Data Sharing Mechanism of Sensors and Actuators of Industrial IoT Based on Blockchain-Assisted Identity-Based Cryptography

Abstract

The Industrial IoT is one of the key technologies to improve industrial production efficiency. The entire production process usually involves multiple production regions and numerous smart devices (sensors and actuators). The efficiency of the Industrial IoT is limited by this strong coupling relationship between the subsystem and the sensors and actuators. In this paper, to unleash the potential of Industrial IoT, a safe and reliable data sharing mechanism of sensors and actuators is proposed. We deployed distributed identity authentication and data proxy services in various regions. In the device authentication process, we used identity-based encryption algorithms, and we solved the trust problem between different regions by introducing a private blockchain. In addition, we designed the model of device capability (MDC) to describe the device, enabling it to be shared with a standard interface. Finally, we conducted many performance tests on the proposed mechanism. The test results verified the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed mechanism.