Remote control communication including secure synchronization

• US 20030129949A1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Selektor, Vitaliy
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/88
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00476 dynamically
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/06 Involving synchronization or resynchronization between transmitter and receiver; reordering of codes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A remote communication system (20) includes a signaling device (24) and a remotely located controller (26). The signaling device (24) includes a synchronization counter (44) and the controller includes a synchronization counter (34). Under normal circumstances, a transmitter (42) sends signals that are received by a receiver (32) and then processed appropriately by the controller (26). Transmissions from the transmitter (42) to the receiver (32) preferably are encrypted and then deciphered based upon a value from the synchronization counters. When the synchronization counter values do not correspond sufficiently to allow effective communication, synchronization counter value information is shared using a bi-directional communication link (50, 52) so that there may be correspondence between the synchronization counter values. In one example, low frequency (LF) signals are used for transmitting the synchronization counter values across the bi-directional communication link.

Claims

1. A remote, wireless communication system, comprising:

a signaling device having a transceiver that is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals, and a synchronization counter that has a value that changes in a selected pattern; and

a remotely located controller that has a transceiver that communicates with the signaling device transceiver and has a synchronization counter that has a value that changes in the selected pattern, at least one of the transceivers selectively transmitting a synchronization counter value to the other transceiver to establish synchronization between the synchronization counters under selected conditions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signaling device includes a transmitter that transmits signals independent of the signaling device transceiver and the remotely located controller includes a receiver that receives the transmitted signals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter and receiver operate using radio frequency signals and the transceivers operate using low frequency signals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller and the remote signaling device each include a control unit and wherein at least one of the control units determines that the synchronization counter values are not within an acceptable range and initiates a transmission of the synchronization counter value to the other using the transceivers.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the control units determines that a selected number of transmissions from the signaling device to the remotely located controller were not appropriately deciphered by the controller and then initiates the synchronization counter value transmission.

6. A remote control communication system, comprising:

a signaling device having a transmitter that transmits at least one control signal, a synchronization counter that has a value that changes in a selected pattern, the signal transmitted by the transmitter utilizing a value of the synchronization counter for encrypting the information in the transmitted signal, the remote signaling device including a transceiver that is capable of bi-directional communication; and

a remotely located controller having a receiver that receives the transmitted signal, a synchronization counter having a value normally corresponding to the value of the remote signaling device synchronization counter, the remotely located controller having a transceiver that is capable of bi-directional communication with the remote signaling device transceiver and wherein the transceiver of the remote signaling device or the transceiver of the remotely located controller transmits the synchronization counter value to the other transceiver when there is inadequate correspondence between the synchronization counter values to allow effective communication between the signaling device and the remotely located controller.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the transmitter and receiver operate using radio frequency signals and the transceivers operate using low frequency signals.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller and the remote signaling device each include a control unit and wherein at least one of the control units determines that the synchronization counter values are not within an acceptable range and initiates a transmission of the synchronization counter value to the other using the transceivers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the control units determines that a selected number of transmissions from the signaling device to the remotely located controller were not appropriately deciphered by the controller and then initiates the synchronization counter value transmission.

10. A method of wireless communication, comprising the steps of:

(A) transmitting a signal from a signaling device to a remotely located controller;

(B) deciphering the signal received by the remotely located controller; and

(C) transmitting a synchronization counter value using a bi-directional communication link between the remote signaling device and the remotely located controller when the controller is unable to authenticate the transmitted message.

11. The method of claim 10, including using radio frequency signals for the signal transmission from the signaling device to the remotely located controller and using low frequency signals for the bi-directional communication of the synchronization counter value.

12. The method of claim 10, including encrypting the signal of step (A) and deciphering the signal in step (B) using a synchronization counter value.

13. The method of claim 10, including determining that a synchronization counter value of the signaling device does not correspond to a synchronization counter value of the controller and then performing step (C).