ATTACHING A SENSOR TO A WSAN

• US 20120023564A1
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Tsiatsis, Vlasios, Johansson, Mattias
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Methods and arrangements in a WSAN Gateway (15), a WSAN Manager (16) and a WSAN sensor for attaching an additional sensor (39) to a WSAN (12) comprising at least one existing WSAN sensor (33). The additional sensor emits an indication of its private identity after insertion in the WSAN, and the indication is received by the existing sensors in the WSAN and forwarded to the WSAN Gateway, after an eligibility check. Thereafter, the WSAN Gateway sends an authentication request to the WSAN Manager, which computes an authentication vector and transmits to the WSAN Gateway for the authentication of the new sensor.

Claims

1. A method, performed by an existing WSAN sensor, for attaching an additional sensor to a WSAN comprising:

receiving and storing an indication of the private identity of a potential additional sensor from a WSAN gateway;

receiving, from an additional sensor, a beacon comprising an indication of the private identity of the additional sensor, when the additional sensor has been inserted in the WSAN;

determining if the additional sensor is eligible for attachment to the WSAN by comparing the indication of the private identity received in the beacon with a previously stored indication of the private identity of a potential additional sensor;

sending a notification of the insertion of an eligible additional sensor to the WSAN gateway, the notification comprising an indication of the private identity of the inserted eligible additional sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the additional sensor is eligible for attachment further comprises a check that a activation time interval of the additional sensor has not expired, the activating time interval received and stored in connection with the indication of the private identity of the additional sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by an existing WSAN sensor, a listening request from the WSAN gateway, the listening request indicating a listening status for the detection of a beacon from an additional sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an additional sensor performs the following steps after insertion in the WSAN:

transmitting an indication of its private identity in a beacon to the existing WSAN sensors;

performing authentication with the WSAN gateway, based on an authentication vector computed by the WSAN Manager.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the authentication comprises the establishment of key shared between the additional sensor and the WSAN gateway, based on said authentication vector.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the authentication is performed according to the AKA protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a private identity, ID_S and a secret sensor key of a sensor is pre-stored in a sensor database by the manufacturer, in connection with pointers to a software database.

8. A method for attaching an additional sensor to a WSAN comprising at least one existing WSAN sensor, the additional sensor transmitting an indication of its private identity to the existing WSAN sensor after insertion in the WSAN, the method characterized by a WSAN gateway-gateway performing the following steps:

receiving an indication of the private identity of an additional sensor from a WSAN Manager;

transmitting said received indication of the private identity of an additional sensor to the existing WSAN sensors;

receiving a notification from an existing WSAN sensor of the insertion of an eligible additional sensor in the WSAN, the notification comprising an indication of the private identity of the inserted eligible additional sensor; and

performing authentication of the inserted additional eligible sensor, based on authentication information received from the WSAN Manager.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the WSAN gateway further transmits a listening request to the existing WSAN sensors, the listening request indicating a listening status for detecting a beacon from an additional sensor.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the WSAN gateway further receives an activation time interval for an additional sensor from a WSAN manager and forwarding the activation time interval to the existing WSAN sensors, in connection with the transmission of the indication of the private identity of the additional sensor.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the WSAN gateway further transmits an authentication request comprising the private identity of the additional sensor to the WSAN Manager, after receiving the notification of the insertion of the additional eligible sensor in the WSAN.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the WSAN gateway receives a sensor description and sensor related software from the WSAN Manager, together with the authentication information.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the WSAN gateway performs the steps of:

updating a WSAN ontology based on the received sensor description, if the sensor node description comprises an WSAN sensor ontology;

storing the sensor related software in a local software database repository.

14. A method, performed by a WSAN Manager, for attaching an additional sensor to a WSAN comprising at least one existing WSAN sensor, the method comprising:

registering the additional sensor;

retrieving the private identity and the secret sensor key of the additional sensor from a sensor database;

transmitting an indication of the private identity of the additional sensor to a WSAN gateway;

computing an authentication vector for authentication of the additional sensor, based on the secret sensor key, after receiving an authentication request, comprising the private identity of the additional sensor, from the WSAN gateway; and

transmitting the authentication vector to the WSAN gateway.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the WSAN Manager determines an activation time interval for an additional sensor, and transmits the activation time interval to the WSAN gateway, together with the indication of the private identity of the additional sensor.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the WSAN manager sets up a secure communication channel to the WSAN gateway, after receiving the private identity of the additional sensor.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the WSAN Manager retrieves the sensor description and the sensor related software from a software database of the manufacturer, after receiving a request from the WSAN gateway.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized by the WSAN Manager transmitting the sensor description and the sensor related software to the WSAN gateway, together with the authentication vector.

19. A WSAN sensor adapted to communicate with a WSAN gateway and comprising an arrangement for attaching an additional sensor to a WSAN, the arrangement comprising:

means for receiving and storing an indication of the private identity of a potential additional sensor from the WSAN gateway;

means for receiving a beacon comprising an indication of the private identity of an additional sensor, the beacon emitted by an additional sensor after insertion in the WSAN;

means for determining if the additional sensor is eligible for attachment to the WSAN, by comparing the indication of the private identity received in the beacon with a stored indication, and

means for sending a notification of the insertion of an eligible additional sensor to the WSAN gateway, the notification comprising an indication of the private identity of the eligible additional sensor.

20. The WSAN sensor according to claim 19, wherein the means for determining if an additional sensor is eligible is further arranged to check that an activation time interval of the additional sensor has not expired, the activating time interval received and stored in connection with the indication of the private identity of the additional sensor.

21. The WSAN sensor according to claim 19, further arranged to activate a listening status depending on a listening request received from the WSAN gateway.

22. The WSAN sensor according to claim 19, wherein the arrangement further comprises:

means for transmitting an indication of the private identity in a beacon to the existing WSAN sensors, after insertion into the WSAN;

means for performing an authentication with the WSAN gateway, based on an authentication vector from the WSAN Manager.

23. The WSAN sensor according to claim 19, wherein the means for performing authentication is arranged to establish a shared key with the WSAN gateway, based on said authentication vector.

24. A WSAN gateway arranged to communicate with a WSAN Manager and WSAN sensors, and comprising a WSAN gateway arrangement for attaching an additional sensor to a WSAN comprising at least one existing WSAN sensor, the additional sensor transmitting an indication of its private identity to the existing WSAN sensors after insertion in the WSAN, the WSAN gateway arrangement comprising:

means for receiving an indication of the private identity of the additional sensor from the WSAN Manager, and forwarding the indication to the existing WSAN sensors;

means for receiving a notification from an existing WSAN sensor of the insertion of an eligible additional sensor in the WSAN; and

means for authentication the inserted additional sensor, based on an authentication vector received from the WSAN Manager.

25. The WSAN gateway according to claim 24, wherein the WSAN gateway is further arranged to transmit a listening request to the existing WSAN sensors, the listening request indicating a listening status for detecting a beacon from an additional sensor.

26. The WSAN gateway according to claim 24, further arranged to receive an activation time interval for an additional sensor from the WSAN Manager and forward to the existing WSAN sensors, in connection with the transmission of the indication of the private identity.

27. The WSAN gateway, according to claim 24, wherein the WSAN gateway arrangement comprises means for transmitting an authentication request to the WSAN Manager, after receiving the notification of the insertion of an eligible additional sensor in the WSAN.

28. The WSAN gateway, according to claim 24, wherein the authentication comprises the establishment of a shared security key, KS, with the inserted additional sensor.

29. The WSAN gateway, according to claim 24, wherein the WSAN gateway arrangement comprises means for receiving a sensor description and sensor related software from the WSAN Manager, together with the authentication vector.

30. The WSAN gateway, according to claim 29, wherein the WSAN gateway arrangement comprises means for:

updating a WSAN ontology based on the received sensor description, if the sensor node description comprises a WSAN sensor ontology; and

storing the sensor related software in a local software database repository.

31. A WSAN Manager for managing a WSAN and arranged to communicate with a WSAN gateway, the WSAN Manager comprising an arrangement for attaching an additional sensor to a WSAN comprising at least one existing WSAN sensor, the arrangement comprising:

means for retrieving the private identity and the secret sensor key of the additional sensor from a sensor database, after registering the additional sensor, and forwarding an indication of the private identity of the additional sensor to a WSAN gateway; and

means for computing an authentication vector for authentication of the additional sensor, based on the secret sensor key, after receiving an authentication request from the WSAN gateway, and forwarding the authentication vector to the WSAN gateway.

32. The WSAN Manager according to claim 31, further arranged to determine an activation time interval for the additional sensor, and to transmit the activation time interval to the WSAN gateway, together with the indication of the private identity.

33. The WSAN Manager according to claim 31, the arrangement further adapted to pre-store the identity of a WSAN gateway associated with a user subscription.

34. The WSAN Manager according to claim 31, the WSAN Manager arrangement further characterized by means for retrieving the sensor description and the sensor related software from the software database of the manufacturer, after receiving a request from the WSAN gateway.

35. The WSAN Manager according to claim 34, the WSAN Manager arrangement further characterized by means for transmitting the sensor description and the sensor related software to the WSAN gateway, together with the authentication vector.