Encryption Key Propagation for Wireless Device Groups
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication protocols are either too complex or too power-intensive for low complexity and power-constrained devices, making it difficult to establish secure links and manage multiple simultaneous wireless connections, especially when requiring frequent pairing processes that consume resources and increase communication traffic.
Innovation Solution
A method that propagates encryption keys within a group of devices without the need for pairing each device individually, allowing established trusted relationships to be used to secure connections between devices, thereby reducing resource consumption and communication traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional pairing processes are used to establish secure links between devices, then security is improved, but resource consumption and communication traffic increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary pairing only once between a first device and a second device to establish a trusted relationship and obtain encryption keys. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated pairing processes when the first device needs to communicate with third devices, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining security through key propagation.
Solution Approach 2:
The second device acts as an intermediary that provides encryption keys to the first device for establishing secure links with third devices. This intermediary approach allows the first device to communicate securely with multiple third devices without directly pairing with each one, reducing communication traffic and resource usage while maintaining security through the propagated encryption keys.
2Reliability
If individual pairing is performed for each device connection, then secure links are established, but communication traffic and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a single preliminary pairing between the first device and second device to establish a trusted relationship. This preliminary action enables subsequent efficient communications with multiple third devices using propagated encryption keys, eliminating repeated pairing overhead and improving communication efficiency while maintaining secure link establishment.
Solution Approach 2:
The encryption keys obtained from the trusted relationship between the first and second devices are copied and propagated to enable secure communications with third devices. This copying approach allows the first device to establish secure links with multiple third devices efficiently without repeating the pairing process, thereby improving productivity while maintaining security.
3Use of energy by moving object
If encryption keys are propagated from one device to another, then resource consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the key management complexity by separating the roles of different devices. The second device maintains the trusted relationship and stores encryption keys, while the first device receives and uses these keys for communication with third devices. This segmentation reduces the overall system complexity while enabling resource-efficient key propagation.
Solution Approach 2:
The second device serves as an intermediary that manages the encryption keys and facilitates their propagation to the first device. This intermediary approach centralizes key management complexity in a single device rather than distributing it across all devices, thereby reducing the complexity burden on resource-constrained devices while enabling efficient key propagation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for propagating encryption key information between wireless communication devices without the requirement of pairing each and every device. A wireless communication device may be paired with at least one device in a group of devices. When a secure link is established between these devices, a determination may be made as to whether encryption key information should be passed from one device to another. The additional encryption key information may allow a wireless communication device to create a secure link with other devices without having to first establish a trusted relationship (e.g., go through a pairing process) with the other devices.