# US 10,872,058 B2 · Apparatus and method for processing data by a reconfigurable part of a digital chip > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,872,058 B2 - Document ID: US10872058B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/740,562 - Filed: 2020-01-13 - Published: 2020-07-23 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-22 - Assignees: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Rainer Falk; Christian Peter Feist - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872058B2 ## CPC - G06F 15/7867: {with reconfigurable architecture} - G06F 21/71: to assure secure computing or processing of information - G06F 21/602: {Providing cryptographic facilities or services} - G06F 21/76: in application-specific integrated circuits [ASIC] or field-programmable devices, e.g. field-programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD] - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Provided is a computer-implemented apparatus for processing data, having a digital chip having at least one part that is reconfigurable by a number N of configuration descriptions, with N≥1, a determined configuration description from the number N for reconfiguring the reconfigurable part, and a providing unit for providing an identifier specific to the determined configuration description by using a number A of derivation parameters comprising the determined configuration description, with A≥1, is proposed, wherein the part reconfigured with the determined configuration description) is set up to perform a cryptographic function on determined data by using the provided specific identifier to generate cryptographically processed data. This allows security-relevant functions to be implemented as configuration descriptions. This has the advantage that the security when processing data in digital chips is increased. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented apparatus for processing data, having a digital chip having at least one reconfigurable part that is reconfigurable by a number N of configuration descriptions, with N≥2, a determined configuration description from the number N for reconfiguring the at least one reconfigurable part into a reconfigured part, and a providing unit for providing an identifier specific to the determined configuration description by using a number A of derivation parameters comprising the determined configuration description, with A≥1, wherein the reconfigured part with the determined configuration description is configured to perform a cryptographic function on determined data by using the provided identifier specific to the determined configuration description to generate cryptographically processed data, wherein the providing unit is set up to provide an identifier specific to a group of determined configuration descriptions, the group of determined configuration descriptions including at least two determined configuration descriptions of the number N of configuration descriptions, wherein the providing unit is set up to form a hash value as the identifier specific to the group of determined configuration descriptions by applying a determined hash function to the group of determined configuration descriptions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing unit is set up to form the provided identifier specific to the determined configuration description within the digital chip. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the computer-implemented apparatus comprises, in addition to the digital chip, a processing device comprising software that is set up to reconfigure the at least one reconfigurable part by using the determined configuration description at runtime. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing device comprises an interface for connecting the software and the at least one reconfigurable part, wherein the software is configured to perform at least one operation by using the interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the digital chip contains a configurable part that comprises the at least one reconfigurable part, wherein the processing device is set up to initially configure the configurable part at a determined time by using one of the number N of configuration descriptions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the providing unit is set up to form a hash value as the identifier specific to the determined configuration description by applying a determined hash function to the determined configuration description. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing unit is further set up to form a respective unique hash value for a respective data packet comprising the group of determined configuration descriptions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number A of derivation parameters is greater than 1 and comprises one or more values from a secure element, a secret device parameter, a physical device property, a cryptographic key, a cryptographic starting value, and a key generation parameter. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the providing unit is set up to form a hash value as the identifier specific to the determined configuration description by applying a determined hash function to the determined configuration description and at least one further instance from the number A of derivation parameters. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing unit is set up to form a hash value as the identifier specific to the group of determined configuration descriptions by applying a determined hash function to the group of determined configuration descriptions and at least one further instance from the number A of derivation parameters. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented apparatus is in the form of a field device, in the form of a controller, in the form of a monitoring device, in the form of an IoT device, in the form of an edge cloud device, in the form of a cloud server or in the form of an App-enabled time server.