Wake-Up Receiver Security for Low-Power Radio Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery-powered devices face challenges in minimizing power consumption, particularly due to radio communications modules, and are vulnerable to malicious attacks that drain their batteries by responding to unauthorized wake-up signals, leading to increased latency and power consumption, as well as security threats.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for securely and quickly waking up a radio communications module (RCM) using a wake-up receiver, which involves receiving a wake-up signal with an identifier, verifying the integrity of subsequent frames using cryptographic hash functions, and adjusting operation modes based on unsuccessful wake-up events to prevent malicious attacks and optimize power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the RCM is kept in active mode to respond quickly to wake-up signals, then the response speed is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the radio communication functionality into two separate components: a wake-up receiver that remains active and a main RCM that sleeps. The wake-up receiver is segmented as a low-power auxiliary device that only handles wake-up signal detection, while the main RCM is segmented as the high-power component that stays in sleep mode to conserve energy. This segmentation allows the system to maintain quick response capability through the wake-up receiver while dramatically reducing overall power consumption by keeping the main RCM dormant.
2Reliability
If the station responds to all wake-up signals, then the wake-up reliability is improved, but the vulnerability to malicious attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing integrity verification of wake-up signals before the station responds to them. The wake-up receiver or the station's processing unit checks the integrity of received wake-up signals using cryptographic methods (such as message authentication codes or digital signatures) before triggering the RCM to respond. This preliminary verification action ensures that only authentic wake-up signals from authorized devices can activate the station, preventing malicious devices from draining the battery through fake wake-up calls while maintaining reliable response to legitimate signals.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the RCM remains in sleep mode to save power, then the power consumption is reduced, but the wake-up latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wake-up receiver as an intermediary device between the external environment and the main RCM. This intermediary component remains in a low-power active state continuously to monitor for wake-up signals, eliminating the need for the main RCM to wake up and perform signal detection. When a wake-up signal is detected by the intermediary wake-up receiver, it immediately triggers the main RCM to activate, significantly reducing wake-up latency compared to having the main RCM sleep through the entire detection process, while still maintaining low overall power consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for waking up a radio communications module (RCM) of a station with a wake-up receiver includes receiving a wake-up signal with the wake-up receiver, waking up the RCM from a sleeping mode, transmitting a second frame if a first frame is received within a specified time after waking up the RCM and if an integrity of the first frame is verified successfully, and placing the RCM into the sleeping mode and the wake-up receiver into an active mode if the first frame is not received within the specified time after waking up the RCM or if the first frame is received within the specified time after waking up the RCM but the integrity of the first frame is not verified successfully.