Wearable One-Way Transfer Device for Secure GPS Data Relay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern armies lack a secure and reliable method for collecting and transmitting individual locations from lower-security communication devices to NSA-certified tactical communication networks, due to security liabilities associated with integrating lower-security devices into higher-security networks.
Innovation Solution
A wearable one-way transfer device enables point-to-point communication from lower-security radios to higher-security devices connected to tactical networks, ensuring secure data transfer while minimizing bulk and weight for dismounted soldiers, using unidirectional serial communication paths and user-replaceable power sources to format and transmit GPS data in standardized protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If lower-security communication devices are integrated into higher-security tactical networks, then real-time point-to-point communication and data transfer are enabled, but security liabilities are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
A unidirectional serial communication interface is introduced as an intermediary between the Type 3 radio and the Type 1 radio. This interface acts as a security barrier that allows data to flow only in one direction (from Type 3 to Type 1), preventing any potential security compromises while enabling real-time communication. The intermediate device formats and transmits GPS location data without allowing bidirectional communication that could introduce security vulnerabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system is segmented into distinct security zones with controlled data flow. The Type 3 radio operates in a lower-security zone, the unidirectional interface forms a security boundary, and the Type 1 radio operates in the higher-security tactical network zone. This segmentation allows each component to operate at its appropriate security level while achieving the overall goal of real-time location sharing.
2Reliability
If Type 1 radios are issued to each soldier, then secure communication capability is improved, but equipment cost and weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the secure communication capability of Type 1 radios with the portability of Type 3 radios by using a unidirectional interface. Instead of each soldier carrying a full Type 1 radio, the Type 3 radio is paired with a lightweight unidirectional communication interface that provides secure data transfer to the Type 1 radio carried by the radio operator. This combining approach achieves secure communication without the full weight and cost burden of universal Type 1 radio issuance.
3Reliability
If data is routed through a remote secure base location, then security is maintained, but real-time communication and point-to-point data transfer are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the spatial dimension of secure communication by enabling direct point-to-point data transfer between nearby soldiers through the unidirectional interface, rather than forcing all data through a remote centralized base location. The unidirectional serial communication creates a new dimensional pathway that simultaneously achieves both security (through controlled data flow) and real-time responsiveness (through direct local communication).
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable, one-way transfer device component for use in a communications system that includes a first device coupled to a first communication network that receives and compiles global positioning data corresponding to the physical location of one or more objects, a first serial communication path for transmitting the global positioning data from the first device, the first serial communications path being unidirectional to prevent data from being transmitted to the first device, means for formatting the global positioning data received from the first serial path into a serial communication format, a second serial communication path for transmitting the formatted global positioning data to a second device associated with a second communication network, and a user replaceable means for providing power to the means for formatting the global positioning data.