MESSAGE TRANSMISSION METHOD, PREFERABLY FOR AN ENERGY DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

• US 20100158250A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Bertoni, Guido Marco
• Granted Patent: US 8,331,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0625 with splitting of the data block into left and right halves, e.g. Feistel based algorithms, DES, FEAL, IDEA or KASUMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0631 Substitution permutation network [SPN], i.e. cipher composed of a number of stages or rounds each involving linear and nonlinear transformations, e.g. AES algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics

Abstract

A process for transmitting a message between a first electronic device and a second electronic device of an energy distribution network is described. The process includes generating, by the first electronic device, a first data encryption key identifying the second electronic device on the basis of a main data encryption key and an identification code of the second electronic device. The process further includes generating, by the first electronic device and the second electronic device, a communication key on the basis of said first data encryption key and a reference datum.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting a message between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, the transmitting including;

generating, by the first electronic device, a first data encryption key identifying the second electronic device based on a main data encryption key and an identification code of the second electronic device;

generating, by the first electronic device and the second electronic device, a data communication key based on said first data encryption key and a reference datum;

encrypting the message using the data communication key; and

transmitting the encrypted message between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said data communication key comprises a second data encryption key, and further comprising encrypting said message using said second data encryption key.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said data communication key comprises a message integrity key, and further comprising encrypting a message detection code using the message integrity key.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising associating said encrypted detection code to the message.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising generating, by the first electronic device and the second electronic device, at least one further data communication key based on said data encryption key and a further reference datum distinct from said reference datum.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising encrypting said message through said further data communication key.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein said reference datum and said further reference datum comprise a temporal reference.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said reference datum and said further reference datum comprise a numeral reference obtained as a combination of the temporal reference with a numeric constant.

9. The method according to claim 5 wherein said reference datum and said further reference datum comprise a numeral reference obtained as a combination of one or more temporal references.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein encrypting the message is based on at least one of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Data Encryption Standard (DES).

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein encrypting the message is implemented via software.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein encrypting the message is implemented in hardware by a cipher block.

13. A local energy distribution network, comprising:

a first electronic device comprising a concentrator; and

a second electronic device comprising an energy consumption meter and operatively mutually connected to the first electronic device through a power line communication,

wherein said first and said second electronic devices are configured to;

encrypt a message by;

generating, by the first electronic device, a first data encryption key identifying the second electronic device based on a main data encryption key and an identification code of the second electronic device; and

generating, by the first electronic device and the second electronic device, a data communication key based on said first data encryption key and a reference datum; and

transmit the encrypted message between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

14. The network of claim 13 wherein said data communication key comprises a further data encryption key, and wherein said first and said second electronic devices are further configured to encrypt said message using said further data encryption key.

15. The network of claim 13 wherein said data communication key comprises a message integrity key, and wherein said first and said second electronic devices are further configured to:

encrypt a message detection code using the message integrity key, and associate; and

associate said encrypted detection code to said message.

16. The network of claim 15 wherein said first and said second electronic devices are further configured to:

generate at least one further data communication key based on said data encryption key and a further reference datum distinct from said reference datum; and

encrypt said message through said further data encryption key.

17. The network of claim 16 wherein said reference datum and said further reference datum comprise a temporal reference that includes at least one of:

year, month, date, and time.

18. The network of claim 13 wherein said first and said second electronic devices are configured to encrypt the message using at least one of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Data Encryption Standard (DES).

19. A method, comprising:

in a first electronic device of an energy distribution network, transmitting a message to a second electronic device of the energy distribution network by;

generating a first data encryption key identifying the second electronic device based on a main data encryption key and an identification code of the second electronic device;

generating a data communication key based on said first data encryption key and a reference datum;

encrypting the message using the data communication key; and

transmitting the encrypted message to the second electronic device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein generating the data communication key includes generating the data communication key based a temporal reference that depends upon a time of the transmitting of the message, the temporal reference including at least one of a year, a month, a date, and a time corresponding to the time of the transmission.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, at a time later than the transmitting of the message, transmitting a second message to the electronic device, the transmitting using a data communication key based on a temporal reference that depends on the later time.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the data communication key includes a message integrity key, and wherein transmitting the message includes encrypting a message detection code using the message integrity key, and associating the encrypted message detection code to the message.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising generating a second data communication key based on said data encryption key and a further reference datum distinct from said reference datum.