IMAGING SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS (iEdison No. 0685901-21-0045)
Cylindrical Fast Backprojection (CFBP) is a novel image reconstruction algorithm developed at PNNL that radically increases the efficiency of normal backprojection techniques and is ideally suited to microwave and millimeter-wave imaging systems based on scanned linear arrays such as current and next-generation cylindrical body scanners in common use for aviation security screening. This method achieves its gains in efficiency by separating a full backprojection into a sequence of three steps, range focusing, vertical focusing, and lateral focusing, with intermediate results saved and used to avoid repetitive multidimensional computation. This invention is a critical enabling technology that will allow efficient image reconstruction in next-generation body scanners - the CFBP algorithm allows imaging results to be presented within a fraction of a second after the scan is complete.
Lossless Droplet Transfer for Droplet-based Microfluidic Analysis
Entrapment of aqueous droplets containing biological and chemical species in an immiscible oil is increasingly valued as a way to process and analyze trace species. We have developed technology that enables aqueous droplets to coalesce into a separate aqueous stream, opening the door for alternative detection strategies such as mass spectrometry (MS) and making possible analytical separations prior to detection.
ANTENNA ASSEMBLIES AND ANTENNA SYSTEMS
This spiral antenna approach utilizes a conducting backplane within a PCB stackup to eliminate the need for a separate cavity backing structure. The spiral antenna is enclosed within a PCB via cavity to prevent mutual coupling from adjacent elements in an array environment. Resistive material is embedded within the PCB stackup on the conducting backplane layer to suppress undesired modes generated by the cavity geometry.The spiral antenna design is a differential fed, dual arm , Archimedean spiral antenna. This design produces circular polarization over a wide beamwidth and bandwidth. The arms of the Archemedean spiral are end-loaded with resistive material or surface mount chip resistors. The size of the antenna is small to allow integration into a wide-band array. The PCB design allows for highly integrated, inexpensive, automated manufacturing solution over a wide frequency band by allowing the feedlines and/or other RF/Microwave components to be co-located directly behind the antenna aperture. To our knowledge no other antenna approach has all of these inventive features. Most antennas in this category require a separate cavity to provide unidirectional radiation.
HIGH FIDELITY MODEL-DRIVEN DECEPTION PLATFORM FOR CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS (iEdison No. 0685901-18-0019)
An approach and platform for generating and running high fidelity control system deceptive systems. This platform operates a model of the real process, generated either from apriori knowledge or data from the real system, that drives the deceptive systems. With a model of the real physical system, deceptive network attached controllers and sensors can be generated that respond to attacker interaction in realistic ways that make it seem like they are part of the real system. This level of fidelity is necessary to deceive intelligent and targeted attackers. The novel feature of this invention are the generation of a process model that drives the deceptive elements. In addition, control system specific breadcrumbs (pieces of information placed within real server and workstation systems that lead an attacker that has successfully infiltrated the system toward the deceptive systems) that integrate with control system servers/services.
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ION MOBILITY SEPARATIONS UTILIZING ALTERNATING CURRENT WAVEFORMS
We developed a new device that can be utilized to perform efficient and versatile control of ion motion in the gas phase. The new device can be used to perform high resolution gas-phase ion mobility separation. The device can be also utilized to perform variety of ion manipulations such as trapping, switching, dissociation, reactions, etc. The ion manipulations are performed between two surfaces where appropriate RF and DC fields are applied to control the ion motion. The new device utilizes arrays of electrodes on two or more surfaces where a transient DC waveform is applied to array of DC electrodes to propel and control ions through the device. In one embodiment the confinement of ions inside the device is achieved by applying a radio frequency (RF) waveform to array of electrodes that are inserted between the arrays of DC electrodes. The new device allows flexibility of laying different electrode arrangements to perform different ion manipulations. A proof-of-concept experiment demonstrated an extremely high mobility resolution in a platform of a small footprint. The new device also allows the construction of extended 3 dimensional structures as well as miniaturization with ease.
BLOCKCHAIN CYBERSECURITY AUDIT PLATFORM
PNNL has produced a blockchain cybersecurity audit platform (BCAP). The BCAP helps reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of grid cybersecurity efforts through automating security audits and compliance to North American Electric Reliability Corporation critical infrastructure protection (NERC CIP), which is set of cybersecurity requirements designed to secure the assets required for operating North America's bulk electric system. The current compliance process is largely manual, costly and ineffective. PNNL solves these problems though the innovative application of distributed ledger technology or blockchain, which cryptographically signs the who, what, when and where for critical cyber assets throughout their entire chain of custody, from the factory to the field deployment, including monitoring the integrity of the devices when deployed. This significantly improves the state of the art for the current NERC CIP process is resource intensive, burdensome and often ineffective in securing the increasing number of networked field devices. Security controls - like whitelisting and laborious physical inventories and monitoring of critical cyber assets are challenging due in part to the increasing number of Internet-connected devices. Not only is the attack surface increasing, but utilities can be fined up to $1 million dollars per day for NERC CIP noncompliance. Instead of periodic laborious compliance and security CIP assessments, both regulators and utilities could use blockchain technology to facilitate monitoring and securing of complex energy IoT environments. In realization of this goal, BCAP has several benefits that could improve cyber risk management and NERC CIP compliance: 1) Increased transparency and auditability of the system throughout the manufacturing, shipping, deployment and maintenance, and retirement life cycle. BCAP's chain of custody and monitoring of field devices are provisioned and tracked in the blockchain through their entire life cycle; 2) BCAP provides an immutable archived record about the firmware, hardware, and software components of the system including the past and current patch management information can be widely witnessed through a cryptographic hash of their metadata captured in an immutable blockchain instead of a single server that can be manipulated or erased; 3) BCAP expedites and enhances inter-vendor cooperative system development through increased visibility and accessibility of supply chain data. Realization of this goal would require vendor participation via regulatory mandate or potentially the market incentive of having a product with improved supply chain security; 4) BCAP improves security of the supply chain process through increased trustworthiness and integrity of data through blockchain consensus mechanism which reduces reliance and can even replace the need for intermediary trust mechanisms and brokers. The need for some third-party vendors EDS and other field devices might be reduced as blockchain enables more trustworthy peer-to-peer transactions that are less susceptible to manipulation and compromise; 5) Principle component traceability throughout the system lifecycle to incorporate efficient systems engineering processes; 6) Improved audibility and monitoring of critical cyber assets facilitates compliance and improves the security of devices. The blockchain consensus algorithm could flag if a field device was not patched and may help deny a malicious change in the configuration of a field device - maintaining machine state integrity by default. BCAP's architecture helps ensure the data integrity throughout the chain of custody by verifying the identity of the signer and alerting if the data have been manipulated. A cryptographically signed hash of the data is captured as a block in the chain. The regulator returns a signature token to see the information about the asset at each route along the supply chain (e.g., vendor, supply, customer). In the context of NERC CIP compliance, the hash would be sent to the regulator along with chain-of-custody data and device logs, which could potentially help verify everything from machine state integrity to software version and patch information using the hash calendar on the blockchain. Sending the logs and machine state separately helps increase the availability and security of the data.
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ION FOCUSING DEVICE EMPLOYING NONLINEAR DC VOLTAGE SEQUENCES (iEdison NIH No. 0685901-19-0002, Grant No. GM103493)
Most modern ion mobility (IMS) and mass spectrometers operate under vacuum (≤ 10 Torr) and utilize high voltage radiofrequencies (RF) to radially confine ions. RF is widely known to be ineffective for radially confining ions at atmospheric pressure (AP) and few alternatives currently exist. To address this need, an analytical approach for radially focusing ions at AP (760 Torr) was developed and successfully simulated in SIMION 8.1. AP ion focusing was accomplished by applying nonlinear sequences of DC voltages to electrodes in a conventional stacked ring ion guide, a.k.a. drift tube (DT). This approach differs from the linear voltage sequences typically applied to DT electrodes. The voltage sequences used in our invention follow power (exponential) and quadratic series functions, though theoretically other nonlinear mathematical functions can be used. For both sequences, the voltage differences between electrodes at the beginning of the device are low and then increase to large differences between electrodes at the end of the device, according to the sequence used. Simulations show that ions initially defocus as they encounter the first few electrodes and then become intensely focused the further they travel into the device. The 'power sequence' provided the greatest amount of ion focusing, though steeper gradients (higher orders) resulted in ion losses and increased peak widths compared to a linear voltage sequence. Alternatively, the 'quadratic sequence' provided modest ion focusing but minimal to no ion losses or change in peak widths at all gradients tested. Potential energy surfaces indicate that nonlinear voltage gradients produce an electric field gradient that changes as a function of distance (spatially). This constant change establishes a pseudopotential well in space, resulting in spatial ion focusing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first invention of an AP ion focusing device that focuses ions based on nonlinear DC voltages. The ability to focus ions at AP will improve the transmission of ions to the AP interfaces of current ion mobility and mass spectrometers and provides a fundamental basis which could lead to the development of a new AP instruments.