Battery Authentication via Challenge-Response Encryption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional battery chargers lack the ability to authenticate batteries properly, leading to potential explosions and damage when charging incompatible batteries, posing risks to users and equipment.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a battery with a first encryption engine and a charger with a second encryption engine, where both generate responses to a challenge using predefined algorithms and keys, allowing the charger to authenticate the battery by comparing these responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a conventional battery charger charges any battery without authentication, then the charger can charge multiple battery types, but incompatible batteries may explode causing damage and harm

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecharger compatibilityVSAvoidbattery explosion risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements authentication before charging by having the charger send a challenge to the battery's encryption engine, which generates a response based on a secret key. This preliminary verification ensures battery compatibility and authenticity before any charging current is applied, preventing explosions from incompatible batteries while maintaining charger versatility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the charger implements authentication using encryption engines with challenge-response protocols, then battery authenticity can be verified, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery authenticationVSAvoidencryption engine requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an encryption engine as an intermediary component between the charger's microcontroller and the battery. This dedicated security module handles the cryptographic challenge-response operations, isolating the complexity from the main control system while providing reliable authentication. The encryption engine acts as a specialized intermediary that manages cryptographic operations without burdening the primary control architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The authentication functionality is extracted as a separate encryption engine module rather than being integrated into the main charger control logic. This extraction allows the authentication subsystem to be independently designed, tested, and implemented using specialized cryptographic hardware or software, reducing the complexity burden on the overall charger system while maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS7498766B2System and method for authenticating a battery

Publication Date: 2009.03.03 SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

Described is a system and method for authenticating a power source. The system comprises a battery including a first encryption engine storing a first key, and a battery charger including a microcontroller and a second encryption engine storing a second key. When the microcontroller detects a coupling of the battery to the charger, the microcontroller issues a challenge to the first encryption engine and the second encryption engine. The first encryption engine generates a first response as a function of the challenge, the first key and a predefined algorithm, and the second encryption engine generates a second response as a function of the challenge, the second key and the predefined algorithm. The microcontroller compares the first and second responses to authenticate the battery.