Tracking Key Diversification for Low-Power Community Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional tracking devices face limitations such as limited battery life due to high power consumption for long-range tracking, high cost of long-range tracking technology, and low-power options that require proximity to the device, restricting their usefulness.
Innovation Solution
A tracking device associated with a permanent encryption key pair and temporary public keys is used, allowing location data to be encrypted and decrypted using a community of mobile devices through a central tracking system, enabling long-range tracking without high power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If long-range tracking technology is used, then tracking distance is improved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a community mobile device as an intermediary between the tracking device and the central system. The mobile device receives location data from the tracking device and forwards it to the central tracking system, enabling long-range tracking without requiring the tracking device itself to consume high power for direct long-distance transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system is segmented into multiple components: the low-power tracking device, the community mobile device (acting as a relay), and the central tracking system. This segmentation allows each component to operate within its power constraints while achieving the overall goal of long-range tracking.
2Length of stationary object
If long-range tracking technology is used, then tracking distance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inexpensive Bluetooth low energy transmissions from the tracking device to community mobile devices, replacing the need for expensive sophisticated circuitry in the tracking device itself. The complex infrastructure is distributed across the mobile device network rather than being concentrated in the tracking device.
3Use of energy by moving object
If low-power tracking options are used, then power consumption is reduced, but tracking range is limited to nearby objects
Solution Approach 1:
The community mobile device serves multiple functions: it acts as a communication relay for location data, provides the GPS location capability that the tracking device lacks, and forwards data to the central system. This multi-functionality enables low-power tracking devices to achieve extended tracking range through the mobile device network.
Data Source
AI summary
A tracking device can use a permanent encryption key pair to encrypt a temporary private key that corresponds to a set of diversified temporary public keys. When a community mobile device subsequently detects the tracking device, the central tracking system provides a diversified temporary public key to the community mobile device. The community mobile device uses the diversified temporary public key to encrypt location data representative of a location of the community mobile device, and provides the encrypted location data to the central tracking system. When a user subsequently requests a location of the tracking device from the central tracking system, the central tracking system provides the encrypted temporary private key and the encrypted location data to a device of the user, and the device can decrypt the encrypted temporary private key using the permanent encryption key pair, and decrypt the encrypted location data using the decrypted temporary private key.