Wireless Key System Using Mobile Intermediaries for Secure IoT Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT systems face challenges in securely managing and communicating data between devices, particularly in scenarios where IoT devices are out of range from their hubs, and in ensuring secure key exchange and encryption across the network.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a wireless key system that utilizes a secure key exchange protocol, public key infrastructure, and symmetric key encryption, along with intermediary mobile devices to facilitate data transmission and secure communication, even when IoT devices are out of range from their hubs, using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and secure communication channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If IoT devices communicate directly with hubs using wireless protocols, then communication speed and simplicity are improved, but reliability deteriorates when devices are out of range from hubs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mobile devices as intermediary elements that relay communications between IoT devices and hubs. When an IoT device is out of range from its hub, the mobile device acts as a mediator to forward data packets, ensuring continuous communication without interruption. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliability through intermediaries while preserving the direct communication speed when possible.
2Reliability
If public key infrastructure is implemented for secure key exchange, then security is improved, but computational overhead and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary key exchange between mobile devices and hubs before IoT devices need to communicate. The hub establishes secure keys with mobile devices in advance, so when IoT devices need to communicate through mobile intermediaries, the security infrastructure is already in place. This reduces the time penalty of PKI by performing security setup beforehand rather than during active communication.
3Productivity
If symmetric key encryption is used for data transmission, then encryption efficiency is improved, but key management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves as a key management intermediary that handles symmetric key distribution and management between IoT devices and the hub. The mobile device receives encrypted data from IoT devices, manages the symmetric keys securely, and forwards them to the hub for decryption. This approach maintains the encryption efficiency of symmetric keys while centralizing key management complexity in the mobile intermediary rather than requiring complex key management in each IoT device.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are described for securing a vehicle or location. One embodiment of a method comprises: periodically transmitting a ping packet from a vehicle or location in a locked or inactive state; resetting a timer or recording a time at which the ping packet was transmitted; receiving a response packet to the ping packet; determining a time between transmitting the ping packet and receiving the response packet based on a current value in the timer when the response packet is received or based on a difference between the time at which the ping packet was transmitted and the time at which the response packet was received; determining whether the time is above a specified threshold; unlocking and/or activating the vehicle or location if the time is below the specified threshold; and maintaining the locked or inactive state if the time is above the specified threshold.