Mobile Control Unit Geolocation-Based Key Invalidation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home automation systems face challenges in secure configuration and operation, particularly with mobile control units, as they lack user-friendly ergonomics and are vulnerable to loss or theft, necessitating a method for secure and simple control of various equipment items while preventing unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mobile control unit with network connection means, geolocation capabilities, and automatic invalidation of a common key when the unit is outside a defined contour, ensuring secure operation and preventing unauthorized access by erasing or blocking the common key if the user is not within the designated area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a mobile control unit is used to control home automation equipment, then ease of operation is improved, but security and authentication are worsened due to loss or theft vulnerability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication actions by verifying the mobile control unit's location within the geographical area before allowing access to configuration or control functions. The common key is validated only when the device is physically present within the authorized zone, preventing unauthorized access in case of loss or theft.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism that mediates between the mobile control unit and the home automation equipment. The common key acts as an intermediary credential that is only activated when location criteria are met, adding a layer of security without compromising ease of operation for authorized users.
2Ease of operation
If configuration and control functions are made accessible to mobile devices, then ease of operation is improved, but vulnerability to unauthorized access increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by preemptively blocking access to configuration and control functions unless the mobile control unit satisfies the location-based criteria. This prevents unauthorized access attempts before they can execute, while maintaining full functionality for authorized users within the designated area.
3Ease of operation
If the common key is stored in the mobile control unit for authentication, then ease of operation is improved, but security risk increases in case of loss or theft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the validity of the stored common key conditional rather than static. The authentication credential becomes dynamically valid only when the mobile control unit is located within the predefined geographical area, transforming a static security vulnerability into a dynamic security mechanism that adapts to the device's location.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of key validity from a constant state to a variable state dependent on location. The common key's effectiveness is modulated by the spatial parameter, allowing the same key to provide different security levels based on whether the device is within the authorized geographical area.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method of operating a mobile control unit intended to form part of a home-automation installation comprising elements including items of equipment fixed in a building, the elements of the installation communicating over a home-automation network, each element being furnished with an identifier which is specific to it and with an authentication key, termed "common key", identical for all the elements of the home-automation network and authenticating an element's membership to the home-automation network, characterized in that it comprises: - a step of locating the mobile control unit with respect to a contour containing the elements of the home-automation installation, the mobile unit comprising a means of network linking to the home-automation network, - a step of automatic invalidation of the common key contained in the mobile control unit in the case where the mobile control unit is situated outside the contour.