Method and device for the dynamic setting up and control of temporarily formed communications groups with secure transmission

1. A method for dynamically setting up and controlling temporarily formed communications groups with secure transmission, wherein nodes potentially participating in a communications group are connected via a common transmission medium that enables efficient transmission of broadcast and/or multicast messages between the nodes, the method which comprises the following steps:

sending a broadcast message from an initiator node to all nodes connected to the initiator node via the common transmission medium, the broadcast message containing at least one group identifier, an identifier of the initiator node, information about the communications group, and an address of the initiator node;

analyzing the received broadcast message by the nodes accessible via the common transmission medium, wherein the initiator node is authenticated by the nodes;

responding with a first unicast message by nodes participating in the communications group to the initiator node, the first unicast message containing at least one identifier of a participating node and an address of the participating node;

receiving first unicast messages by the initiator node and authenticating the participating nodes by the initiator node;

sending a second unicast message from an initiator node to each node participating in the communications group, the second unicast message including at least one multicast identifier and a security key;

if the initiator node leaves the communications group, the initiator node sends a special multicast message including at least an identifier thereof and a request for function transfer to all nodes participating in the communications group;

all nodes that take over an initiator function send a third special unicast message that contains at least their identifier to the initiator node;

after receiving this third unicast message and authenticating the responding nodes, the initiator node selects from the responding nodes a new initiator node in accordance with a predetermined procedure;

the initiator node then transmits information about the communications group and about the participating nodes by way of a fourth unicast message; and

a new initiator node then takes over the initiator function and generates a new security key, and the new initiator node sends the new security key encrypted and together with information about the new initiator node to each node present in the communications group by way of a fifth unicast message.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, for a synchronized start of the communications group, sending a special encrypted multicast message from the initiator node to all nodes participating in the communications group.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending the identifiers of all nodes participating in the communications group from the initiator node to each of the nodes participating in the communications group.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

for continuously expanding an existing communications group, the initiator node sends a broadcast message at periodic intervals via the common transmission medium, the broadcast message containing at least one group identifier, an identifier of the initiator node, information about the communications group, and an address of the initiator node;

nodes desirous of joining the existing communications group send a first unicast message containing at least one identifier and an address of the participating node to the initiator node; and

these nodes are then authenticated by the initiator node and a second unicast message comprising at least the multicast identifier and the security key of the communications group is sent to these nodes.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

a node that is leaving the communications group sends a third sixth special unicast message, which includes at least the identifier of the respective node, to the initiator node;

the initiator node, upon receiving the sixth special unicast message, authenticates the respective node and deletes the information belonging to the respective node; and

the initiator node then generates a new security key and sends the new security key in encrypted form to each node remaining in the communications group by way of a seventh unicast message.

6. The method according to claim 5 , which comprises sending in the seventh unicast message information about the node that has left the communications group together with the new security key.

7. The method according to claim 5 , which comprises, when the respective node leaves the communications group, changing the multicast identifier and/or the group identifier in addition to the security key.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises utilizing an asymmetric encryption system for setting up the communications group and/or for leaving the communications group.

9. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises utilizing a symmetric encryption system within the communications group.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises utilizing a medium of the data link layer as the common transmission medium.

11. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises utilizing a radio transmission channel as the common transmission medium.

12. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises utilizing a data bus as the common transmission medium.

13. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending the broadcast messages, the multicast messages, and the unicast messages by way of the Ethernet standard or the Wireless Local Area Network standard.