secured using one or more cryptographic techniques. Thereafter, the method comprises transmitting the verification data that is secured, to the plurality of entity servers. The verification data is stored in the blockchain network.

[006] In an embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a verification tool for securing verification data of a measurement device in an industrial plant. The industrial plant comprises a plurality of measurement devices. The performance of the plurality of measurement devices are verified by plurality of entity servers connected in a blockchain network. The verification tool comprises an interface configured to connect to the plurality of measurement devices, one or more processors, and a memory. The one or more processors are configured to receive device data of the measurement device from the plurality of measurement devices, from one or more data sources. Further, the one or more processors are configured to compare the device data with specification data of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device. Furthermore, the one or more processors are configured to generate verification data for the measurement device. The verification data comprises a result of the comparison and a timestamp associated with the verification. The verification data are secured using one or more cryptographic techniques. Thereafter, the one or more processors are configured to transmit the verification data that is secured, to the plurality of entity servers. The verification data is stored in the blockchain network.

[007] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[008] The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

[009] Figure 1A illustrates an exemplary environment for securing verification data of a measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure IB shows a verification tool connected to a measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates an internal architecture of a verification tool for securing verification data of a measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; [0012] Figure 3 shows an exemplary flow chart illustrating method steps for securing verification data of a measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 4A-4D show exemplary illustrations for securing verification data of a measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 5A shows architecture of a blockchain network for storing verification data, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 5B shows exemplary verification data stored in a blockchain network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a general-purpose computing system for securing verification data of a measurement device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represents conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0019] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0020] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises. . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

[0021] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and a verification tool for securing verification data of a measurement device in an industrial plant. The performance of the measurement devices is verified by various entity servers. The present disclosure uses blockchain network to secure the verification data of the measurement device. The entity servers are connected in a blockchain network. The verification tool verifies the performance of the measurement device by comparing device data with specification data. Thereafter, the verification tool encrypts and sends verification data to the entity servers. Hence, the verification data is stored in each entity server. The present disclosure ensures integrity of the verification data across multiple entities associated with the verification of the measurement device. Further, the tampering of the verification data is avoided. Also, each entity can trace records created by other entities.

[0022] Figure 1A illustrates an exemplary environment 100 for securing verification data of a measurement device in an industrial plant, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary environment 100 comprises a plurality of entity servers 1011, 1012, , 10 In, a blockchain network 102, a verification tool 103, and a plurality of measurement devices 105 i, 1052, , 105n, in an industrial plant 104. The plurality of entity servers 1011 , 1012, , 101 _n are also referred as the plurality of entity servers 101 in the present description. The plurality of measurement devices 1051, 1052, , 105_n are also referred as the plurality of measurement devices 105 in the present description. Each of the plurality of entity servers 101 may be a computing entity such as a computer or a server. In an embodiment, the plurality of entity servers 101 may be accessed by the plurality of entities to perform the verification of the measurement device. For example, the plurality of entities may be end customer organization, service organization, vendor organization, channel partner organization, integrator organization, control system organization, and the like. The plurality of entity servers 101 may schedule or subscribe to verification of the plurality of measurement devices 105. For example, the end customer organization may provide commands or instructions to the service organization for performing periodic verification of the measurement device via respective server from the plurality of entity servers 101. A value-added reseller may perform verification of a component of the measurement device in pre-defined intervals. Further, other entities may receive an outcome of the verification on respective servers from the plurality of entity servers 101. In an embodiment, the plurality of entity servers 101 may be connected in the blockchain network 102. The blockchain network 102 is a digital ledger used to record data transactions across multiple computer systems securely.

[0023] The industrial plant 104 comprises the plurality of measurement devices 105. The plurality of measurement devices 105 may be devices used to measure values of one or more parameters such as temperature, pressure, force, and the like. For example, the plurality of measurement devices 105 may comprise, but not limited to, a flowmeter, a level transmitter, a positioner, a pressure transmitter, and a temperature sensor to measure level, position, pressure, and temperature, respectively. In an embodiment, the plurality of measurement devices 105 may be part of one or more control systems used to monitor and control processes in the industrial plant 104. The plurality of measurement devices 105 play a vital role in keeping the industrial plant 104 operational. Hence, it is required to timely verify the performance of the plurality of measurement devices 105.

[0024] The verification tool 103 may be configured to verify a measurement device from the plurality of measurement devices 105 and secure the verification data of the measurement device. In an embodiment, the verification tool 103 may reside in the industrial plant 104. In another embodiment, the verification tool 103 may reside in a cloud. The verification tool may communicate with the measurement device via an edge node. The verification tool 103 comprises an interface, one or more processors, and a memory. Figure IB shows the verification tool 103 comprising an interface 106 configured to connect to the plurality of measurement devices 105. The interface 106 may be configured to connect the verification tool 103 to the plurality of measurement devices 105 during verification. The interface 106 is configured to electrically connect the verification tool 103 to the measurement device via Universal Serial Bus (USB), cable, Bluetooth, and the like. Figure IB illustrates the verification tool 103 connected to a measurement device 1051 via the interface 106. In an exemplary embodiment, the measurement device 1051 is a flowmeter. The flowmeter may include components such as sensor assembly, transmitter, flow tube, and the like. In one implementation, the interface 106 may be connected to the sensor assembly of the flowmeter and the transmitter of the flowmeter. The verification tool 103 may receive device data of the measurement device from the plurality of measurement devices 105, from one or more data sources. Further, the verification tool 103 may compare the device data with specification data of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device. Furthermore, the verification tool 103 may generate verification data for the measurement device, comprising a result of the comparison and a timestamp associated with the verification. The verification data is secured using one or more cryptographic techniques. Further, the verification tool 103 may transmit the verification data that is secured, to the plurality of entity servers 101 over the blockchain network 102.

[0025] Figure 2 illustrates an internal architecture 200 of the verification tool 103 for securing the verification data of the measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the verification tool 103 may reside in the industrial plant 104. The verification tool 103 may include one or more processors 203, a memory 202, and an I/O interface 201.

[0026] The verification tool 103 may include Central Processing Units 203 (also referred as “CPUs” or “one or more processors 203”), Input/ Output (I/O) interface 201, and a memory

202. In some embodiments, the memory 202 may be communicatively coupled to the processor

203. The memory 202 stores instructions executable by the one or more processors 203. The one or more processors 203 may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated requests. The memory 202 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more processors 203. The memory 202 stores instructions, executable by the one or more processors 203, which, on execution, may cause the one or more processors 203 to verify the measurement device and secure the verification data of the measurement device. In an embodiment, the memory 202 may include one or more modules 205 and data 204. The one or more modules 205 may be configured to perform the steps of the present disclosure using the data 204, to verify the measurement device and secure the verification data of the measurement device. In an embodiment, each of the one or more modules 205 may be a hardware unit which may be outside the memory 202 and coupled with the verification tool 103. As used herein, the term modules 205 refers to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide described functionality. The one or more modules 205 when configured with the described functionality defined in the present disclosure will result in a novel hardware. Further, the I/O interface 201 is coupled with the one or more processors 203 through which an input signal or/and an output signal is communicated. For example, the I/O interface 201 may comprise I/O buses.

[0027] In one implementation, the modules 205 may include, for example, a communication module 211, a comparison module 212, a verification data generation module 213, and other modules 214. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules 205 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules. In one implementation, the data 204 may include, for example, device data 206, specification data 207, comparison data 208, verification data 209, and other data 210.

[0028] In an embodiment, the communication module 211 may be configured to receive device data of the measurement device from the plurality of measurement devices 105. The device data may comprise at least one of, electrical parameters and mechanical parameters of the measurement device. For example, the device data may comprise coil current, coil resistance, coil insulation, cable insulation, coil inductance, electrode resistance, electrode voltage, current output, and the like. In an example, the measurement device may be a flowmeter as shown in Figure IB. When the measurement device is a flowmeter, the device data may further comprise totalizer information, pipe status, and the like . The communication module 211 may receive the device data from one or more data sources. In an embodiment, the one or more data sources may comprise a condition monitoring device associated with the measurement device. The condition monitoring device may connect to the measurement device and transmit the device data to the verification tool 103. In an example, the condition monitoring device may be an application that connects to the measurement device and transmits the device data to the verification tool. In another embodiment, the one or more data sources may comprise a user associated with an entity server verifying the measurement device from the plurality of entity servers. The verification tool 103 may comprise a user interface. The user associated with the entity server may perform measurements of the device data of the measurement device in the industrial plant 104. Further, the user may provide the measured device data to the verification tool, via the user interface. The device data received from the one or more data sources may be stored as the device data 206 in the memory 202. In an embodiment, the communication module 211 may communicate with the measurement device via the interface 106. In another embodiment, the communication module 211 may utilize Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) module, Bluetooth, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Zigbee, Universal Serial Bus (USB), RS-232, Ethernet, Modbus, Profibus, Open Platform Communications (OPC) data access, Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART), and the like to communicate with the measurement device.

[0029] In an embodiment, the comparison module 212 may be configured to receive the device data 206 from the communication module 211. The comparison module 212 may be configured to retrieve specification data of the measurement device. The specification data comprises baseline set of measurements performed when the measurement device was first manufactured. In an embodiment, the specification data may comprise measurements performed prior to shipping the measurement device. In another embodiment, the specification data may comprise measurements performed upon installation of the measurement device in the industrial plant 104. The specification data may be stored in the memory 202 as the specification data 207. The comparison module 212 may be configured to compare the device data 206 with the specification data 207 of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device. The comparison module 212 may determine whether the device data 206 is within tolerances specified in the specification data 207. Further, the comparison module 212 may output a result of the comparison. In an example, the result of comparison may be “1” when the device data 206 is within the tolerances specified in the specification data 207. The result of comparison may be “0” when the device data 206 is outside the tolerances specified in the specification data 207. In another example, the result of the comparison may be “PASS” and “FAIE” when the device data 206 is within and outside the tolerances specified in the specification data 207, respectively. The above examples are only exemplary and should not be considered as limitation. The result of comparison may be stored as the comparison data 208 in the memory 202.

[0030] In an embodiment, the verification data generation module 213 may be configured to receive the comparison data 208 from the comparison module 212. The verification data generation module 213 may be configured to generate the verification data for the measurement device. The verification data may comprise a result of the comparison and a timestamp associated with the verification. For example, the verification data may comprise the result of the comparison as “PASS” and the timestamp as 01/01/2021 11:00. The verification data may comprise other data such as device identification (ID), manufacturer ID, site ID, entity server among the plurality of entity servers 101 performing the verification, and the like. The verification data may be stored in the memory 202 as the verification data 209. Further, the verification data generation module 213 may be configured to secure the verification data 209 using one or more cryptographic techniques. The one or more cryptographic techniques may comprise symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, hashing, and the like. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that any known cryptographic techniques may be used to secure the verification data 209.

[0031] In an embodiment, the communication module 211 may be further configured to receive the verification data 209 from the verification data generation module 213 and transmit the verification data 209 that is secured, to the plurality of entity servers 101 in the blockchain network 102. The verification data 209 is stored in the blockchain network 102. The blockchain network 102 is a digital ledger comprising a plurality of blocks comprising transactions. In an embodiment, each measurement device may be associated with a ledger. Each of the plurality of blocks comprises a transaction, a timestamp, and a unique hash value corresponding to the transaction. In the present disclosure, the transaction may refer to the verification data 209. For example, a first block may correspond to a first verification data of a measurement device. The first verification data may be associated with a first-time verification of the measurement device. Further, the first block may comprise a specific timestamp and a hash value generated for the first-time verification. The unique hash value may be generated using existing hashing techniques. The hashing techniques may be a Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA)-l, SHA-256, and a MD5 algorithm. A person of ordinary skill should appreciate that other types of hashing techniques also come under the scope of the present disclosure and are not limited to aforementioned types of hashing techniques.

[0032] Further, a hash pointer of a block among the plurality of blocks comprises an address of a previous block and a hash value of the previous block. Therefore, the plurality of blocks are secured against threats, as a hacker needs more time and processing capabilities to change the verification data. The timestamp indicates a date and time of a transaction stored in a block. The timestamp may refer to a specific time at which the verification data 209 is stored in the plurality of blocks. As known in the art, a hash value may not be decoded. The verification data 209 is hence stored as a hash value. Because of the properties of hash functions, a change in the verification data 209 of a block will change the hash values of other blocks drastically. For example, any changes made in block 3, will change hash value which is stored in block 2, which in turn will change the verification data 209 and the hash value of block 2 which will result in changes in block 1 and so on and so forth. This will completely change the chain, which needs more time and processing capabilities. Hence, the verification data 209 stored in the blockchain network 102 is protected from getting tampered or deleted.

[0033] The other data 210 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the one or more modules 205 for performing the various functions of the verification tool 103. The one or more modules 205 may also include the other modules 214 to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the verification tool 103. It will be appreciated that the one or more modules 205 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules. For example, the other modules 214 may comprise a recommendation module. In an embodiment, the recommendation module may provide one or more recommendations based on the comparison of the device data 206 with the specification data 207. In one example, the recommendation module may provide the one or more recommendations based on pre-defined recommendations provided by a user associated with the measurement device. In another example, the recommendation module may provide the one or more recommendations based on historical data related to the verification of the measurement device. In another embodiment, the one or more recommendations may be provided by a user upon verification of the measurement device. The one or more recommendations may be included in the verification data 209 and transmitted to the plurality of entity servers 101. The one or more recommendations may be stored as the other data 210 in the memory 202.

[0034] Figure 3 shows an exemplary flow chart illustrating method steps for securing the verification data 209 of the measurement device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Figure 3, the method 300 may comprise one or more steps. The method 300 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. [0035] The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method steps can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual steps may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

[0036] At step 301 , the verification tool 103 may receive the device data 206 of the measurement device from the plurality of measurement devices 105. The device data 206 may comprise at least one of, electrical parameters and mechanical parameters of the measurement device. The verification tool 103 may receive the device data 206 from one or more data sources. In an embodiment, the one or more data sources may comprise a condition monitoring device associated with the measurement device. In another embodiment, the one or more data sources may comprise a user associated with an entity server verifying the measurement device from the plurality of entity servers 101. Figure 4A illustrates an exemplary user interface 400 for receiving the device data 206 from a user. The measurement device may be a flowmeter with the device ID as 1234. The user interface may display one or more parameters in the device data 206. For example, the one or more parameters are coil current, coil resistance, transmitter current, and electrode resistance. The one or more parameters may include other parameters and not limited to parameters shown in figures. In an example, the user may provide values of the one or more parameters via the user interface as shown in 401 of Figure 4B. In another example, the verification tool may populate the values of the one or more parameters received from the condition monitoring device. In another example, the user may provide inputs related to the one or more parameters for the verification tool to determine the values.

[0037] Referring back to Figure 3, at step 302, the verification tool 103 may compare the device data 206 with the specification data 207 of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device. The verification tool 103 may retrieve the specification data of the measurement device from the memory 202. The verification tool 103 may determine whether the device data 206 is within tolerances specified in the specification data 207. Referring to the example stated in Figure 4A and Figure 4B, the verification tool 103 may compare the values of the one or more parameters with corresponding values in the specification data 207. For example, value of the transmitter current may be 4mA in the specification data 207. The value of transmitter current provided by the user is 3.928. The verification tool 103 may compare both the values and determine the result of comparison as “PASS”. Similarly, the verification tool 103 may compare the values of other parameters with corresponding values in the specification data 207.

[0038] Referring back to Figure 3, at step 303, the verification tool 103 may generate the verification data 209 for the measurement device. The verification data 209 may comprise the result of the comparison and the timestamp associated with the verification. The verification data 209 may comprise other data such as the device ID, the manufacturer ID, the site ID, entity server among the plurality of entity servers 101 performing the verification, and the like. Further, the verification tool 103 may be configured to secure the verification data 209 using one or more cryptographic techniques. Referring to 402 in Figure 4C, the verification data 209 of the flowmeter is displayed on the user interface. The verification data 209 comprises the device ID as 1234, the manufacturer ID as ABC, the site ID as XYZ, the result of comparison as “PASS”, the verification date and time as 01/07/2021 11:00, and the entity performing the verification as user 1. The user 1 may be associated with the end user organization. Figure 4D shows another example of the verification data. The verification data 209 comprises the device ID as 1234, the manufacturer ID as ABC, the site ID as XYZ, the result of comparison as “FAIL”, the verification date and time as 02/07/2021 10:00, and verification mode as auto verification. The “auto verification” may refer to automatic verification of the measurement device at pre-defined time intervals. The condition monitoring device may provide the device data 206 to the verification tool 103 at the pre-defined time intervals. For example, the predefined time interval may be a week. The verification tool 103 may perform the verification and generate the verification data 209 of the measurement device on a weekly basis. The result of comparison may be “FAIL” due to high coil resistance. The verification tool 103 may provide recommendation to change coil of the flowmeter.

[0039] Referring back to Figure 3, at step 304, the verification tool 103 may transmit the verification data 209 that is secured, to the plurality of entity servers 1011, lOh, , 101_n. The verification data 209 is stored in the blockchain network 102. Reference is now made to Figure 5A illustrating architecture 500 of the blockchain network 102. The blockchain network comprising four blocks is illustrated. Each block comprises the verification data 209, a timestamp, and a unique hash value. For example, a first block may correspond to a first verification data of a measurement device. The first verification data may be associated with a first-time verification of the measurement device. Furter, the first block may include a specific timestamp and a hash value generated for the first-time verification. Further, a hash pointer of a block comprises an address of a previous block and a hash value of the previous block. The timestamp indicates a date and time of a transaction stored in a block. The verification data 501 generated by the verification tool 103 may be added in a new block, for example block 4. Figure 5B shows exemplary table illustrating transactions in the blockchain network 102. As shown, the verification of the measurement device is performed monthly and the verification data 209 corresponding to the measurement device is stored in the blockchain network 102. The entity server may be identified using an entity server ID and an entity associated with the entity server may be identified using an entity ID. For example, a user performing the verification may be having the entity ID as 0001 and the entity server ID may be S001.

[0040] The blockchain network 102 helps to keep the track of responsibilities of each entity server in the verification of the measurement device. Also, the blockchain network 102 helps to manage finance related to the verification of the measurement device by the plurality of entity servers 101. Further, updating the verification data 209 by an entity server from the plurality of entity servers 101 is upon authorization of the entity server by other entity servers among the plurality of entity servers 101. Also, an indication is provided to the plurality of entity servers 101 when an entity server from the plurality of entity servers 101 modifies the verification data 209. Further, addition of a new entity server and deletion of one or more entity servers from the plurality of entity servers 101 is authorized by the plurality of entity servers 101. Hence, the verification data 209 is protected from tampering and integrity of the verification data 209 across the multiple entities is ensured.

COMPUTER SYSTEM

[0041] Figure 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 600 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the computer system 600 may be used to implement the verification tool 103. Thus, the computer system 600 may be used to secure the verification data 209 of the measurement device. The computer system 600 may reside in the industrial plant 104. The computer system 600 may be used to receive device data 206 of the measurement device from the one or more data sources. Further, the computer system 600 may be used to transmit the verification data 209 to the plurality of entity servers 101 in the blockchain network 102. The computer system 600 may communicate with the plurality of entity servers 101 via the communication network 609. In an embodiment, the computer system 600 may reside in a cloud (not illustrated in Figures). The computer system 600 may receive the device data 206 of the measurement device via an edge node. The device data 206 may be communicated to the computer system 600 via the communication network 609.

[0042] The computer system 600 may comprise a Central Processing Unit 602 (also referred as “CPU” or “processor”). The processor 602 may comprise at least one data processor. The processor 602 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.

[0043] The processor 602 may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices (not shown) via I/O interface 601. The I/O interface 601 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) -1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 8O2.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.

[0044] Using the I/O interface 601, the computer system 600 may communicate with one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device 610 may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone, touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device, transceiver, video device/source, etc. The output device 611 may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, Plasma display panel (PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or the like), audio speaker, etc.

[0045] The processor 602 may be disposed in communication with the communication network 609 via a network interface 603. The network interface 603 may communicate with the communication network 609. The network interface 603 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/intemet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802. 1 la/b/g/n/x, etc. The communication network 609 may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. The network interface 603 may employ connection protocols include, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/intemet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/x, etc .

[0046] The communication network 609 includes, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, an e-commerce network, a peer to peer (P2P) network, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, WiFi, and such. The first network and the second network may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/intemet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the first network and the second network may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.

[0047] In some embodiments, the processor 602 may be disposed in communication with a memory 605 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in Figure 6) via a storage interface 604. The storage interface 604 may connect to memory 605 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

[0048] The memory 605 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user interface 606, an operating system 607, web browser 608 etc. In some embodiments, computer system 600 may store user/application data, such as, the data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle ® or Sybase®. [0049] The operating system 607 may facilitate resource management and operation of the computer system 600. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSH^R OS X, UNIX^R, UNIX-like system distributions (E G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION™ (BSD), FREEBSD™, NETBSD™, OPENBSD™, etc ), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONS™ (E G., RED HAT™, UBUNTU™, KUBUNTU™, etc ), IBM™ OS/2, MICROSOFT™ WINDOWS™ (XP™, VISTA™/7/8, 10 etc ), APPLE^R IOS™, GOOGLE^R ANDROID™, BLACKBERRY^R OS, or the like.

[0050] In some embodiments, the computer system 600 may implement the web browser 608 stored program component. The web browser 608 may be a hypertext viewing application, for example MICROSOFT¹* INTERNET EXPLORER™, GOOGLE^R CHROME™⁰, MOZILLA^R FIREFOX™, APPLE^R SAFARI™, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 608 may utilize facilities such as AJAX™, DHTML™, ADOBE^R FLASH™, JAVASCRIPT™, JAVA™, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the computer system 600 may implement a mail server (not shown in Figure) stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP™, ACTIVEX™, ANSI™ C++/C#, MICROSOFT¹*. NET™, CGI SCRIPTS™, JAVA™, JAVASCRIPT™, PERL™, PHP™, PYTHON™, WEBOBJECTS™, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT¹* exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system 600 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client (not shown in Figure) may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE¹* MAIL™, MICROSOFT¹* ENTOURAGE™, MICROSOFT¹* OUTLOOK™, MOZILLA^R THUNDERBIRD™, etc.

[0051] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer- readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD ROMs), Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

[0052] Embodiments of the present disclosure ensures integrity of the verification data across multiple entities associated with the verification of the measurement device. The entities can have open and transparent access to the verification data. Further, the tampering of the verification data is avoided. Also, each entity can trace records created by other entities. This helps to keep the track of responsibilities of each entity in the verification of the measurement device. Also, the blockchain network helps to manage finance related to the verification of the measurement device by the entities.

[0053] The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0054] The terms "including", "comprising", “having” and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0055] The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0056] A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

[0057] When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.

[0058] The illustrated operations of Figure 3 show certain events occurring in a certain order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order, modified, or removed. Moreover, steps may be added to the above-described logic and still conform to the described embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.

[0059] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

[0060] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Claims

22 Claims:

1. A method of securing verification data (209) of a measurement device in an industrial plant (104), the method comprising: receiving, by the verification tool (103), device data (206) of a measurement device from a plurality of measurement devices ( 105 i, 1052, , 105n), from one or more data sources; comparing, by the verification tool (103), the device data (206) with specification data (207) of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device; generating, by the verification tool (103), verification data (209) for the measurement device, comprising a result of the comparison and a timestamp associated with the verification, wherein the verification data (209) is secured using one or more cryptographic techniques; and transmitting, by the verification tool (103), the verification data (209) that is secured, to a plurality of entity servers (101 I, 10h, , 101n) connected in a blockchain network (102), wherein the verification data (209) is stored in the blockchain network (102).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measurement device is one of, a flowmeter, a level transmitter, a positioner, a pressure transmitter, and a temperature sensor.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device data (206) comprises at least one of, electrical parameters and mechanical parameters of the measurement device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises transmitting one or more recommendations associated with the verification of the measurement device.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises: updating the verification data (209) by an entity server from the plurality of entity servers (1011, 1012, , 101n), upon authorization of the entity server by other entity servers among the plurality of entity servers (1011, 1012, , 10 l_n).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises: providing an indication to the plurality of entity servers (101 i, 1012, . , 10 l_n) when an entity server from the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, . , 101_n) modifies the verification data (209). The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises: authorizing at least one of, addition of a new entity server and deletion of one or more entity servers from the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, . , 101_n) from the blockchain network (102), by the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, . , 101_n). A verification tool (103) for securing verification data (209) of a measurement device in an industrial plant (104), the verification tool (103) comprising: an interface (106) configured to connect to the plurality of measurement devices (105i, 1052, . , 105n); one or more processors (203); a memory (202) storing processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, cause the one or more processors (203) to: receive device data (206) of a measurement device from a plurality of measurement devices ( 1051, 1052, . , 105_n), from one or more data sources; compare the device data (206) with specification data (207) of the measurement device, for verifying the measurement device; generate verification data (209) for the measurement device, comprising a result of the comparison and a timestamp associated with the verification, wherein the verification data (209) are secured using one or more cryptographic techniques; and transmit the verification data (209) that is secured, to a plurality of entity servers (1011, 1012, . , 10 l_n) connected in a blockchain network (102), wherein the verification data (209) is stored in the blockchain network (102). The verification tool (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the measurement device is one of, a flowmeter, a level transmitter, a positioner, a pressure transmitter, and a temperature sensor. The verification tool (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the device data (206) comprises at least one of, electrical parameters and mechanical parameters of the measurement device. The verification tool ( 103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more processors (203) are further configured to transmit one or more recommendations associated with the verification of the measurement device. The verification tool (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one ormore processors (203) are further configured to: update the verification data (209) by an entity server from the plurality of entity servers (1011, 10h, , 101_n), upon authorization of the entity server by other entity servers among the plurality of entity servers (101 i, 1012, , 10 l_n). The verification tool (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more processors (203) are further configured to: provide an indication to the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, , 101_n) when an entity server from the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, , 101_n) modifies the verification data (209). The verification tool (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more processors (203) are further configured to: authorize at least one of, addition of a new entity server and deletion of one or more entity servers from the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, , 10 l_n) from the blockchain network (102), by the plurality of entity servers (1011, IOI2, , 101n).