Design of Networked Secure and Real-Time Control Based on Blockchain Techniques

The security of data propagation is a critical challengefor the widespread use of networked control systems (NCSs), while the conventional strategies based on estimation techniques cannot solve this issue well. Furthermore, the contradiction between the security and the real-time nature of the control method has not been settled yet. The aim of this article is to propose a novel real-time control method empowered by blockchain technologies to resolve the security problems of NCSs under potential cyberattacks. To facilitate the analysis of blockchain-assisted NCSs, a cyber-authentic-physical system (CAPS) framework is proposed. One of the significant features of the CAPS is that the defense of NCSs against attacks is built by introducing a blockchain protocol. Theoretical analysis reveals the relationship among the scale of the peer-to-peer network, the security of the CAPS, and the latency of NCSs, as well as clarifies the impact of the introduction of the blockchain mechanism on the performance of NCSs. With the networked secure control mechanism designed in this article, the security and stability of NCSs can be achieved simultaneously, and their sufficient conditions are also given. Finally, simulations and practical experiments are presented to show the efficacy of the suggested secure control strategy.