Apparatus, automation system and method for coupling a device network and a communication network
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsMaximilian Walter, Stephan Höme, Harald Albrecht
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Automation system, apparatus and method for coupling a device network and a communication network, wherein the system verifies addressing of components in an automation system having a hyper-convergent infrastructure, where a gateway extends data telegrams to include a device-specific signature if such a signature cannot be implemented by the automation device of the automation system itself.
Claims10
An apparatus for coupling a device network to at least one automation device and a communication network to a control apparatus for the at least one automation device, the apparatus comprising:
- a first interface configured to be coupled to the device network;
- a second interface configured to be coupled to the communication network;
- and
- a processing facility configured to sign a data telegram from an automation device in the device network with a device-specific identifier and configured to send the signed data telegram to the control apparatus via the communication network, and configured to verify a signed data telegram from the control apparatus utilizing a device-specific identifier, to remove a signature of the signed data telegram, and to send the data telegram without the signature to an automation device in the device network;
- wherein the device-specific identifier comprises a predetermined identifier of a source device or destination device in the device network;
- and
- wherein the signing of a data telegram from the device network and the removal of the signature of a data telegram from the communication network involves an XOR operation between a predetermined data field and the device-specific identifier.
An automation system, comprising:
- a plurality of groups of automation devices, the automation devices of the group of automation devices each being interconnected via a separate device network;
- a control apparatus configured to execute a plurality of control processes for automation devices on a common hardware, a control process being provided for each of the automation devices of the group of automation devices, and a processing instance being additionally provided in the control apparatus for each control process, each processing instance being configured to sign a data telegram from an automation device with a device-specific identifier and being configured to forward the signed data telegram to the corresponding control process, and to check a signed data telegram from a control process using a device-specific identifier, to remove the signature of the signed data telegram and to output the data telegram without the signature;
- a plurality of apparatuses for coupling a device network to a control apparatus, each of the apparatuses for coupling the device network to a control apparatus being configured to establish a secure connection in a communication network with a processing instance of the control apparatus and to exchange data telegrams between the respective device network and the corresponding processing instance of the control apparatus via the secure connection;
- wherein the signing of a data telegram from the device network and the removal of the signature of a data telegram from the communication network involves an XOR operation between a predetermined data field and the device-specific identifier.
A method for coupling a device network to at least one automation device and for coupling a communication network to a control apparatus for the at least one automation device, the method comprising:
- signing a data telegram from the device network with a device-specific identifier and sending the signed data telegram to the control apparatus via the communication network;
- and
- verifying the signed data telegram received by the control apparatus via the communication network utilizing the device-specific identifier, and removing a signature of the signed data telegram and sending the data telegram without the signature to an automation device in the device network;
- wherein the device-specific identifier comprises a predetermined identifier of the source device or the destination device in the device network;
- wherein the signing of a data telegram from the device network and the removal of the signature of a data telegram from the communication network involves an XOR operation between a predetermined data field and the device-specific identifier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.