Encrypted HFDL position reports

• US 10,244,389 B1
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Earnhardt, Jr., Neil J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cribbs, Malcolm
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Cheng-Feng
• Application Number:
  US15/217,274
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0471 applying encryption by an intermediary, e.g. receiving clear information at the intermediary and encrypting the received information at the intermediary before forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and related method for encrypting HFDL position reports of an aircraft involves determining the position of the aircraft based on signals received from navigational satellites and generating data packets based on the position and an aircraft identifier such as an ICAO address. The data packets are encrypted for transmission to HF ground stations as a position report normally would be (e.g., as a performance diagnostic packet or a frequency diagnostic packet). However, the encrypted position data can only be decrypted by a control key provided to traffic control authorities or a subscriber key provided to the aircraft owner or authorized personnel. Only holders of the control key or subscriber key may decode the aircraft position and track the aircraft'"'"'s heading or position.

Claims

1. An apparatus for encrypting High Frequency Data Link (HFDL) position reports, comprising:

at least one position receiver of an aircraft, the position receiver configured to;

receive a position signal from one or more positioning satellites; and

determine a position of the aircraft based on the one or more received position signals;

at least one processor coupled to the position receiver, the processor configured to generate at least one data packet based on at least the determined position and a unique identifier of the aircraft;

at least one cryptographic engine coupled to the processor and configured to generate encrypted position data by applying one or more encryption keys to the data packet, the encrypted position data including the determined position of the aircraft and associated with at least a first decryption key and a second decryption key, the first decryption key corresponding to the unique identifier and the second decryption key is associated with at least one HFDL ground station;

at least one high frequency (HF) antenna configured for transmission and reception within a spectral band between 2.0 MHz and 30 MHz;

at least one HF coupler operatively coupled to the HF antenna;

at least one HF data radio coupled to the processor and to the coupler by a physical link, the at least one cryptographic engine is embodied in a bump-in-the-wire device removably attached to the physical link, the HF data radio configured to;

scan the spectral band between 2.0 MHz and 30 MHz for at least one of an HFDL uplink frequency and an HFDL downlink frequency, the HFDL uplink frequency and the HFDL downlink frequency associated with the at least one HFDL ground station, the HFDL downlink frequency independent from a position of the HFDL ground station;

receive at least one request for a position report from the HFDL ground station via the HFDL uplink frequency; and

in response to the request, transmit the encrypted position data to the HFDL ground station via the HFDL downlink frequency.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic engine is embodied in the HF data radio.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encrypted position data is incorporated into at least one of an HFDL frequency packet and an HFDL performance packet.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier includes an ICAO address.

5. A High Frequency Data Link (HFDL) communications system, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive position data from a position receiver of an aircraft, the position data corresponding to a position of the aircraft; and

generate at least one data packet based on the position data and a unique identifier of the aircraft;

at least one cryptographic engine coupled to the processor and configured to generate encrypted position data by applying one or more encryption keys to the data packet, the encrypted position data including the received position data and associated with at least a first decryption key and a second decryption key, the first decryption key corresponding to the unique identifier and the second decryption key is associated with at least one HFDL ground station;

at least one HF data radio coupled to the processor and to the cryptographic engine by a physical link, the at least one cryptographic engine is embodied in a bump-in-the-wire device removably attached to the physical link, the HF data radio including at least one transceiver configured to;

scan a spectral band between 2.0 MHz and 30 MHz for at least one of an HFDL uplink frequency and an HFDL downlink frequency, the HFDL uplink frequency and the HFDL downlink frequency associated with at least one HFDL ground station;

receive at least one request for a position report from an HFDL ground station via the HFDL uplink frequency; and

in response to the request, transmit the encrypted position data to the HFDL ground station via the HFDL downlink frequency, the HFDL downlink frequency independent from a position of the HFDL ground station;

at least one HF coupler coupled to the HF data radio; and

at least one HF antenna configured for transmission and reception within a spectral band between 2.0 MHz and 30 MHz coupled to the HF coupler.

6. The HFDL communications system of claim 5, wherein the cryptographic engine is embodied in the HF data radio.

7. The HFDL communications system of claim 5, wherein the encrypted position data is incorporated into at least one of an HFDL frequency packet and an HFDL performance packet.

8. The HFDL communications system of claim 5, wherein the unique identifier includes an ICAO address.

9. A method for encrypting High Frequency Data Link (HFDL) position reports, the method comprising:

receiving, via an HF data radio, at least one request for a position report from an HFDL ground station at an HFDL uplink frequency, the position report associated with an aircraft;

receiving position data from at least one position receiver of the aircraft;

generating at least one data packet based on at least the position data and a unique identifier of the aircraft;

generating encrypted position data by applying at least one encryption key, a first decryption key and a second decryption key to the generated data packet, the first decryption key corresponding to the unique identifier and the second decryption key associated with at least one HFDL ground station, the encrypted position data including the received position data;

scanning within a spectral band between 2.0 MHz and 30 MHz for an HFDL downlink frequency via the HF data radio; and

transmitting, via the HF data radio, the encrypted position data to the HFDL ground station at the HFDL downlink frequency, the HFDL downlink frequency independent from a position of the HFDL ground station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving, via an HF data radio, at least one request for a position report from an HFDL ground station at an HFDL uplink frequency, the position report associated with an aircraft includes:

receiving, via the HF data radio, a request for at least one of an HFDL frequency packet and an HFDL performance packet from the HFDL ground station at the HFDL uplink frequency.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting, via the HF data radio, the encrypted position data to the HFDL ground station at the HFDL downlink frequency includes:

transmitting, via the HF data radio, at least one of the HFDL frequency packet including the encrypted position data and the HFDL performance packet including the encrypted position data to the HFDL ground station at the HFDL downlink frequency.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating at least one data packet based on at least the determined position and a unique identifier of the aircraft includes:

generating at least one data packet based on at least the determined position and an ICAO address of the aircraft.