Optical Code Pairing for Lightweight Secure Wearables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices with onboard electronics face challenges due to bulkiness, limited resources, and difficulties in establishing secure communication links, particularly with host devices.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing optical codes, specifically custom-designed barcodes with unique functional patterns, for device pairing between wearable devices and host devices, enabling secure wireless connections through image capture and processing, and subsequent secure handshaking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wearable devices include onboard electronics for communication and pairing functions, then device connectivity and functionality are improved, but device size and weight increase making them difficult to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex communication and pairing processing functions from the wearable device and relocates them to the host device. The wearable device retains only essential sensing and optical code display capabilities, while pairing authentication, code generation, and communication protocol handling are performed by the host device, significantly reducing the wearable device's weight and complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The host device serves multiple functions: it acts as the wearable device's external brain for processing pairing operations, provides a display for optical codes, handles authentication protocols, and manages communication connections. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for the wearable device to have separate dedicated hardware for each function, reducing overall system weight
2Adaptability or versatility
If wearable devices include communication and battery systems, then device functionality is improved, but device bulkiness and charging complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts power management and communication processing functions from the wearable device to the host device. The wearable device uses minimal power for displaying optical codes and basic sensing, while the host device handles energy-intensive communication protocols, data processing, and authentication operations, allowing the wearable device to maintain high functionality with minimal onboard components
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device functions as a nested component within the broader host device ecosystem. The host device provides the computational and power infrastructure, while the wearable device provides specialized sensing and display capabilities. This nested architecture allows the wearable device to achieve high functionality without requiring its own complete communication and power management systems
3Weight of moving object
If wearable devices have limited onboard resources, then device portability is improved, but establishing secure communication links becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the host device as an intermediary that facilitates secure communication between the wearable device and external systems. The host device generates and displays optical codes that encode authentication credentials, manages the pairing protocol, and handles cryptographic operations. This intermediary approach allows the resource-constrained wearable device to establish secure links without needing to implement complex security protocols locally
Solution Approach 2:
The host device performs preliminary authentication and pairing operations before the wearable device needs to communicate securely. Optical codes are pre-generated and displayed by the host device, containing authentication information that the wearable device can use to establish secure connections. This preliminary action shifts the computational burden of security establishment to the host device, enabling the wearable device to maintain lightweight design while achieving reliable secure communication
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments for device pairing using optical codes are described. One embodiment is a wearable device with an image sensor configured to capture an image including a first optical code from a first host device. The wearable device decodes the first optical code, and in response to the first optical code, initiates broadcast of a pairing advertisement. The host device displays a second optical code in response to the pairing advertisement, and the wearable device captures and processes the second optical code to determine a host pairing advertisement code. The wearable device then, in response to the second optical code, initiate broadcast of a second pairing advertisement including the host pairing advertisement code. In various embodiments, a secure wireless channel is then established and used for further secure communications.