Secure range determination protocol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10330784-B2
Application number	US-201715481738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2017
Priority date	Apr 7, 2017
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, devices, systems, apparatus, servers, media, and other implementations, including a method, performed at a first wireless device, for secure range determination that includes transmitting a first signed message at a first time instance, with the first signed message, including a first payload, configured to be received by a second wireless device at a second time instance, and receiving at a fourth time instance a verifiable acknowledgement message transmitted from the second wireless device at a third time instance in response to the first signed message. The method further includes verifying that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the second wireless device, and, responsive to a verification that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the second wireless device, transmitting a second signed message including a second payload with at least timing information for the first time instance and the fourth time instance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for secure range determination, the method comprising:
transmitting, by a first wireless device, a first signed message at a first time instance, the first signed message comprising a first payload and configured to be received by a second wireless device at a second time instance;
receiving at a fourth time instance, by the first wireless device, a verifiable acknowledgement message, transmitted from the second wireless device at a third time instance in response to the first signed message, the verifiable acknowledgement message allowing the first wireless device to verify that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the second wireless device;
receiving, by the first wireless device, a further signed message with a further payload from the second wireless device within a threshold time period following the receiving the verifiable acknowledgement message, wherein the further signed message is configured to indicate that the verifiable acknowledgement message was transmitted by the second wireless device;
verifying, at the first wireless device, that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the second wireless device; and
responsive to a verification that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the second wireless device, transmitting, by the first wireless device, a second signed message comprising a second payload with at least timing information for the first time instance and the fourth time instance.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first payload and the second payload comprises one or more of: a first identifier associated with the first wireless device, a second identifier associated with the second wireless device, or a respective nonce value.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the verifiable acknowledgement message comprises a signed acknowledgement message with an acknowledgement payload comprising one or more of: a first identifier associated with the first wireless device, a second identifier associated with the second wireless device, acknowledgement timing information associated with at least one of the verifiable acknowledgement message or the first signed message, or a nonce value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a range between the first wireless device and the second wireless device is determined based, at least in part, on the timing information for the first time instance and the fourth time instance included in the second payload.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first signed message, the second signed message, and the verifiable acknowledgement message are generated according to a fine timing measurement (FTM)-based round-trip time (RTT) protocol.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first signed message, the second signed message, and the verifiable acknowledgement message are generated according to a round-trip time (RTT) protocol performed using a radio technology comprising one or more of Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), or WiFi.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first signed message and the second signed message are each signed using at least one cryptographic key associated with the first wireless device and the second wireless device, the at least one cryptographic key comprising one of: a symmetrical cryptographic key, or a private cryptographic key of a private-public asymmetric key pair.

8. A wireless device comprising:
a transceiver configured to:
transmit, by the wireless device, a first signed message at a first time instance, the first signed message comprising a first payload and configured to be received by another wireless device at a second time instance; and
receive, at a fourth time instance, a verifiable acknowledgement message transmitted from the other wireless device at a third time instance in response to the first signed message, the verifiable acknowledgement message allowing the wireless device to verify that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the other wireless device;

receive, by the first wireless device, a further signed message with a further payload from the second wireless device within a threshold time period following the receipt of the verifiable acknowledgement message, wherein the further signed message is configured to indicate that the verifiable acknowledgement message was transmitted by the second wireless device; and
one or more processors, coupled to the transceiver, configured to:
verify that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the other wireless device;

wherein the transceiver is further configured to, in response to a verification that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the other wireless device, transmit a second signed message comprising a second payload with at least timing information for the first time instance and the fourth time instance.

9. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein each of the first payload and the second payload comprises one or more of: a first identifier associated with the wireless device, a second identifier associated with the other wireless device, or a respective nonce value.

10. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the verifiable acknowledgement message comprises a signed acknowledgement message with an acknowledgement payload comprising one or more of: a first identifier associated with the wireless device, a second identifier associated with the other wireless device, acknowledgement timing information associated with at least one of the verifiable acknowledgement message or the first signed message, or a nonce value.

11. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein a range between the wireless device and the other wireless device is determined based, at least in part, on the timing information for the first time instance and the fourth time instance included in the second payload.

12. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the first signed message, the second signed message, and the verifiable acknowledgement message are generated according to a fine timing measurement (FTM)-based round-trip time (RTT) protocol.

13. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the first signed message, the second signed message, and the verifiable acknowledgement message are generated according to a round-trip time (RTT) protocol performed using a radio technology comprising one or more of Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), or WiFi.

14. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the first signed message and the second signed message are each signed using at least one cryptographic key associated with the wireless device and the other wireless device, the at least one cryptographic key comprising one of: a symmetrical cryptographic key, or a private cryptographic key of a private-public asymmetric key pair.

15. An apparatus for secure range determination, the apparatus comprising:
means for transmitting, by a first wireless device, a first signed message at a first time instance, the first signed message comprising a first payload and configured to be received by a second wireless device at a second time instance;
means for receiving, at a fourth time instance, by the first wireless device, a verifiable acknowledgement message, transmitted from the second wireless device at a third time instance in response to the first signed message, the verifiable acknowledgement message allowing the first wireless device to verify that the verifiable acknowledgement message originated from the second wireless device;
means for receiving, by the first wireless device, a further signed message with a further payload from the second wireless device within a threshold

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Cavendish Dirceu
• Bhatia Ashok
• Graube Nicolas
• Agarwal Vishal

Classifications

• H04L63/12

  Applying verification of the received information (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• G01S13/426

  Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar (G01S13/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L2209/80

  Wireless · CPC title