Wireless Hardware Certificate Provisioning for Late Personalization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for programming and reconfiguring electronic apparatuses, such as mobile terminals, are limited by the need for wired connections and predefined manufacturing steps, which slow down the manufacturing cycle and prevent post-packaging adaptations, including firmware updates.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the determination of a public identifier and common configuration certificate for generating and encrypting hardware certificates, allowing for wireless provisioning of programming data to a passive memory, enabling late personalization and flexible variant management without requiring direct wired connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional wired programming methods are used, then programming can be performed with established equipment, but the manufacturing cycle is slowed down due to time required for establishing physical contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wired connection system with a wireless communication system. The programming device communicates with the apparatus via wireless signals (e.g., RFID, NFC, Wi-Fi), eliminating the need for physical connectors and establishing contact time, thereby significantly improving manufacturing cycle speed while maintaining programming functionality.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional programming methods are used, then programming can be performed at predefined manufacturing steps, but no adaptations can be performed after the finished product is packaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic programming capability that operates across the entire product lifecycle. The wireless programming device can communicate with the apparatus at any stage - during manufacturing, before packaging, or even after the product is delivered to the end user. This dynamic access enables firmware updates, configuration changes, and adaptations at any time, transforming the static programming model into a flexible, anytime programming system.
3Reliability
If specialized equipment is used for wired programming connections, then programming can be performed reliably, but the equipment complexity and handling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for specialized wired programming equipment by substituting it with wireless communication technology. The programming device uses wireless interfaces (such as RFID readers, NFC terminals, or wireless network connections) to communicate with the apparatus, removing the complexity of physical connectors, cable management, and specialized programming hardware while maintaining reliable programming functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A method including determining a public identifier for identifying a configuration of an apparatus, determining a common configuration certificate comprising a common configuration certificate identifier for verifying programming data, and determining a hardware certificate comprising the public identifier and the common configuration certificate identifier for associating a permitted combination of the apparatus configuration and the programming data. Furthermore, the method includes generating a dedicated package of the hardware certificates corresponding to the apparatus configurations allowed to be provided, encrypting the dedicated package of the hardware certificates using a public key, and storing the encrypted dedicated package of the hardware certificates with an identifier to a passive memory of the apparatus.