WIRELESS ADAPTOR AND WIRELESS GATEWAY HAVING BUILT-IN FIREWALLS FOR SECURE ACCESS TO INSTRUMENTS

• US 20200137027A1
• Filed: 10/02/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rizwan, Mohammed, Samudrala, Prasad, Balakrishnan, Jayashree, Koniki, Ramesh Babu
• Granted Patent: US 11,265,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

An apparatus and method is disclosed for the secure access to field instruments. An interface device that includes a built-in firewall, is communicatively coupled between the device manager of an industrial automation process control system and a network of field instruments. The interface device includes at least one processor configured to execute instructions that provides a firewall for the one or more field instruments by blocking one or more user selected commands from being sent to the field instruments from the device manager.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless adaptor comprising at least one interface configured to be coupled to one or more wired field devices;

the wireless adaptor also comprising at least one wireless radio configured to communicate over a wireless network and to receive commands for the one or more wired field devices over the wireless network;

the wireless adaptor further comprising at least one processor configured to execute instructions to provide a firewall for the one or more wired field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wired field devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one interface is configured to be coupled to one or more wired Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) field devices; and

the at least one wireless radio is configured to use a WirelessHART wireless network protocol.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive information from a user identifying one or more rules for the firewall.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more rules identify that one of:

all universal and common practice write commands are blocked;

certain universal and common practice write commands are blocked; and

certain vendor-specific commands are blocked.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless adaptor includes at least one I/O unit configured to be coupled to a handheld programming device;

the wireless adaptor executing instructions to provide a firewall for the one or more wired field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wired field devices from the handheld programming device.

5. A method comprising:

coupling at least one interface of a wireless adaptor to one or more wired field devices;

using at least one wireless radio of the wireless adaptor to communicate over a wireless network and to receive commands for the one or more wired field devices over the wireless network; and

using at least one processor of the wireless adaptor to execute instructions for providing a firewall for the one or more wired field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wired field devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the at least one interface is coupled to one or more wired Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) field devices; and

the at least one wireless radio uses a WirelessHART wireless network protocol.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving information from a user identifying one or more rules for the firewall.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more rules identify that one of:

all universal and common practice write commands are blocked;

certain universal and common practice write commands are blocked; and

certain vendor-specific commands are blocked.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instruction that, when executed by at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to couple at least one interface of a wireless adaptor to one or more wired field devices;

using at least one wireless radio of the wireless adaptor to communicate over a wireless network and to receive commands for the one or more wired field devices over the wireless network; and

using at least one processor of the wireless adaptor to execute instructions for providing a firewall for the one or more wired field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wired field devices

10. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless gateway comprising at least one interface configured to be coupled to one or more networks;

the wireless gateway also comprising at least one wireless radio configured to communicate over a wireless network and to transmit commands for one or more wireless field devices over the wireless network;

the wireless gateway further comprising at least one processor configured to execute instructions that provides a firewall for the one or more wireless field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wireless field devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one wireless radio is configured to use a Wireless Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (WirelessHART) wireless network protocol.

12. The apparatus of claim 110, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive information from a user identifying one or more rules for the firewall.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more rules identify that one of:

all universal and common practice write commands are blocked;

certain universal and common practice write commands are blocked; and

certain vendor-specific commands are blocked.

14. A method comprising:

coupling at least one interface of a wireless gateway to one or more networks;

using at least one wireless radio of the wireless gateway to communicate over a wireless network and to transmit commands for one or more wireless field devices over the wireless network; and

using at least one processor of the wireless gateway to execute instructions for providing a firewall for the one or more wireless field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wireless field devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one wireless radio uses a Wireless Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (WirelessHART) wireless network protocol.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving information from a user identifying one or more rules for the firewall.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more rules identify that one of:

all universal and common practice write commands are blocked;

certain universal and common practice write commands are blocked; and

certain vendor-specific commands are blocked.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instruction that, when executed by at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to couple at least one interface of a wireless gateway to one or more networks;

using at least one wireless radio of the wireless gateway to communicate over a wireless network and to transmit commands for one or more wireless field devices over the wireless network; and

using at least one processor of the wireless gateway to execute instructions for providing a firewall for the one or more wireless field devices by blocking one or more of the commands from being sent to the one or more wireless field devices.