SMART METER AND METER READING SYSTEM

• US 20120137126A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Miyake, Jun, Sato, Makoto, MATSUOKA, Kazunari
• Application Number:
  US13/305,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20120137126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

The present invention provides a smart meter for use in automatic meter reading of power, gas, and the like, preventing falsification of a program and data and assuring security in a communication path. A smart meter has: a data processor receiving a measurement signal according to a use amount, computing meter read data, and performing communication control by a communication unit coupled to a network; and a secure processor having tamper resistance for internally held information and performing secure authenticating process for a remote access. The data processor encrypts computed meter read data with a public key unique to the smart meter and supplies the encrypted data to the secure processor. The secure processor decrypts the encrypted meter read data with the secret key unique to the smart meter and stores the decrypted or encrypted meter read data into a nonvolatile storage region.

Claims

1. A smart meter having a communication unit to be coupled to a network, a data processor receiving a measurement signal according to a use amount, computing meter read data, and performing communication control by the communication unit, and a secure processor having a tamper resistant performance on internal storage information and performing secure authentication process on a remote access,

wherein the secure processor has a first nonvolatile storage device that stores, as information for performing the secure authentication process, a public key unique to the smart meter issued from a predetermined certification authority, a secret key unique to the smart meter, a public key certificate as information obtained by encrypting the public key with a secret key of the certification authority, and a public key of the certification authority,

wherein the data processor has a second nonvolatile storage device for storing a public key unique to the smart meter,

the data processor encrypts computed meter read data with a public key unique to the smart meter and supplies the encrypted data to the secure processor, and

wherein the secure processor decrypts the encrypted meter read data with the secret key unique to the smart meter and stores the decrypted or encrypted meter read data into the first nonvolatile storage device.

2. The smart meter according to claim 1, wherein the secure processor has, to obtain the tamper resistance, a metal shield realizing physical security, a watch dog timer realizing a security logic, and a coprocessor for encryption used for an encrypting/decrypting process.

3. The smart meter according to claim 1, wherein as preparation for the secure authentication process on a remote access, the secure processor receives a public key certificate of a server obtained by encrypting the public key of the server with the secret key of the certification authority via the communication unit, obtains the public key of the server by verifying a signature of the public key certification by using the public key of the certification authority, and transmits the public key certificate of the smart meter obtained by encrypting the public key of the smart meter with the secret key of the certification authority to the server via the communication unit, so that the public key which is signature-verified by the smart meter can be stored in the server, and the public key which is signature-verified by the server can be stored in the smart meter.

4. The smart meter according to claim 3, wherein the secure processor further transmits a random number encrypted with the obtained public key of the server as a premaster secret to the server and transmits a signature of the smart meter generated by using the secret key of the smart meter to the server, arbitrary random numbers are exchanged on condition that the server authenticates the smart meter, an encryption key generated by using the exchanged random numbers and the premaster secret is shared by the smart meter and the server, and the secure authentication process on a remote access is completed.

5. The smart meter according to claim 4, wherein the data processor makes the secure processor decrypts the encrypted command supplied from the server by the remote access subjected to the secure authentication process performed by the secure processor by using the encryption key and responds to the command.

6. The smart meter according to claim 5, wherein the data processor receives meter read data encrypted with the encryption key from the secure processor, and makes a communication unit transmit the meter read data in response to the remote access subjected to the secure authentication process performed by the secure processor.

7. The smart meter according to claim 1,

wherein the second nonvolatile storage device has a region for storing a program executed by the data processor,

wherein the first nonvolatile storage device has a region for storing a hash value of the program,

wherein the secure processor reads the program from the second nonvolatile storage device at a predetermined timing, computes the hash value of the program, determines whether the computed hash value matches the hash value stored in the first nonvolatile storage device or not, and holds the result of determination of mismatch in the first nonvolatile storage device, and

wherein the first nonvolatile storage device is set to be an object of a remote access of the server.

8. The smart meter according to claim 7, wherein the secure processor has a timer counter generating the predetermined timing.

9. The smart meter according to claim 1, wherein the first nonvolatile storage device has a region for storing calibration data for calibrating the measurement signal.

10. The smart meter according to claim 1, wherein a measurement signal according to the use amount is a voltage signal and a current signal according to a power use amount, and

wherein the meter read data is cumulative power data obtained by accumulating power sequentially computed on the basis of the voltage signal and the current signal.

11. The smart meter according to claim 1,

wherein a measurement signal according to the use amount is a voltage signal and a current signal according to a power use amount, and

wherein the meter read data is cumulative power data obtained by accumulating power sequentially computed on the basis of the voltage signal and the current signal and electricity price data according to the cumulative power data of a predetermined period.

12. The smart meter according to claim 1, wherein the first nonvolatile storage device has a region storing electricity price table data by use time zones used for computation of the electricity price data.

13. The smart meter according to claim 12, further comprising a real-time clock which counts time referred to in order to determine the electricity price table by time zones used for computation,

wherein an operation on the real-time clock is enabled by a remote access subjected to secure authentication process performed by the secure processor.

14. A meter reading system having a server and a plurality of smart meters coupled to one another via a network,

wherein the smart meter includes:

a communication unit coupled to the network;

a data processor receiving a measurement signal according to a use amount, computing meter read data, and performing communication control by the communication unit; and

a secure processor having tamper resistance for internally stored information and performing secure authentication process on a remote access,

wherein the secure processor has a first nonvolatile storage device that stores, as information for performing the secure authentication process, a public key unique to the smart meter issued from a predetermined certification authority, a secret key unique to the smart meter, a public key certificate as information obtained by encrypting the public key with a secret key of the certification authority, and a public key of the certification authority,

wherein the data processor has a second nonvolatile storage device for storing a public key unique to the smart meter,

wherein the data processor encrypts computed meter read data with a public key unique to the smart meter and supplies the encrypted data to the secure processor, and

wherein the secure processor decrypts the encrypted meter read data with the secret key unique to the smart meter and stores the decrypted or encrypted meter read data into the first nonvolatile storage device.

15. The meter reading system according to claim 14, wherein the secure processor has, to obtain the tamper resistance, a metal shield realizing physical security, a watch dog timer realizing a security logic, and a coprocessor for encryption used for an encrypting/decrypting process.

16. The meter reading system according to claim 14, wherein as preparation for the secure authentication process on a remote access, the secure processor receives a public key certificate of a server obtained by encrypting the public key of the server with the secret key of the certification authority via the communication unit, obtains the public key of the server by verifying a signature of the public key certification by using the public key of the certification authority, and transmits the public key certificate of the smart meter obtained by encrypting the public key of the smart meter with the secret key of the certification authority to the server via the communication unit, so that the public key which is signature-verified by the smart meter can be stored in the server, and the public key which is signature-verified by the server can be stored in the smart meter.

17. The meter reading system according to claim 16, wherein the secure processor further transmits a random number encrypted with the obtained public key of the server as a premaster secret to the server and transmits a signature of the smart meter generated by using the secret key of the smart meter to the server, arbitrary random numbers are exchanged on condition that the server authenticates the smart meter, an encryption key generated by using the exchanged random numbers and the premaster secret is shared by the smart meter and the server, and the secure authentication process on a remote access is completed.

18. The meter reading system according to claim 17, wherein the data processor makes the secure processor decrypt the encrypted command supplied from the server by the remote access subjected to the secure authentication process performed by the secure processor by using the encryption key and responds to the command.

19. The meter reading system according to claim 18, wherein the data processor receives meter read data encrypted with the encryption key from the secure processor, and makes a communication unit transmit the meter read data in response to the remote access subjected to the secure authentication process performed by the secure processor.

20. The meter reading system according to claim 14,

wherein the second nonvolatile storage device has a region for storing a program executed by the data processor,

wherein the first nonvolatile storage device has a region for storing a hash value of the program,

wherein the secure processor reads the program from the second nonvolatile storage device at a predetermined timing, computes the hash value of the program, determines whether the computed hash value matches the hash value stored in the first nonvolatile storage device or not, and holds the result of determination of mismatch in the first nonvolatile storage device, and

wherein the first nonvolatile storage device is set to be an object of a remote access of the server.

21. The meter reading system according to claim 20, wherein the secure processor has a timer counter generating the predetermined timing.

22. The meter reading system according to claim 20, wherein the server refers to the result of determination of mismatch from the first nonvolatile storage device at a required timing.