SMART ENERGY NETWORK CONFIGURATION USING AN AUXILIARY GATEWAY

• US 20110299684A1
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Inventors: Young, Joel K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,391,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/264
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

Various embodiments include a method and system for configuring a smart energy network using an auxiliary gateway where an auxiliary gateway is capable of communicating with an energy services interface and a link key database. The auxiliary gateway, on a smart energy network, extracts the unique identifier from a communication related to the smart energy device. The auxiliary gateway may then use the unique identifier to retrieve the smart energy device information from the link key database and communicate the smart energy device information to the energy services interface. The energy services interface may then use the smart energy device information to decrypt a communication from the smart energy device or access manufacturer specific functionality of the smart energy device.

Claims

1. An auxiliary gateway capable of communicating with an energy services interface (ESI) and a link key database, the auxiliary gateway configured to:

receive a communication related to a smart energy (SE) device;

determine a unique identifier associated with the SE device from the communication;

retrieve information associated with the SE device from the link key database using the unique identifier; and

communicate the information to the ESI, the information being used by the ESI to at least one of decrypt a SE device communication or access manufacturer specific functionality of the SE device.

2. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the communication related to the SE device is a request to join a SE network from the SE device;

and

wherein to determine the unique identifier includes extracting the unique identifier from an unencrypted portion of the communication, the communication being encrypted.

3. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the communication related to the SE device is a request from the ESI for the information;

and

wherein to determine the unique identifier includes reading the unique identifier from the request.

4. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a media access control (MAC) address of the SE device.

5. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the SE device includes a link key associated with the SE device;

wherein the link key is a symmetric key installed on the SE device; and

wherein the link key is used to secure communications with the SE device while the SE device attempts to join a SE network.

6. The auxiliary gateway of claim 5, wherein the ESI is configured to join the SE device to the SE network using the link key.

7. The auxiliary gateway of claim 5, wherein the auxiliary gateway is configured to join the SE device to the SE network using the link key.

8. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the SE device includes a driver for the SE device, the driver enabling the ESI to use at least one manufacturer specific profile (MSP) extension of the SE device.

9. The auxiliary gateway of claim 8, wherein the communication is sent after the SE device has joined a SE network.

10. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary gateway is a second ESI.

11. The auxiliary gateway of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary gateway is part of a second SE device previously joined to a SE network.

12. A system comprising:

a link key database configured to map a unique identifier associated with a smart energy (SE) device to information associated with the SE device;

an energy services interface (ESI); and

an auxiliary gateway capable of communicating with ESI and the link key database, the auxiliary gateway configured to;

receive a communication related to the SE device;

determine the unique identifier from the communication;

retrieve the information from the link key database using the unique identifier; and

communicate the information to the ESI, the information being used by the ESI to at least one of decrypt a SE device communication or access manufacturer specific functionality of the SE device.

13. A system comprising:

a smart energy (SE) device, the SE device having a unique identifier;

a link key database configured to map the unique identifier to information associated with the SE device;

an energy services interface (ESI); and

an auxiliary gateway capable of communicating with ESI and the link key database, the auxiliary gateway configured to;

receive a communication related to the SE device;

determine the unique identifier from the communication;

retrieve the information from the link key database using the unique identifier; and

communicate the information to the ESI, the information being used by the ESI to at least one of decrypt a SE device communication or access manufacturer specific functionality of the SE device.

14. In a system having an auxiliary gateway capable of communicating with an energy services interface (ESI) and a link key database, a method of provisioning a Smart Energy (SE) device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the auxiliary gateway, a communication related to the SE device;

determining a unique identifier associated with the SE device from the communication;

retrieving information associated with the SE device from the link key database using the unique identifier;

communicating the information to the ESI; and

using, by the ESI, the information to at least one of decrypt a SE device communication or access manufacturer specific functionality of the SE device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication related to the SE device is a request to join a SE network from the SE device;

and

wherein determining the unique identifier includes extracting the unique identifier from an unencrypted portion of the communication, wherein the communication is encrypted.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication related to the SE device is a request from the ESI for the information;

and

wherein determining the unique identifier includes reading the unique identifier from the request.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the unique identifier is a media access control (MAC) address of the SE device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the SE device includes a link key associated with the SE device;

wherein the link key is a symmetric key installed on the SE device; and

wherein the link key is used to secure communications with the SE device while the SE device attempts to join a SE network.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising joining the SE device to the SE network using the ESI, wherein joining includes transferring information between the SE device and the ESI, wherein the information is encrypted using the link key.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising joining the SE device to the SE network using the auxiliary gateway, wherein joining includes transferring information between the SE device and the auxiliary gateway, wherein the information is encrypted using the link key.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the SE device includes a driver for the SE device, the driver enabling the ESI to use at least one manufacturer specific profile (MSP) extension of the SE device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the communication is sent after the SE device has joined a SE network.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary gateway is a second ESI.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary gateway is part of a second SE device previously joined to a SE network.