Method and apparatus for near field communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9430648-B2
Application number	US-201414330240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2014
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A method of updating firmware of a near field communication (NFC) device includes copying metadata, which is included in a firmware image file, from an application processor to the NFC device. One of a certification success signal and a certification fail signal is provided from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies an integrity of the metadata. Firmware data, which is included in the firmware image file, is copied from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of updating firmware of a near field communication (NFC) device, the method comprising:
copying metadata, which is included in a firmware image file, from an application processor to the NFC device;
providing one of a certification success signal and a certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies an integrity of the metadata; and
copying firmware data, which is included in the firmware image file, from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device,
wherein the firmware image file includes a data area, which includes the metadata and the firmware data, and a first digital signature for the data area,
wherein copying the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device includes:
determining, by the application processor, whether the data area is changed after the first digital signature is generated based on the first digital signature and a public key;
transmitting the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device when the data area is unchanged after the first digital signature is generated;
wherein the firmware data is divided into a plurality of packets, and the metadata includes a plurality of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) values corresponding to the plurality of packets, respectively; and
wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device includes:
serially transmitting the plurality of packets from the application processor to the NFC device;
upon receiving at the NFC device, one packet among the plurality of packets from the application processor, determining whether the one packet is damaged based on a CRC value corresponding to the one packet among the plurality of CRC values included in the metadata;
requesting the application processor to retransmit the one packet when the one packet is damaged; and
storing the one packet in a firmware storage unit included in the NFC device when the one packet is undamaged.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata includes meta-information for the firmware data and a second digital signature for the meta-information.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing one of the certification success signal and the certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies the integrity of the metadata includes:
determining, by the NFC device, whether the meta-information is changed after the second digital signature is generated based on the second digital signature and a public key;
transmitting the certification success signal to the application processor when the meta-infotination is unchanged after the second digital signature is generated; and
transmitting the certification fail signal to the application processor when the meta-information is changed after the second digital signature is generated.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata includes a hash function value of the firmware data.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device includes:
transmitting the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device;
comparing, by the NFC device, a value, which is calculated by performing a hash function on the firmware data, with the hash function value included in the metadata;
transmitting a fail signal to the application processor when the calculated value is different from the hash function value; and
transmitting a success signal to the application processor when the calculated value is equal to the hash function value.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device further includes:
retransmitting the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the fail signal from the NFC device; and
storing the firmware image file in a current firmware storage unit included in the application processor when the application processor receives the success signal from the NFC device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata includes a hardware version, which represents a version of a hardware on which a firmware corresponding to the firmware data operates, and a firmware version, which represents a version of the firmware data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device includes:
transmitting a version request signal from the application processor to the NFC device;
transmitting a current hardware version and a current firmware version from the NFC device to the application processor in response to the version request signal; and
transmitting the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device when the hardware version included in the metadata is equal to the current hardware version received from the NFC device, and the firmware version included in the metadata is higher than the current firmware version received from the NFC device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata includes meta-information for the firmware data and a second digital signature for the meta-information, and the meta-information includes a hash function value for the firmware data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein providing one of the certification success signal and the certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies the integrity of the metadata includes:
determining, by the NFC device, whether the meta-information is changed after the second digital signature is generated based on the second digital signature and a public key;
transmitting the certification success signal to the application processor when the meta-information is unchanged after the second digital signature is generated; and
transmitting the certification fail signal to the application processor when the meta-information is changed after the second digital signature is generated, and
wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device includes:
transmitting the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device;
comparing, by the NFC device, a calculated value, which is generated by performing a hash function on the firmware data, with the hash function value included in the meta-information;
transmitting a fail signal to the application processor when the calculated value is different from the hash function value; and
transmitting a success signal to the application processor when the calculated value is equal to the hash function value.

11. A method of operating an electronic system including an application processor, a near field communication (NFC) device and a communication unit, the method comprising:
downloading a firmware image file, which includes firmware data and metadata for the firmware data, using the communication unit;
storing the firmware image file in a new firmware storage unit included in the application processor;
copying the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device;
providing one of a certification success signal and a certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jang Won-Churl
• Kim Jeong-Yeop
• Lee Woon-Ki

Classifications

• H04L9/3247

  involving digital signatures · CPC title

• G06F21/572 Primary

  Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS] · CPC title

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F8/665

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L2209/805

  Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor · CPC title