DEVICE FOR DETECTING UNAUTHORIZED MANIPULATIONS OF THE SYSTEM STATE OF AN OPEN-LOOP AND CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL UNIT AND A NUCLEAR PLANT HAVING THE DEVICE

• US 20150340111A1
• Filed: 08/06/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Framatome GmbH (Government of France)
• Original Assignee: AREVA GMBH (Government of France)
• Inventors: HALBIG, SIEGFRIED
• Application Number:
  US14/819,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20150340111A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/058 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/161 Nuclear plant
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 3/001 Computer implemented control
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 3/008 Man-machine interface, e.g. control room layout
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/00 Energy generation of nuclear origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A device detects unauthorized manipulations of a system state of an open-loop and closed-loop control unit, in particular of a programmable logic controller, of a nuclear plant. The device should be able to reliably detect unauthorized manipulations. For this purpose, a monitoring module is provided, which monitors the operating state, hardware expansion state and/or program state of the open-loop and closed-loop control unit and generates an indication when the state changes.

Claims

1. A device for detecting unauthorized tampering of a system state of an open and closed-loop control unit, the device comprising:

a monitoring module monitoring at least one state selected from the group consisting of an operating state, a hardware expansion state and a program state of the open and closed-loop control unit, said monitoring module generating a message in an event of changes to the state;

a supervision module monitoring an operation of said monitoring module;

said monitoring module monitoring an operation of said supervision module; and

the open and closed-loop control unit containing a programmable logic controller, said monitoring module and said supervision module are software components of the programmable logic controller that both check whether the other module is processing program statements as planned within a predetermined time period.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the open and closed-loop control unit contains at least one writable memory containing stored data, and wherein said monitoring module generates the message in an event of changes to the data stored in the writable memory.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the data includes at least one of program code or program variables generated therefrom.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the data includes at least one of system data, hardware configuration data, or system variables generated therefrom.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring module monitors a position of an operating mode switch of a CPU of the open and closed-loop control unit.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring module monitors changes to a security level of the open and closed-loop control unit.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the message is written to at least one of a memory of the CPU of the open and closed-loop control unit or a buffer of said monitoring module.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an output and the message is provided at said output.

9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a security module for switching a security level of the open and closed-loop control unit as required, and upon actuation of a key-operated switch.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the memory of the CPU of the open and closed-loop control unit is a diagnostic buffer.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein said output is an output of said monitoring module.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the open and closed-loop control unit is a component of a nuclear plant.

13. A nuclear plant, comprising:

a device according to claim 1.