PHYSICAL PRESENCE VERIFICATION BY AN INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEM CONTROLLER

• US 20150142138A1
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Khurana, Himanshu, Mohan, Apurva
• Granted Patent: US 9,645,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/20
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24168 Identify connected programmer to allow control, program entry

Abstract

Physical presence verification by an industrial control system controller is described herein. One industrial control system controller includes a mechanism configured to verify that a user of the industrial control system controller is physically present at a location of the controller, a memory, and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to permit the user to perform industrial control operations using the controller only if the user is physically present at the location of the controller.

Claims

1. An industrial control system controller, comprising:

a mechanism configured to verify that a user of the industrial control system controller is physically present at a location of the controller;

a memory; and

a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to permit the user to perform industrial control operations using the controller only if the user is physically present at the location of the controller.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the industrial control operations are safety critical industrial control operations.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to permit the user to perform additional industrial control operations using the controller regardless of whether the user is physically present at the location of the controller.

4. The controller of claim 3, wherein the additional industrial control operations are non-safety critical industrial control operations.

5. The controller of claim 1, wherein the mechanism is a button.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein the mechanism is a switch.

7. The controller of claim 1, wherein the mechanism is a biometric scanner.

8. The controller of claim 1, wherein the mechanism is a fingerprint scanner.

9. The controller of claim 1, wherein the mechanism is an interface configured to receive a password from the user.

10. A method of operating an industrial control system controller, comprising:

verifying, by the industrial control system controller, that a user of the controller is physically present at a location of the controller; and

preventing, by the controller, the user from performing industrial control operations using the controller if the user is not physically present at the location of the controller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method includes permitting, by the controller, the user to perform the industrial control operations using the controller if the user is physically present at the location of the controller.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the method includes identifying the industrial control operations before the user attempts to use the controller to perform the industrial control operations.

13. An industrial control system, comprising:

a number of controllers, wherein;

each of the number of controllers includes a mechanism configured to verify that a user of that respective controller is physically present at a location of that respective controller;

each of the number of controllers is configured to permit the user to perform safety critical industrial control operations using that respective controller only if the user is physically present at the location of that respective controller; and

each of the number of controllers is configured to permit the user to perform non-safety critical industrial control operations using that respective controller regardless of whether the user is physically present at the location of that respective controller.

14. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein:

the safety critical industrial control operations include operations that could result in loss of life, injury, property damage, or environmental damage; and

the non-safety critical industrial control operations include operations that would not result in loss of life, injury, property damage, or environmental damage.

15. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the number of controllers is configured to permit the user to perform both safety critical and non-safety critical industrial control operations on a particular component of the industrial control system.

16. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the number of controllers is configured to permit the user to perform only safety critical industrial control operations on a particular component of the industrial control system.

17. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the number of controllers is configured to permit the user to perform industrial control operations on a single component of the industrial control system.

18. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the number of controllers is configured to permit the user to perform industrial control operations on a plurality of components of the industrial control system.

19. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein at least two of the number of controllers are at a same location.

20. The industrial control system of claim 13, wherein at least two of the number of controllers are at different locations.