RU2641384C1 - System of safe monitoring and diagnostics of railway automatic control systems - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.SUBSTANCE: system of safe monitoring and diagnostics of railway automatic control systems, containing interconnected through Ethernet internal local area network, automated workstations, servers based on industrial electronic computers, is equipped with converters of the automated control system of the MPC and a safe monitoring device, interconnected by a serial data transmission line using diode communication boards.EFFECT: increased reliability and security of the system.4 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention is intended for monitoring and diagnostics of railway automation control systems (ACS ZhAT), in particular, monitoring and diagnostics of a station based on the MPC (microprocessor centralization), workstation (automated workstations), as well as obtaining logs (logs).

A well-known complex of software and hardware tools for the automation of technical diagnostics and monitoring of devices and process control, containing workstations, workstations, automated workstations (AWPs) and servers based on personal electronic computers (PCs) integrated through a local area network (LAN), and also integrated via Ethernet controllers based on industrial computers designed to collect and process information from monitored devices through functional m input, solving diagnostic problems, issuing control commands to functional output modules, as well as for exchanging information via Ethernet with top-level systems, characterized in that, in order to expand the functionality and increase the reliability of control, reliability and noise immunity of a distributed system of functional modules in harsh electromagnetic environment, additionally contains central communication hubs connected to controllers via a standard serial interface, with connected by a two-wire line with a chain of similar remote peripheral communication hubs that are part of the local subsystems and, in turn, connected via a standard serial interface with the central information hubs of these local subsystems, while the information hubs contain ports for connecting similar additional information hubs via communication lines type "current loop" with a synchronous method of exchanging information, and each of the information concentrators has a type-setting field for connecting functional measuring and controlling I / O micromodules, the information exchange with which the microprocessor element of the information concentrator is performed via a synchronous local bus with a matrix structure, while each functional micromodule contains a microprocessor element, and the power supply system of the controllers, central communication hubs and each local subsystem contains decoupling transformers, devices for protection against electrical overloads and interference via the power supply network and uninterruptible power supply with voltage converters to power the devices of the complex (see Utility Model Patent RU No. 68723, cl. G05B 15/00, B61L 27/04, G05B 19/4063, op. in 2007).

A known system of supervisory and monitoring control, consisting of a client node, an information source, a data input-output node of several levels, an automated workstation and communication channels, the client node being made in the form of automation devices located at the user's station and connected to the power panel of the power supply system and the information source is made in the form of a device for acquiring information from automation devices, while the data input-output nodes are made in the form of hubs of different levels, ensuring In order to collect and display the received information and transfer it from a lower-level concentrator to a higher-level concentrator and / or to an automated workstation, control systems are added to the system that are connected to the input panel of the automation devices, the input of the control device is connected to the power panel, and the output of the control device through a communication line is connected to a hub of the first level, and the hub of the first level includes expansion cards, to the input of which information about the controlled x interdependent parameters, while through one of the expansion cards information is supplied from control devices, and through other expansion cards information is supplied from each individual device for collecting information from automation devices, at the output of a lower-level concentrator, information is transmitted to a higher-level concentrator through a communication channel, concentrators top-level information is transmitted to a workstation (see Utility Model Patent RU No. 41903, Cl. G08C 19/00, op. in 2004).

The technical solutions of the two patents described above, despite the fact that they are also aimed at carrying out diagnostic control and monitoring TP control systems (technological processes), use another principle of ensuring information security (IS), which does not exclude two-way data transfer between subsystems. Thus, these systems cannot be used in conjunction with systems operating at lower levels of information security. That is, only parts of these systems included in its LAN (local area network) can act as observers, and the IS requirements for such LANs are always very high, especially in the field of railway organizing regular passenger transportation. Malicious interference with the ACS with direct access to its LAN can disrupt the entire system and lead to disastrous consequences. That is why the LANs of such systems are always isolated and protected not only by control at the level of authorization and authentication, but also by organizational methods, as a result of which external monitoring and diagnostics are impossible without the use of isolated and protected systems.

Building the use of isolated and secure systems. The construction of such systems is an expensive task and requires the laying of additional communication lines to the final observer with the organization of their protection from malicious interference in all possible ways. These technical solutions have not solved the problem of information transfer between systems with different security levels.

A technical solution is known - “MONITORING CONTROL SYSTEM”, illustrating the principle of using one-way data transfer between systems with different security levels (see US 2014/215609, CL H04L 63/1408, op. In 2014).

The disadvantages of this technical solution are:

1. Lack of diagnostic monitoring of the condition of the transmitting channel by technical personnel.

2. The inability to obtain information directly from the monitoring and diagnostic device. In the event of a failure of an insecure external LAN or the receiving and transmitting ports of the device interacting with clients of diagnostic networks (data transmission networks (SPD)), information cannot be extracted from the observed system.

3. The lack of a specific technical solution for the implementation of one-way data transfer between systems with different levels of security.

4. The lack of a mechanism for storing and distributing information between customers.

The closest analogue is the above patent for utility model RU No. 68723.

In automatic process control systems, including in control systems of the MPC, the problem of diagnostics and safe monitoring of technological processes remains unresolved without the need to lay expensive dedicated and protected data networks. The solution to this problem is not limited to laying out a dedicated network and applying complexes of measures to increase the level of information security (using logins, passwords, organizational methods, etc.), since there is no guarantee that the intervention of an attacker in this network will not interfere with the operation of the entire system and will not entail failure of this network.

The present invention is directed to solving the technical problem of improving the reliability and information security (IS) of microprocessor centralization control systems, while monitoring and diagnosing them without the need to build expensive data transmission network infrastructures, by guaranteeing the absence of any impact on the local computer networks (LAN) of the observed systems . And also due to the possibility of safe extraction of logs by maintenance personnel directly from the monitoring device, without affecting the equipment and LAN of the observed system.

The solution of this technical problem is achieved due to the fact that the system of safe monitoring of railway automation control systems, containing automated workstations (AWPs) integrated via Ethernet, an internal local area network (LAN), servers based on industrial electronic computers, is equipped with converters of an automated control system MPC and a device for safe monitoring connected by a serial data line using diode cards th communication. As well as the fact that the device for safe monitoring is equipped with a user interface and a connector on the front panel for connecting removable media, designed to receive information without connecting to the receiving and transmitting Ethernet interface of the device. And also the fact that the safe monitoring device is equipped with a software mechanism for storing and distributing information between clients with the possibility of protection against overflow of physical media of the device. And also the fact that the safe monitoring device is configured to connect external data networks, including the Internet.

The invention is illustrated by drawings.

In FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a safe monitoring system for a railway automation control system. In FIG. 2 shows a diode communication board of a safe monitoring and diagnostic device in conjunction with a safe monitoring device.

Depicted in FIG. 1 structural diagram of a safe monitoring system for a railway automation control system includes:

- converters 1 of the environment of the automatic control system of the MPC connected to the receiving part of the device 2 for safe monitoring using a serial data line 3, which through an external (diagnostic) network 4 can be connected to diagnostic workstations 5 (AWP), as well as to transmission networks 6 data and network 7 Internet;

- connected through the local network 8 MOC central processor 9 MOC, AWP 10 and controllers 11;

- Executive devices 12 railway automation.

Safe monitoring device 2 includes:

- panel computer 13 with a touch display 14 and a connector 15 for connecting USB storage media on the front panel;

- diode boards 16 communications;

- receiving and transmitting interfaces 17 Ethernet for working with clients of external (diagnostic) networks, networks 6 data transmission and network 7 Internet.

The device 2 for safe monitoring has a user interface with which the user can control the fact of the presence of data transfer and fulfill requests for information directly from the device (receiving information on removable media). Data transmission between the MSC ACS and the secure monitoring device 2 is carried out according to a unidirectional protocol built on the basis of the proprietary MultiRcos protocol via a serial data line 3.

The panel computer 13 of the device 2 for safe monitoring constantly monitors the availability of free disk space and cleans up the occupied space as necessary or at the request of the user.

Depicted in FIG. 2, the diode communication board 16 includes one differential pair of conductors 18 for receiving information and an optical isolation device 19 to prevent information from being transmitted to the differential pair of conductors 18 from the transceiver port 20 of the secure monitoring and diagnostic device 2.

The monitoring system and diagnostics of railway automation control systems works as follows.

ACS MPC transmits information to the converters 1 of the medium located in the LAN (local area network 8). Using devices 1, information is converted into a sequence of electrical pulses and transmitted over a serial data line 3 through diode boards 16 to device 2. Safe monitoring device 2 and medium converters 1 are physically located on the same site as the automatic control system of the MPC, which eliminates the possibility of unauthorized exposure to the device 2 secure monitoring and its connection to the ACS MPC system.

Device 2 of secure monitoring when connected to network 4 of any security level (diagnostic network) is waiting for clients to connect to this network. Clients both from the Internet 7 network and from networks 4 and 6 connected to the device 2 via the input-output Ethernet interfaces 17 and, if necessary, fulfill requests for information. At the same time, information or requests regarding the impact on system objects cannot be transmitted through diode boards 16 back to the ACS MPC system.

In order to minimize interference in the ACS of the operating personnel when extracting the system logs and possible virus infection of the MPC ACS equipment when connecting removable storage media to the equipment, the secure monitoring device 2 provides the ability to receive all data using its service. To do this, the user connects a removable medium to the USB connector 15 on the front panel of the panel computer 13 and performs a request to extract the magazines. The device 2 for safe monitoring acts as a one-way gateway, preventing the transmission of information in the direction of the observed system, thereby guaranteeing the complete absence of impact on the ACS system of the MPC as a result of the use of diode communication boards 16. Safe monitoring device 2 operates continuously, in real time, providing continuous, automatic collection of information about the status of the MPC station (in particular, Ebilock-950). It has double redundancy to provide reliable information to connected clients.

Using device 2 safe monitoring provides:

- improving the information security of ACS;

- improving the reliability of ACS by minimizing personnel intervention with subsequent (possible) virus infection of the system equipment;

- remote access to diagnostic information ACS MPTs;

- the absence of the need to build the infrastructure for the operation of diagnostic systems (laying of a secure LAN from ACS to distributed diagnostic systems).

Thus, the technical result achieved using the claimed invention is to increase the reliability and safety of the system, as well as to reduce the response time to eliminate malfunctions identified on the observed ACS.

Claims (4)

1. A system for the safe monitoring and diagnostics of railway automation control systems, containing automated workstations (AWAs) integrated via Ethernet, an internal local area network (LAN), servers based on industrial electronic computers, characterized in that it is equipped with environment converters of the MPC automated control system and a secure monitoring device, interconnected by a serial data line using diode communication cards. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the safe monitoring device is equipped with a user interface and a connector on the front panel for connecting removable media, designed to receive information without connecting to the receiving and transmitting Ethernet interface of the device. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the safe monitoring device is equipped with a software mechanism for storing and distributing information between clients with the possibility of protection against overflow of physical media of the device. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the secure monitoring device is configured to connect external data networks, including the Internet.

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