Database Module Time Protection With Dual-Clock Tamper Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amusement machines face challenges in protecting their system time from manipulation due to complex and costly meander boards, necessitating a more reliable and cost-effective solution.
Innovation Solution
A system unit comprising a microprocessor chip, microcontroller, and RTC component with 1 Hz clock rates, connected via I2C and SPI interfaces, and secured by 128-bit AES encryption, along with a watchdog timer and metal housing, to detect and prevent manipulation of system time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If meander boards are used to protect against manipulation of system time, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the time protection function into two independent time sources: an RTC component providing a first time value and a microcontroller with internal clock providing a second time value. This segmentation allows cross-verification of time data without requiring complex meander boards, as each time source operates independently and can be verified against the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a redundant copy of the time-keeping function by implementing both an RTC component and a microcontroller with internal clock. This copying approach enables verification through comparison of two independent time sources, achieving manipulation detection without the complexity of expensive meander board sensor systems.
2Reliability
If meander boards are used to protect against manipulation of system time, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces expensive meander boards with inexpensive standard components: an RTC component and a microcontroller with internal clock. These conventional, low-cost components achieve the same manipulation protection function through software-based cross-verification, dramatically reducing material and manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the mechanical meander board sensor system with an electronic/software-based solution. Instead of using physical meander patterns on boards to detect manipulation, the system uses digital time value comparison between two electronic time sources, eliminating the need for expensive specialized hardware.
3Measurement precision
If multiple time sources are used for verification, then detection precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The microcontroller serves multiple functions: it generates the second time value via its internal clock, reads the first time value from the RTC component through I2C interface, performs encryption of the second time value via AES-128, and executes the comparison logic. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve precise time verification without adding proportional complexity, as one component handles multiple critical tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The microprocessor chip acts as an intermediary that coordinates between the RTC component and microcontroller. It reads time values from both sources, facilitates the encrypted comparison process, and manages the overall verification logic. This intermediary role streamlines the interaction between multiple time sources, preventing system complexity from escalating while maintaining high detection precision.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a system unit (10) of a database module of an amusement machine for protecting against manipulation of the system time, comprising a microprocessor chip (MPU) (12), a microcontroller (14) with a time component (14a), and an RTC component (16) that generates a first time value. The microprocessor chip (12) is connected to the RTC component (16) via a first data bus interface (18). The microprocessor chip (12) is connected to the microcontroller (14) via a second data bus interface (20). The microcontroller (14) generates a second time value. The RTC component (16) and the time component (14a) have a clock rate of 1 Hz. The clock rate of the RTC component (16) is coupled to the clock rate of the time component (14a). The time values are read by the microprocessor chip (12) and cyclically compared with one another.