Method for the computer-aided parameterization of a technical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11669641-B2
Application number	US-201916970732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Feb 21, 2018
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the computer-aided parameterisation of a technical system (1) in which the technical system (1) is used to store a software package (SP) that is signed with a first digital signature (SIG1) and comprises a test program (PM). The technical system (1) checks the validity of the first digital signature (SIG1). If the first digital signature (SIG1) is valid, the software package (SP) is installed on the technical system (1), wherein during the installation the test program (PM) checks whether a number of rules (RU), at least some of which are stored in the test program (PM), are observed by external digital information (DA) coming from outside the software package (SP). If there is a number of conditions (CO) comprising observance of the number of rules (RU) by the external digital information (DA), parameter setting is performed in the technical system (1) by means of the external digital information (DA) and otherwise the method is terminated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for computer-aided parameterization of a technical system, wherein a software package is stored on the technical system, wherein the software package is signed with a first digital signature and comprises a test program, the method comprising:
checking the validity of the first digital signature by the technical system;
installing, after determining the first digital signature is valid, the software package on the technical system;
checking, by the test program during installation, whether a number of rules that are stored at least in part in the test program are complied with by external digital information that originates from outside the software package, wherein the number of rules comprises at least a rule to be complied with whereby the external digital information comprises a confirmation of receipt of the data to be deleted at a predefined authority; and
performing, after determining that a number of conditions comprising the external digital information that comply with the number of rules are present, a parameter setting in the technical system using the external digital information, wherein the parameter setting in the technical system comprises deleting predetermined data on the technical system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the external digital information comprises configuration data that influence the operation of the technical system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the configuration data specify a respective parameter value for at least one configuration parameter of the technical system and wherein a rule that the respective parameter value is permissible in the technical system is stored as a rule to be complied with in the number of rules.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the rules from the number of rules are contained in the external digital information.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the test program contains one or more specifications, wherein a portion of the rules that is checked for compliance is selected from a set of rules in the external digital information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the software package, the external digital information, or the software package and the external digital information is transferred from a portable data carrier to the technical system via a predefined communication interface.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the external digital information comprises digital data that are signed with a second digital signature, wherein the number of rules comprises at least a rule to be complied with whereby the second digital signature is valid.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of conditions comprises at least a condition including at least one of wherein the technical system includes at least one of a permissible identification, a permissible state, or a permissible identification and permissible state, wherein a current time of the installation of the software package is within a permissible time window, wherein the technical system includes a permissible state following installation of the software package, or wherein the external digital information is assigned to at least two different people.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the confirmation of receipt is signed with a digital signature of the predefined authority and the number of rules comprises at least a rule to be complied with whereby the digital signature of the predefined authority is valid.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the software package contains, in addition to the test program, further software that is installed when the number of conditions are present in the installation of the software package on the technical system.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the technical system comprises one of a charging column for charging electric vehicles, a traffic signal installation, an electrical energy generation installation, or a control system for an industrial automation installation.

12. A non-transitory computer implemented storage medium that stores machine-readable instructions executable by at least one processor for computer-aided parameterization of a technical system, wherein a software package is stored on the technical system, wherein the software package is signed with a first digital signature and comprises a test program, the machine-readable instructions comprising:
checking the validity of the first digital signature by the technical system;
installing, after determining the first digital signature is valid, the software package on the technical system;
checking, in the course of the installation by the test program, whether a number of rules that are stored at least in part in the test program are complied with by external digital information that originates from outside the software package, wherein the number of rules comprises the rule to be complied with whereby the external digital information comprises a confirmation of receipt of the data to be deleted at a predefined authority; and
performing, after determining that a number of conditions comprising the external digital information that comply with the number of rules are present, a parameter setting in the technical system using the external digital information, wherein the parameter setting in the technical system comprises deleting predetermined data on the technical system.

13. The non-transitory computer implemented storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the external digital information comprises configuration data that influence the operation of the technical system.

14. The non-transitory computer implemented storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the configuration data specify a respective parameter value for at least one configuration parameter of the technical system and wherein a rule that the respective parameter value is permissible in the technical system is stored as a rule to be complied with in the number of rules.

15. The non-transitory computer implemented storage medium of claim 12 , wherein one or more of the rules from the number of rules are contained in the external digital information.

16. The non-transitory computer implemented storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the test program contains one or more specifications, wherein a portion of the rules that is checked for compliance is selected from a set of rules in the external digital information.

17. The non-transitory computer implemented storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the software package, the external digital information, or the software package and the external digital information is transferred from a portable data carrier to the technical system via a predefined communication interface.

18. The non-transitory computer implemented storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the confirmation of receipt is signed with a digital signature of the predefined authority and the number of rules comprises at least a rule to be complied with whereby the digital signature of the predefined authority is valid.

Assignees

• Bode Sebastian
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Bode Sebastian

Classifications

• G06F21/71

  to assure secure computing or processing of information · CPC title

• G06F8/61

  Installation · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• Y04S40/18

  Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G06F21/629

  to features or functions of an application · CPC title