AUTHENTICATION RELAY APPARATUS, AUTHENTICATION RELAY SYSTEM, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND AUTHENTICATION RELAY METHOD

Abstract

A representative registration apparatus 100 includes: a master and slave apparatus supporting control section 101 which generates, according to a registration message received from a master apparatus or a slave apparatus, a registration message to be transmitted to the master apparatus or the slave apparatus; a communication range switching section 104 for switching a transmission range of a message to be transmitted; and a communication range determining section 107 which determines, according to a destination of a registration message generated by the master and slave apparatus supporting control section 101, a transmission range of the registration message thus generated, so as to provide instructions to the communication range switching section 104.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a representative registration apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a circuit configuration of a representative registration apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system to which a representative registration apparatus according to an embodiment is applied;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system to which a representative registration apparatus according to an embodiment is applied;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart representing a registration of a slave apparatus using a representative registration apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart representing a registration of a slave apparatus using a representative registration apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration when a common key has previously been set between a representative registration apparatus and a master apparatus before a registration of a slave apparatus according to an embodiment is started;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart representing a previous setting of a common key between a representative registration apparatus and a master apparatus before a registration of a slave apparatus according to an embodiment is started;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a conventional art;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a conventional art; and

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating problems of a conventional art.

Claims

1. An authentication relay apparatus which relays an authentication process authenticating at least one of a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, both the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus being connected to a power line, wherein the authentication process is relayed between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via the power line.

2. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage section for storing a first key shared with the first communication apparatus;an acquisition section for acquiring information for a second key which is different from the first key from the second communication apparatus;an encryption section for encrypting, using the first key stored in the storage section, the information for the second key; anda transmission section for transmitting the information for the second key encrypted at the encryption section to the first communication apparatus.

3. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a communication range control section for controlling at least one of a communication range in relation to the first communication apparatus and a communication range in relation to the second communication apparatus.

4. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication range control section controls the communication range in relation to the second communication apparatus to be narrower than the communication range in relation to the first communication apparatus.

5. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information for the second communication apparatus is at least one of a MAC address, a random number, a cryptographic algorithm, and a seed.

6. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the encryption section encrypts, using the first key, information for at least one of the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus, andthe transmission section transmits the information encrypted by the encryption section to the first communication apparatus.

7. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information is address information for at least one of the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus.

8. An authentication relay apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmission section transmits via the power line the information encrypted by the encryption section.

9. A power line communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a key generation section for generating at least one of the first key and second key.

10. An authentication relay system comprising: the first communication apparatus serving as a master apparatus;the second communication apparatus serving as a slave apparatus; andan authentication relay apparatus according to claim 1.

11. An authentication relay system according to claim 10, wherein the authentication relay apparatus further comprises: a storage section for storing a first key shared with the first communication apparatus;an acquisition section for acquiring information for a second key which is different from the first key from the second communication apparatus;an encryption section for encrypting, using the first key stored in the storage section, the information for the second key; anda transmission section for transmitting the information for the second key encrypted at the encryption section to the first communication apparatus.

12. An authentication relay system according to claim 11, wherein the authentication relay apparatus further comprises a communication range control section for controlling communication ranges such that a communication range in relation to the second communication apparatus becomes narrower than a communication range of the authentication relay apparatus in relation to the first communication apparatus.

13. An authentication relay method for relaying an authentication process authenticating at least one of a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, both the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus being connected to a power line, wherein the authentication process is relayed between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via a power line.

14. An authentication relay method according to claim 13, wherein the process encrypts, using a first key shared with the first communication apparatus, information for a second key which is different from the first key, the information being acquired from the second apparatus; and transmits the encrypted information for the second key to the first communication apparatus.

15. An integrated circuit which relays an authentication process authenticating at least one of a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, both the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus being connected to a power line, wherein the authentication process is relayed between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via a power line.

16. An integrated circuit according to claim 15, further comprising: a storage section for storing a first key shared with the first communication apparatus;an acquisition section for acquiring information for a second key which is different from the first key from the second communication apparatus;an encryption section for encrypting, using the first key stored in the storage section, the information for the second key; anda transmission section for transmitting the information for the second key encrypted at the encryption section to the first communication apparatus.