Security design for a wake up frame

• US 10,445,107 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sun, Sheng, Xin, Yan, Aboul-Magd, Osama, Suh, Jung Hoon, Au, Kwok Shum
• Primary Examiner(s): Hicks, Austin
• Application Number:
  US15/459,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20180018185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and systems for waking up an electronic device having a wake-up receiver circuit. A signal is transmitted, carrying a wake-up frame (WUF) including a protocol data unit (PDU). A wake-up sequence is inserted in a portion ahead of the PDU. The wake-up sequence is used by the electronic device for detection of the WUF and identification of the intended recipient. The WUF also includes a wake-up identifier (WUID) that is used by the electronic device to authenticate the WUF.

Claims

1. A method of waking up an electronic device (ED) having a wake-up receiver circuit, the method comprising:

transmitting a signal comprising a wake-up frame (WUF) within a physical protocol data unit (PPDU);

wherein the WUF includes a wake-up sequence inserted in a portion within the PPDU, the wake-up sequence encoding information for detection that the WUF is intended to wake up the ED and for determination of at least one intended recipient device;

wherein the WUF further includes a wake-up identifier (WUID) in a data portion following the wake-up sequence, the WUID being separate from the wake-up sequence, the WUID encoding information for authenticating the WUF; and

wherein the wake-up sequence is generated using at least a portion of a device identifier of the intended recipient device as input for a sequence generation algorithm, the sequence generation algorithm being selected to generate sequences having good autocorrelation properties.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the WUF includes a physical layer preamble (PHY preamble), and the wake-up sequence is inserted in the PHY preamble.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the WUF includes a physical layer preamble (PHY preamble) and a physical layer header (PHY header), and the wake-up sequence is inserted between the PHY preamble and the PHY header.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information encoded in the WUID further is for identifying the at least one intended recipient device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sequence generation algorithm is for generation of a Gold sequence.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least the portion of the device identifier is used to define a shift operator for generation of the Gold sequence.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the WUID is generated by a source of the WUF based on a wake-up key (WUK) shared between the source and the at least one intended recipient device.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

after transmitting a first WUF with a first WUID generated using the WUK, using the first WUID and the same WUK to generate a second WUID for a second WUF.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the WUID is assigned to the at least one intended recipient device by a source of the WUF.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

encrypting at least a data portion of the WUF using a wake-up key (WUK) before transmitting the signal comprising the WUF;

wherein the WUK is shared between a source of the WUF and the at least one intended recipient device.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

scrambling at least a data portion of the WUF using a wake-up key (WUK) or using the WUID, before transmitting the signal comprising the WUF.

12. An apparatus comprising a processing configured to execute machine-executable instructions to cause the apparatus to:

transmit a signal comprising a wake-up frame (WUF) within a physical protocol data unit (PPDU);

wherein the WUF includes a wake-up sequence inserted in a portion within the PPDU, the wake-up sequence encoding information for detection that the WUF is intended to wake up the ED and for determination of at least one intended recipient device;

wherein the WUF further includes a wake-up identifier (WUID) in a data portion following the wake-up sequence, the WUID being separate from the wake-up sequence, the WUID encoding information for authenticating the WUF; and

wherein the wake-up sequence is generated using at least a portion of a device identifier of the intended recipient device as input for a sequence generation algorithm, the sequence generation algorithm being selected to generate sequences having mod autocorrelation properties.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the WUF includes a physical layer preamble (PHY preamble), and the wake-up sequence is inserted in the PHY preamble.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the WUF includes a physical layer preamble (PHY preamble) and a physical layer header (PHY header), and the wake-up sequence is inserted between the PHY preamble and the PHY header.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the information encoded in the WUID further is for identifying the at least one intended recipient device.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the sequence generation algorithm is for generation of a Gold sequence, and wherein the at least the portion of the device identifier is used to define a shift operator for generation of the Gold sequence.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the WUID is generated by the apparatus based on a wake-up key (WUK) shared between the apparatus and the at least one intended recipient device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute instructions to cause the apparatus to:

after transmitting a first WUF with a first WUID generated using the WUK, use the first WUID and the same WUK to generate a second WUID for a second WUF.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute instructions to cause the apparatus to:

encrypt at least a data portion of the WUF using a wake-up key (WUK) before transmitting the signal comprising the WUF;

wherein the WUK is shared between a source of the WUF and the at least one intended recipient device.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute instructions to cause the apparatus to:

scramble at least a data portion of the WUF using a wake-up key (WUK) or using the WUID, before transmitting the signal comprising the WUF.