Semiconductor-junction-derived random number generation with triggering mechanism

• US 10,481,871 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Department of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: US Department of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Suarez, John, Mingle, Moses
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Tan V
• Application Number:
  US15/387,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20190205097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 708 3, 708255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/588 Random number generators, i.e. based on natural stochastic processes

Abstract

Various embodiments are described that relate to random number generation. When a desire arises for a random number a circuit can be completed with a reverse biased semiconductor-junction element. When the circuit is completed an analog voltage spike can be produced that is random due to properties of the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element. This analog voltage spike can be converted into a digital value that serves as the random number. The digital value can be outputted and used as the random number.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a measurement component that measures a voltage for an electrical hardware element;

a generation component that generates a number based on the voltage;

a monitor component that monitors an event external to a circuit to produce a monitor result, the circuit comprises the electrical hardware element;

an analysis component that analyzes the monitor result to produce an analysis result; and

a causation component that causes the voltage to be available in response to the analysis result being that the voltage should be available,

where the number is outputted to a computer structure and

where the measurement component, the generation component, or a combination thereof is implemented, at least in part, by way of hardware.

2. The system of claim 1, where the voltage is produced from transmission of wireless power.

3. The system of claim 1,

where a circuit comprises the electrical hardware element and a resistor,

where the voltage is measured from across the resistor,

where the circuit is non-functional prior to generation of the number, and

where the circuit is functional for generation of the number.

4. The system of claim 1, where the event is a command of a computer program.

5. The system of claim 4, where the event is a non-first-in-time command of the computer program when the computer program proactively implements a series of commands that comprises the non-first-in-time command.

6. The system of claim 3, where the electrical hardware element is a diode.

7. The system of claim 3, where the electrical hardware element is a transistor.

8. The system of claim 3, where after the generation of the number, the circuit is non-functional again.

9. The system of claim 1, where the event external to the circuit is a timing sequence event.

10. The system of claim 1, where the event external to the circuit is an interrupt of a microcontroller.

11. The system of claim 1, where the generation component generates the number by conversion of the voltage, which is an analog voltage, to a digital floating point number.

12. A system, comprising:

a trigger component configured to trigger a circuit to produce a voltage spike in response to a request for a randomly-generated number;

a spike component configured to read the voltage spike;

an analog to digital converter configured to convert the voltage spike from an analog input to a floating point number output; and

a number component configured to cause an output of the floating point number output as the randomly-generated number.

13. The system of claim 12, where the circuit is triggered in response to a computer program sending an instruction as the request.

14. The system of claim 12, where the request is a manual request.

15. The system of claim 12, where the voltage spike results from transmission of wireless energy.

16. The system of claim 12,

where the circuit is non-functional before the triggering from the instance,

where the circuit is functional after the triggering from the instance, and

where the circuit is non-functional after the reading of the voltage spike.

17. The system of claim 12,

where the circuit comprises a reverse biased semiconductor-junction element and

where the voltage spike is a spike of the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element.

18. The system of claim 17, where the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element is a diode.

19. The system of claim 17, where the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element is a NPN transistor.

20. The system of claim 17, where the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element is a PNP transistor.