Galileo Assistance Data Prediction and Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current GNSS systems lack authentication mechanisms for satellite signals, making them vulnerable to spoofing and jamming, which compromises location-based services, especially in urban environments where signal conditions are weak.
Innovation Solution
A method to predict Galileo assistance data for future time instants and associate separate message authentication codes with each prediction, enabling secure transmission and authentication of assistance data to satellite signal receivers, even in offline mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If assistance data is transmitted via terrestrial systems to improve GNSS performance in urban areas, then positioning reliability is improved, but vulnerability to spoofing increases due to lack of authentication mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by predicting assistance data for future time instants before they are needed. The server generates predicted assistance data and associated message authentication codes in advance, storing them for later retrieval and use by GNSS receivers during positioning operations, especially in offline or weak signal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism where message authentication codes (MACs) serve as mediators between the predicted assistance data and the GNSS receiver. These MACs, generated using cryptographic keys, authenticate the integrity and origin of the assistance data, preventing spoofing attacks while enabling trusted positioning.
2Loss of time
If assistance data is predicted for future time instants to enable offline positioning, then time-to-first-fix is improved, but data security risks increase without authentication
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by predicting and storing assistance data for multiple future time instants in advance. This allows GNSS receivers to use pre-computed assistance data immediately upon needing positioning, significantly reducing time-to-first-fix even in offline mode, while the accompanying authentication codes ensure the pre-stored data remains secure.
Solution Approach 2:
Message authentication codes act as intermediaries that verify the security and integrity of predicted assistance data. The server generates MACs for each predicted data set using cryptographic keys, and receivers validate these codes before using the assistance data, ensuring that time-saving offline operations do not compromise security.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If separate message authentication codes are associated with each predicted assistance data set, then spoofing resistance is improved, but data transmission complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the authentication mechanism into discrete message authentication codes associated with each predicted assistance data set for specific time instants. This modular approach allows receivers to efficiently verify only the relevant time-specific data without processing unnecessary authentication information, managing complexity through structured segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The server performs preliminary computation of multiple message authentication codes in advance during the data prediction phase. By pre-generating and storing these codes alongside the predicted assistance data, the system reduces real-time computational complexity at the receiver end, as validation simply requires comparing received MACs with pre-computed expected values.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system with at least one device obtains assistance data for Galileo for a current time from at least one terrestrial apparatus. The system predicts assistance data for Galileo for a plurality of subsequent time instants based on the obtained assistance data for Galileo and associates for each subsequent time instant a separate message authentication code with the predicted assistance data. The system causes transmission of information comprising at least the predicted assistance data for Galileo and the associated message authentication codes to a satellite signal receiver.