Wireless relay device, wireless communication system, and wireless relay method

• US 10,104,552 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Naoyuki, Yamaji, Masato, Takeda, Kenichi, Shioya, Masaki, Furukawa, Yota
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Thong
• Application Number:
  US15/081,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A wireless relay device for relaying encrypted data via a wireless network according to one aspect of the present invention includes a relay controller and an encryption processor. The relay controller is configured to relay a first data to a predetermined relay destination as a second data via the wireless network. The first data is transmitted to the wireless relay device via the wireless network and is addressed to the wireless relay device. The encryption processor is configured to decrypt the first data into a decrypted first data and to input the decrypted first data into the relay controller, and encrypt the second data to be relayed by the relay controller.

Claims

1. A wireless relay device for relaying encrypted data via a wireless network, comprising:

a relay controller configured to relay a first data to a predetermined relay destination as a second data via the wireless network, the first data being transmitted to the wireless relay device via the wireless network and being addressed to the wireless relay device;

an encryption processor configured to decrypt the first data into a decrypted first data and to input the decrypted first data into the relay controller, and encrypt the second data to be relayed by the relay controller;

a first storage storing the decrypted first data;

a manager configured to manage a second wireless network different from a first wireless network in which the wireless relay device joins;

a second storage storing network management information, the manager using the network management information to manage the second wireless network; and

a third storage storing transmission and reception setting information defining a transmission and reception timing via the second wireless network,

wherein the relay controller is configured to perform a transmission and reception setting with respect to a transmission source of data and a transmission destination of data based on the transmission and reception setting information stored in the third storage.

2. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay controller is configured to read the decrypted first data from the first storage and to relay the decrypted first data as the second data to the predetermined relay destination when a predetermined relay condition is satisfied.

3. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interface, to which an external device is connectable; and

a controller configured to read the decrypted first data from the first storage and to input the decrypted first data into the interface based on a request from the external device connected to the interface.

4. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interface, to which an external device is connectable; and

a controller configured to read at least one of the decrypted first data stored in the first storage, the network management information stored in the second storage, and the transmission and reception setting information stored in the third storage, and to input the at least one of the decrypted first data, the network management information, and the transmission and reception setting information into the interface based on a request from the external device connected to the interface.

5. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay controller is configured to perform a first wireless communication via the first wireless network using a first communication protocol and a second wireless communication via the second wireless network using a second communication protocol different from first communication protocol.

6. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein, when the manager receives a join request for the second wireless network from a wireless device, the manager is configured to perform a join process for making the wireless device join in the second wireless network.

7. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein the encryption processor is configured to

decrypt the first data using a different encryption key for each transmission source of the first data, and

encrypt the second data using a different encryption key for each relay destination of the second data.

8. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay controller is configured to perform a relay control with reference to a relay table in which the transmission source of the first data and the relay destination of the second data are associated with each other.

9. A wireless communication system for performing wireless communication via a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless relay device according to claim 1; and

a gateway set as a transmission destination of the second data in the wireless relay device.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein the gateway is configured to perform a setting of a relay table in which the transmission source of the first data and the relay destination of the second data are associated with each other.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein the relay controller is configured to read the decrypted first data from the first storage and to relay the decrypted first data as the second data to the predetermined relay destination when a predetermined relay condition is satisfied.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, the wireless relay device further comprises:

an interface, to which an external device is connectable; and

a controller configured to read the decrypted first data from the first storage and to input the decrypted first data into the interface based on a request from the external device connected to the interface.

13. A wireless relay method for relaying encrypted data via a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a first data, the first data being transmitted to a wireless relay device via the wireless network and being addressed to the wireless relay device;

decrypting the first data into a decrypted first data;

storing the decrypted first data;

performing a process for relaying the decrypted first data to a predetermined relay destination;

encrypting the decrypted first data, which has been subjected to the process, into a second data; and

transmitting the second data to the wireless network,

wherein the performing the process for relaying the decrypted first data to the predetermined relay destination comprises;

performing, using network management information, a process for managing a second wireless network different from a first wireless network in which the wireless relay device joins; and

performing a transmission and reception setting with respect to a transmission source of data and a transmission destination of data based on transmission and reception setting information defining a transmission and reception timing via the second wireless network.