Authentication system and method for electronic governor of unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,489,579 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Lu, Chih-Ping, Shen, Tzu-Lan
• Primary Examiner(s): King, John B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhruv, Darshan I
• Application Number:
  US15/366,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20170329956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 with particular pseudorandom sequence generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

An authentication system and method for an electronic governor of an unmanned aerial vehicle is disclosed. By employing reciprocative authentication and encryption mechanisms between a main control terminal and an electronic governor, the use of a modified electronic governor is prevented and thus the illegal use of UAVs is also prevented. Moreover, the provided electronic governor may be operated in dual-mode to extend its compatibility to conventional main control terminals.

Claims

1. An authentication system for preventing modification of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a main control terminal, comprising;

a first database configured to store authentication data, authenticated data and control data;

a first encryption and decryption circuit electrically coupled to the first database; and

a first transceiver electrically coupled to the first encryption and decryption circuit; and

at least one electronic governor, comprising;

a second transceiver configured to perform data transmission to and from the first transceiver;

a second encryption and decryption circuit electrically coupled with the second transceiver;

a second database configured to store the authentication data which is decrypted; and

a driver electrically coupled with a motor and configured to control the motor;

wherein, the main control terminal and the at least one electronic governor are installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and when the main control terminal and the at least one electronic governor are electrically coupled to each other and the main control terminal is started in order to enter an authentication stage,

the first encryption and decryption circuit encrypts the authentication data stored in the first database and transmits the encrypted authentication data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver,

then, the second encryption and decryption circuit decrypts the received authentication data and stores the authentication data in the second database,

after that, the second encryption and decryption circuit encrypts the authentication data and transmits the encrypted authentication data to the first transceiver via the second transceiver,

then, the first encryption and decryption circuit decrypts the received authentication data and determines whether the decrypted authentication data is the same as the authenticated data stored in the first database,

such that when the decrypted authentication data is the same as the authenticated data stored in the first database, then the main control terminal enters a control stage,

wherein the first encryption and decryption circuit encrypts the control data and transmits the encrypted control data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver, the second encryption and decryption circuit receives and decrypts the encrypted control data generating a control signal, and the driver controls a rotational speed of the motor according to the control signal.

2. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein, in the control stage,

the first encryption and decryption circuit of the main control terminal encrypts the authentication data and the control data, and transmits the encrypted authentication data and the encrypted control data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver,

then, the second encryption and decryption circuit decrypts the encrypted authentication data and the encrypted control data,

wherein the decrypted control data results in a control signal,

and the second encryption and decryption circuit determines whether the decrypted authentication data is the same as the authentication data stored in the second database,

such that when the decrypted authentication data is the same as the authentication data stored in the second database, then the driver controls the rotational speed of the motor according to the decrypted control signal,

and, on the other hand, when the decrypted authentication data is not the same as the authentication data stored in the second database, then the driver disregards the decrypted control signal.

3. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein in the control stage, the first encryption and decryption circuit selectively encrypts the control data and transmits the encrypted or unencrypted control data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver, when the second encryption and decryption circuit determines that the received control data is unencrypted, then the driver controls the rotational speed of the motor according to the received control data.

4. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein, prior to the authentication stage,

the first encryption and decryption circuit encrypts the authentication data,

after that, the second encryption and decryption circuit decrypts the encrypted authentication data and then encrypts the authentication data again,

then, the first encryption and decryption circuit decrypts the authentication data encrypted by the second encryption and decryption circuit, generating the authenticated data, and

then, the authenticated data is stored in the first database.

5. The authentication system of claim 4, wherein the main control terminal further comprises a random number generator configured to generate the authentication data, and the authenticated data is generated according to the authentication data generated by the random number generator.

6. An authentication method for providing modification of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the authentication method comprising the steps of:

disposing a main control terminal and at least one electronic governor on the unmanned aerial vehicle;

electrically coupling the main control terminal with the at least one electronic governor, and starting the main control terminal;

in an authentication stage, encrypting an authentication data stored in a first database, by a first encryption and decryption circuit;

transmitting the encrypted authentication data to a second transceiver via a first transceiver;

receiving the encrypted authentication data, and decrypting the encrypted authentication data by a second encryption and decryption circuit, and storing the authentication data in a second database;

encrypting the authentication data again, by the second encryption and decryption circuit;

transmitting the encrypted authentication data to the first transceiver via the second transceiver;

decrypting the received authentication data, by the first encryption and decryption circuit;

determining whether the received authentication data is the same as the authenticated data stored in the first database, such that when the received authentication data is the same as the authenticated data stored in the first database, then the main control terminal enters a control stage, and the control stage comprising the steps of;

encrypting the control data by the first encryption and decryption circuit and transmitting the encrypted control data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver;

decrypting the received control data by the second encryption and decryption circuit wherein the decrypted control data results in a control signal; and

controlling a rotational speed of a motor by a driver according to the decrypted control signal.

7. The authentication method of claim 6, wherein, in the control stage, the authentication method further comprises the steps of:

encrypting the authentication data and the control data by the first encryption and decryption circuit;

transmitting the authentication data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver;

receiving and decrypting the encrypted authentication data and the encrypted control data by the second encryption and decryption circuit;

determining whether the decrypted authentication data is the same as the authentication data previously stored in the second database, by the second encryption and decryption circuit;

controlling the rotational speed of the motor by the driver according to the decrypted control signal, in the case that the decrypted authentication data is the same as the authentication data previously stored in the second database;

disregarding the decrypted control signal in the case that the decrypted authentication data is not the same as the authentication data previously stored in the second database.

8. The authentication method of claim 6, wherein in the control stage, the first encryption and decryption circuit selectively encrypts the control data and transmits the encrypted or unencrypted control data to the second transceiver via the first transceiver, the driver is configured to control the rotational speed of the motor according to the received control data in the case that the second encryption and decryption circuit determines that the received control data is unencrypted.

9. The authentication method of claim 6, wherein, in advance of the authentication stage,

the authenticated data stored in the first database is encrypted by the first encryption and decryption circuit,

after that the encrypted authenticated data is decrypted first and then encrypted again by the second encryption and decryption circuit,

then the authenticated data encrypted by the second encryption and decryption circuit is decrypted again by the first encryption and decryption circuit in order to generate the authenticated data, and

then the authenticated data is stored in the first database.

10. The authentication method of claim 9, wherein the main control terminal further comprises a random number generator configured to generate the authentication data, and the authenticated data is generated according to the authentication data generated by the random number generator.