PUF Chip Family Authentication to Cut Registration Time

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing authentication methods for chips with Physically Unclonable Functions require time-critical and costly on-line registration of individual reference responses for each chip, increasing production and personalization costs.

Innovation Solution

Authenticate a group or family of chips by mapping them together, using a single chip's data to represent the family, eliminating the need for individual registration and reducing the number of required reference responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If individual chip authentication is performed using Physically Unclonable Functions, then authentication security is improved, but production time and cost increase due to required on-line real-time registration of reference responses

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidproduction time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges N individual chip authentications into a single family-level authentication operation. Instead of processing each chip separately with individual reference responses, the system combines multiple chips into a family group and performs one authentication that validates all members, thereby reducing production time while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal authentication mechanism where a single reference response serves multiple chips within a family. The authentication system is designed to handle both individual chip verification and family-level batch verification, making the system multi-functional and adaptable to different authentication scopes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If individual chip authentication is performed using Physically Unclonable Functions, then authentication security is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to secure environment requirements for real-time registration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges N individual chip authentications into a single family-level authentication operation. Instead of processing each chip separately with individual reference responses, the system combines multiple chips into a family group and performs one authentication that validates all members, thereby reducing production time while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal authentication mechanism where a single reference response serves multiple chips within a family. The authentication system is designed to handle both individual chip verification and family-level batch verification, making the system multi-functional and adaptable to different authentication scopes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12572641B2Authentication method and entity

Publication Date: 2026.03.10 THALES DIS FRANCE SA

AI summary

Provided is an authentication method, the method comprising sending, by an entity, to a chip, at least one request for getting data; receiving, by the entity, from the chip, data; and, authenticating, by the entity, based on the received data, a family relating to the chip. Other embodiments disclosed.