Bluetooth low energy (BLE) passive vehicle access control system for defending the system against relay attacks and method thereof

• US 10,124,768 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Bocca, Maurizio, Jain, Vivek, Lang, Christoph, Lee, Huang
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Point, Rufus
• Application Number:
  US15/590,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20180326946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/108 Encryption
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00555 comprising means to detect or avoid relay attacks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) passive vehicle access control system integrated into a vehicle and an external device to defend the system against relay attacks is provided. The system includes a location received configured to determine a current location of the system. The location of the system may be in the form of latitude and longitude, altitude, or combination thereof. The system further includes a vehicle and an external device. The location receiver may be integrated into the vehicle, the external device, or both. A processor is communicatively coupled the location receiver to any number of wireless transceivers. A comparator configured to compare the current location of both the vehicle and the external device may be optionally coupled to the location receiver and the processor. Any number of electromagnets for generating a magnetic field may be installed in the vehicle and located adjacent to the transceivers. A magnetometer of the external device measures the intensity of the magnetic field, encrypts the magnetic field with a secret magnetic key, and returns the encrypted magnetic field back to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) passive vehicle access control system comprising:

a vehicle comprising;

a first radio transceiver; and

an electromagnet configured to generate an electromagnetic field with a varying intensity level based on a randomly generated key, the electromagnet being separate from the first radio transceiver; and

an external device comprising;

a second radio transceiver configured to transmit and receive encrypted data with the first radio transceiver in the vehicle;

a magnetometer, the magnetometer being separate from the second radio transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the first radio transceiver and the magnetometer, the processor being configured to;

generate a fingerprint of an electromagnetic field in a region proximate to the external device based on measurements made using the magnetometer;

transmit the fingerprint to the first radio transceiver in a first encrypted packet using a secret magnetic key to encrypt the fingerprint;

identify that a second encrypted packet received with the second radio transceiver is transmitted from the first radio transceiver in the vehicle only in response to the second encrypted packet including the fingerprint; and

disable communication of the second radio transceiver in response to the second encrypted packet not including the fingerprint.

2. The BLE passive vehicle access control system of claim 1, the processor being further configured to:

transmit the first encrypted packet including the fingerprint corresponding to measurements of changes in the electromagnetic field intensity using the second radio transceiver, the first encrypted packet being encrypted using the secret magnetic key.

3. The BLE passive vehicle access control system of claim 1 wherein the external device is at least one of a key/card device and a client device.

4. The BLE passive vehicle access control system of claim 3 wherein the key/card device is a key fob, key card, an access key, an access card, a smart card, and a smart key.

5. The BLE passive vehicle access control system of claim 3 wherein the client device is a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a laptop, a portable personal computer, a phablet, a wearable device, a thin device, a thick device, an entertainment device, and an infotainment device.

6. An external device used in an access control system for a vehicle comprising:

a radio transceiver configured to transmit and receive encrypted data;

a magnetometer, the magnetometer being separate from the radio transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the radio transceiver and the magnetometer, the processor being configured to;

generate a fingerprint of an electromagnetic field in a region proximate to the external device based on measurements made using the magnetometer;

transmit the fingerprint to the another radio transceiver in the vehicle in a first encrypted packet using a secret magnetic key to encrypt the fingerprint;

identify that a second encrypted packet received with the radio transceiver is transmitted from the other radio transceiver in the vehicle only in response to the second encrypted packet including the fingerprint; and

disable communication of the radio transceiver in response to the second encrypted packet not including the fingerprint.

7. The external device of claim 6, the processor being further configured to:

transmit the first encrypted packet including the fingerprint corresponding to measurements of changes in the electromagnetic field intensity using the radio transceiver, the first encrypted packet being encrypted using the secret magnetic key.

10. The external device of claim 6 wherein the external device is at least one of a key/card device and a client device.

11. The external device of claim 10 wherein the key/card device is a key fob, key card, an access key, an access card, a smart card, and a smart key.

12. The external device of claim 11 wherein the client device is a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a laptop, a portable personal computer, a phablet, a wearable device, a thin device, a thick device, an entertainment device, and an infotainment device.

8. A method for operating an external device in an access control system for a vehicle comprising:

generating, with a processor, a fingerprint of an electromagnetic field in a region proximate to the external device based on measurements made using a magnetometer in the external device;

transmitting, with the processor and a radio transceiver in the external device, the fingerprint to the another radio transceiver in the vehicle in a first encrypted packet using a secret magnetic key to encrypt the fingerprint;

identifying, with the processor, that a second encrypted packet received with the radio transceiver is transmitted from the other radio transceiver in the vehicle only in response to the second encrypted packet including the fingerprint; and

disabling, with the processor, communication of the radio transceiver in response to the second encrypted packet not including the fingerprint.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting, with the processor and the radio transceiver, the first encrypted packet including the fingerprint corresponding to measurements of changes in the electromagnetic field intensity, the first encrypted packet being encrypted using the secret magnetic key.