Apparatus and method for controlling its operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017192421-A1
Application number	US-201715399732-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2017
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a reader and a controller operatively coupled to the reader, wherein the reader is configured to receive certificate data from an external tag and to provide said certificate data to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to receive said certificate data from the reader, to verify whether the certificate data are valid, and to enable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding method for controlling the operation of an apparatus is conceived. According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding computer program product is provided.

First claim

1 . An apparatus comprising:
a reader; a controller operatively coupled to the reader; wherein the reader is configured to:
receive certificate data from an external tag;
provide said certificate data to the controller; and wherein the controller is configured to:
receive said certificate data from the reader;
verify whether the certificate data are valid;
enable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid.

2 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to disable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are invalid.

3 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the certificate data include at least one of the following data: user credentials, use classifications, an insurance certificate.

4 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a long-range wireless communication unit that is operatively coupled to the controller.

5 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the controller is further arranged to transmit, using the long-range wireless communication unit, a notification comprising a user authentication request to a mobile device.

6 . An apparatus as claimed claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to broadcast or backscatter, using the long-range wireless communication unit, an identifier of the apparatus to other devices if the certificate data are invalid.

7 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the apparatus being a drone, wherein the controller is a flight controller.

8 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a GPS module, wherein the flight controller is configured to receive location data from said GPS module, and wherein the flight controller is configured to restrict a flight of the drone to flight zones defined in accordance with the certificate data.

9 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising a sensor, wherein the flight controller is further configured to restrict the flight of the drone in accordance with measurement data received from said sensor.

10 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises a decryption unit for decrypting encrypted certificate data.

11 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the reader is an NFC reader, an RFID reader, a contact-bound reader, or an optical reader.

12 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a secure element for securely storing said certificate data and/or for inhibiting tampering.

13 . A system comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and a tag.

14 . A system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the tag is embedded in a certification sticker.

15 . A method for controlling the operation of an apparatus, said apparatus comprising a reader and a controller operatively coupled to the reader, wherein:
the reader receives certificate data from an external tag; the reader provides said certificate data to the controller; the controller receives said certificate data from the reader; the controller verifies whether the certificate data are valid; the controller enables operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid.

16 . A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a processing unit, cause said processing unit to carry out or control steps of a method as claimed in claim 15 .

Assignees

• Nxp Bv

Inventors

• Vega Victor
• Koh Adrian
• Esser Peter

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• G06K7/10544

  by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum · CPC title

• H04W4/06

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title

• G05B19/04 Primary

  Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers (G05B19/418 takes precedence) · CPC title