Field-bus data transmission

1. A method for transmitting data in a field-bus system in which field devices are connected to a control computer via a shared transmission path,

the field devices and the control computer each representing a communication subscriber,

the data being transmitted between at least two such communication subscribers including a transmitting communication subscriber and a receiving communication subscriber,

each subscriber comprising a safety layer with an error-safety layer protecting the data against random data transmission errors and an information-security layer protecting against manipulation of data and/or against unauthorized reading of data, the method comprising:

the data of each transmitted data package in the transmitting communication subscriber first passing through the error-safety layer and then through the information-security layer, and in the receiving communication subscriber first passing through the information-security layer and then through the error-safety layer;

wherein the information-security layer has a bipartite configuration comprising two successive steps of processing the data;

wherein, in the information-security layer of the transmitting communication subscriber, the data processed in the error-safety layer are at first encrypted in a first step and then an authentication check value of the encrypted data is calculated in a second step, the authentication check value being transmitted together with the encrypted data from the transmitting communication subscriber to the receiving communication subscriber; and

wherein, in the information-security layer of the receiving communication subscriber, a further authentication check value of the received encrypted data is at first calculated in a first step in order to obtain information on data integrity by evaluating the further authentication check value and the transmitted authentication check value, and then the received encrypted data are decrypted in a second step.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein two disjoint partitions of a pseudorandom key stream are used in the information-security layer of the transmitting communication subscriber for encrypting and for authenticating, and wherein the two disjoint partitions of the pseudorandom key stream are used in the information-security layer of the receiving communication subscriber for decrypting and for authenticating.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pseudorandom key stream is deduced from a key or from an internal state by means of an algorithm.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the data processed in the error-safety layer are XOR-superimposed in the information-security layer of the transmitting communication subscriber with the first partition of the pseudorandom key stream and the authentication check value is calculated by means of the second partition of the pseudorandom key stream by using an authentication-calculation method.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the error-safety layer of the transmitting communication subscriber for the data to be transmitted determines a check sum according to a predetermined check-sum calculation method, the check sum then being transmitted, as well, wherein the error-safety layer of the received communication subscriber applies a corresponding method to the received data and to the check sum in order to identify data transmission errors.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two communication subscribers each comprise a field-bus layer, wherein in the field-bus layer of the transmitting communication subscriber the data processed in the information-security layer are converted into a transmission protocol used on the field-bus system, and wherein in the field-bus layer of the receiving communication subscriber the data to be transmitted are converted back from the transmission protocol used on the field-bus system and passed on to the information-security layer for further processing.

7. A method for transmitting data in a field-bus system in which field devices are connected to a control computer via a shared transmission path,

the field devices and the control computer each representing a communication subscriber,

the data being transmitted between at least two such communication subscribers including a transmitting communication subscriber and a receiving communication subscriber,

each subscriber comprising a safety layer with an error-safety layer protecting the data against random data transmission errors and an information-security layer protecting against manipulation of data and/or against unauthorized reading of data,

the information-security layer including two successive steps of processing the data, the method comprising:

the data of each transmitted data package in the transmitting communication subscriber first passing through the error-safety layer and then through the information-security layer, and in the receiving communication subscriber first passing through the information-security layer and then through the error-safety layer;

wherein two disjoint partitions of a pseudorandom key stream are used in the information-security layer of the transmitting communication subscriber for a first step of encrypting the data and for a second step of authenticating the data; and

wherein the two disjoint partitions of the pseudorandom key stream are used in the information-security layer of the receiving communication subscriber for a first step of decrypting the data and for a second step of authenticating the data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pseudorandom key stream is deduced from a key or from an internal state by means of an algorithm.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the data processed in the error-safety layer are XOR-superimposed in the information-security layer of the transmitting communication subscriber with the first partition of the pseudorandom key stream and the authentication check value is calculated by means of the second partition of the pseudorandom key stream by using an authentication-calculation method.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the error-safety layer of the transmitting communication subscriber for the data to be transmitted determines a check sum according to a predetermined check-sum calculation method, the check sum then being transmitted, as well, wherein the error-safety layer of the received communication subscriber applies a corresponding method to the received data and to the check sum in order to identify data transmission errors.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the two communication subscribers each comprise a field-bus layer, wherein in the field-bus layer of the transmitting communication subscriber the data processed in the information-security layer are converted into a transmission protocol used on the field-bus system, and wherein in the field-bus layer of the receiving communication subscriber the data to be transmitted are converted back from the transmission protocol used on the field-bus system and passed on to the information-security layer for further processing.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the information-security layer has a bipartite configuration,

wherein the data processed in the error-safety layer are at first encrypted in the information-security layer of the transmitting communication subscriber, an authentication check value of the encrypted data being calculated which is transmitted together with the data; and

wherein a further authentication check value of the received data is first calculated in the information-security layer of the receiving communication subscriber, in order to obtain information on the data integrity by evaluating the further authentication check value and of the transmitted authentication check value, before decrypting the received data.

13. A communication subscriber for a field-bus system in which field devices are connected to a control computer via a shared transmission path,

the field devices and the control computer each representing a communication subscriber for transmitting data, the communication subscriber comprising:

a safety layer with an error-safety layer protecting the data against random data transmission errors; and

an information-security layer protecting against manipulation of data and/or against unauthorized reading of data; and

the communication subscriber being configured during transmission mode to process the data to be transmitted first by means of the error-safety layer and then by means of the information-security layer, and during receipt mode to process the data first by means of the information-security layer and then by means of the error-safety layer, wherein the information-security layer has a bipartite configuration including two successive steps of processing the data;

wherein, during transmission mode, the information-security layer being configured in a first step to first encrypt the data processed in the error-safety layer and then in a second step to calculate an authentication check value of the encrypted data which is transmitted together with the encrypted data; and

during receipt mode, the information-security layer being configured in a first step to first calculate a further authentication check value of the received encrypted data in order to obtain information on the data integrity by evaluating the further authentication check value and the transmitted authentication check value, and then in a second step to decrypt the received encrypted data.

14. The communication subscriber of claim 13 , wherein the information-security layer is configured to use two disjoint partitions of a pseudorandom key stream for encrypting and for authenticating during transmission mode, and the information-security layer is configured to use the two disjoint partitions of the pseudorandom key stream for decrypting and authenticating during receipt mode.

15. The communication subscriber of claim 14 , wherein the pseudorandom key stream is deduced from a key or an internal state by means of an algorithm.

16. The communication subscriber of claim 14 , wherein the information-security layer is configured to XOR-superimpose the data processed in the error-safety layer by means of the first partition of the pseudorandom key stream during transmission mode and to calculate the authentication check value by means of the second partition of the pseudorandom key stream by using an authentication-calculation method.

17. The communication subscriber of claim 13 , wherein the error-safety layer is configured to determine a check sum for the data to be transmitted during transmission mode according to a predetermined check-sum calculation method and to apply a corresponding method to the received data and to the check sum during receipt mode.

18. The communication subscriber of claim 13 , wherein a field-bus layer is provided which is configured to convert the data processed in the information-security layer into a transmission protocol used on the field-bus system during transmission mode, and to convert back the transmitted data from the transmission protocol used on the field-bus system during receipt mode, and to pass them on to the information-security layer for further processing.

19. The communication subscriber of claim 13 , which is connected with a further communication subscriber via a bi-directional field-bus.