US 12,001,833 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for maintaining software of a control unit for an industrial control system

AssigneeTrane International Inc.

InventorsUdhaya Kumar Dayalan, James K. McKeever

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for maintaining computer software of a supervisory control unit (SCU) of an industrial control system (ICS) configured to control equipment of a facility. The method includes capturing status information for the SCU and equipment that indicates at least performance of the SCU and the equipment, and connectivity of the SCU with the equipment. The method includes patching the computer software automatically to update, change, fix, or improve the computer software. The method includes capturing corresponding status information for the SCU and equipment and performing an audit of the ICS after the patch in which the status information and the corresponding status information are compared to identify any deviations in the performance or the connectivity of the equipment resulting from the patch. The method includes generating an audit report of the ICS that indicates any of the deviations that satisfy a reporting threshold.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;
a network adapter, wherein
the network adapter is coupled to the one or more processors;
and
a computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the one or more processors and comprising program instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, perform a method comprising
maintaining computer software of a control unit of equipment, wherein
the apparatus communicates with the control unit via the network adapter,
the control unit is configured to control the equipment, and
the maintaining comprises
initiating a patch of the computer software of the control unit,
in response to the initiating, patching the computer software, the patching comprising
capturing status information for the control unit and/or the equipment,
applying the patch to the computer software, and
after the application of the patch, capturing corresponding status information for the control unit and/or the equipment,
performing an audit of the equipment, wherein
the audit identifies any deviations between the status information and the corresponding status information resulting from the application of the patch, and
generating an audit report for the equipment, wherein
the audit report is based, at least in part, on the audit, and
the audit report indicates any of the deviations that satisfy a reporting threshold.

16 more elements

A computer-implemented method, implemented in a computer system, comprising:

maintaining computer software of a control unit of equipment, wherein
the control unit is configured to control the equipment, and
the maintaining comprises
initiating a patch of the computer software of the control unit,
in response to the initiating, patching the computer software, the patching comprising
capturing status information for the control unit and/or the equipment,
applying the patch to the computer software, and
after the application of the patch, capturing corresponding status information for the control unit and/or the equipment,
performing an audit of the equipment, wherein
the audit identifies any deviations between the status information and the corresponding status information resulting from the application of the patch, and
generating an audit report for the equipment, wherein
the audit report is based, at least in part, on the audit, and
the audit report indicates any of the deviations that satisfy a reporting threshold.

10 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, perform a method comprising:

maintaining computer software of a control unit of equipment, wherein
the control unit is configured to control the equipment, and
the maintaining comprises
initiating a patch of the computer software of the control unit,
in response to the initiating, patching the computer software, the patching comprising
capturing status information for the control unit and/or the equipment,
applying the patch to the computer software, and
after the application of the patch, capturing corresponding status information for the control unit and/or the equipment,
performing an audit of the equipment, wherein
the audit identifies any deviations between the status information and the corresponding status information resulting from the application of the patch, and
generating an audit report for the equipment, wherein
the audit report is based, at least in part, on the audit, and
the audit report indicates any of the deviations that satisfy a reporting threshold.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/342,348Filed 27 Jun 2023 · continuation
Priority: 29 Nov 2021
Published: US 2023/0168878 A126 Oct 2023
Granted: 4 Jun 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G06F 8/65
Software deployment: updates
G05B 19/042
Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers: using digital processors
G06F 11/3409
Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of…:…
G06F 11/3476
Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring: data logging

Family

Application17/456,784Parent of this continuation · filed 29 Nov 2021
US 2023/0342139 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Oct 2023
US 11,726,766 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2023/0168878 A1Published application
US 12,001,833 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.