Detecting false positioning signals based on surveillance signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10457249-B2
Application number	US-201816169505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A system, configured to mount on an ownship vehicle, includes a transceiver configured to receive positioning signals and receive surveillance signals including surveillance data from a second vehicle and processing circuitry configured to determine a location of the ownship vehicle based on the positioning signals received by the transceiver and determine expected characteristics of the surveillance signals based on the surveillance data. The processing circuitry is further configured to compare the expected characteristics and actual characteristics of the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle and determine that the surveillance signals include a discrepancy indicative of false positioning signals in response to comparing the expected characteristics and the actual characteristics. The processing circuitry is configured to output an alert signal indicating the false positioning signals in response to determining that the surveillance signals include a discrepancy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, configured to mount on an ownship vehicle, the system comprising:
a transceiver configured to:
receive positioning signals; and
receive surveillance signals from a second vehicle;
receive surveillance signals from a third vehicle; and

processing circuitry connected to the transceiver, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
determine a location of the ownship vehicle based on the positioning signals received by the transceiver;
determine that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle include a discrepancy;
determine that surveillance signals received from the third vehicle do not include a discrepancy;
determine that the second vehicle is closer than the third vehicle to the ownship vehicle;
determine that the second vehicle received false positioning signals from an attacker, in response to:
determining that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle include a discrepancy;
determining that the surveillance signals received from the third vehicle do not include a discrepancy; and
determining that the second vehicle is closer than the third vehicle to the ownship vehicle; and

output an alert signal indicating the false positioning signals in response to determining that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle include a discrepancy.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine that all surveillance signals received from other vehicles include a discrepancy; and
determine that the transceiver received false positioning signals from an attacker in response to determining that all surveillance signals received from other vehicles include a discrepancy,
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the alert signal indicating that the transceiver received false positioning signals.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine that all surveillance signals received from other vehicles, except the third vehicle, include a discrepancy;
determine that the third vehicle received false positioning signals from an attacker in response to determining that all surveillance signals received from other vehicles, except the third vehicle, include a discrepancy,
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the alert signal indicating that the third vehicle received false positioning signals.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine that no surveillance signals received from vehicles other than the second vehicle include a discrepancy; and
determine that the second vehicle received false positioning signals from an attacker in response to determining that no surveillance signals received from vehicles other than the second vehicle include a discrepancy,
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the alert signal indicating that the second vehicle received false positioning signals.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alert signal is a first alert signal, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine that the transceiver received a second alert signal from the third vehicle, wherein the second alert signal indicates that the third vehicle determined that surveillance signals received by the third vehicle from the second vehicle included a discrepancy; and
determine that the second vehicle received false positioning signals in response to determining that the transceiver received the second alert signal from the third vehicle,
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the first alert signal indicating that the second vehicle received false positioning signals.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle include a discrepancy at least in part by:
determining expected characteristics of the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle; and
comparing the expected characteristics and actual characteristics of the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle,
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle include a discrepancy indicative of false positioning signals in response to comparing the expected characteristics and the actual characteristics.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
determine that a difference between the expected characteristics and the actual characteristics exceeds a threshold level; and
determine that the surveillance signals from the second vehicle include the discrepancy in response to determining that the difference between the expected characteristics and the actual characteristics exceeds the threshold level.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the expected characteristics of the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle by at least determining an expected angle of arrival of the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle or an expected phase shift across antenna elements of the transceiver caused by receiving the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the alert signal by at least:
generating a warning based on the determined discrepancy in response to determining that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle include a discrepancy; and
outputting the warning to a crewmember of the ownship vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the alert signal by at least causing the transceiver to transmit the alert signal to the second vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to, in response to determining that the surveillance signals received from the second vehicle do not include a discrepancy:
determine a location of the second vehicle based on the surveillance data; and
generate a graphical representation of the location of the ownship vehicle and the location of the second vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine that surveillance signals received from a third vehicle include a discrepancy;
determine that the second vehicle is closer than the ownship vehicle to the third vehicle;
determine that the third vehicle is closer than the ownship vehicle to the second vehicle;
determine that the second vehicle and the third vehicle received false positioning signals from an attacker, in response to:
determining that surveillance signals received from a third vehicle include a discrepancy,
determining that the second vehicle is closer than the ownship vehicle to the third vehicle, and
determining that the third vehicle is closer than the ownship vehicle to the second vehicle,

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the alert signal indicating that the second vehicle and the third vehicle received false positioning signals.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the positioning signals comprise Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, and wherein the positioning signals comprise automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) signals.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine that the second vehicle transmitted false surveillance signals in response to determining that:
determining that

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Johnson Daniel P

Classifications

• G01S19/21

  Interference related issues {; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service} · CPC title

• G01S19/015

  Arrangements for jamming, spoofing or other methods of denial of service of such systems · CPC title

• G08G9/02

  Anti-collision systems · CPC title

• B60R25/33 Primary

  of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates · CPC title

• G01S19/215

  issues related to spoofing · CPC title