Radio communication system, radio communication control apparatus, radio communication control method,recording medium, and computer program

• US 20040042413A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shima, Hisato, Kawamura, Harumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

When transmitting data such as audio data which require protection to be provided, difficulty levels of authentication are switched corresponding to processing power of equipments to communicate. Thus, for an equipment of low processing power may perform a Bluetooth communication based on the SDMI. Further, for a communicating counterparty which is an equipment of high processing power, such as a personal computer, sufficient countermeasures against hacking may be taken.

Claims

1. A radio communication system having a Source apparatus for transmitting a data stream and a Sink apparatus for receiving the data stream in a predetermined radio cell, characterized by comprising:

a determination means for determining processing power of said Sink apparatus; and

an authentication control means for deciding an authentication system between said Source apparatus and said Sink apparatus according to thus determined processing power of said Sink apparatus.

2. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said determination means determines whether said Sink apparatus is a first type apparatus of low processing power, or a second type apparatus of high processing power.

3. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that:

said authentication control means employs a comparatively simple authentication system when said Sink apparatus is the first type, and employs a comparatively complicated authentication system when said Sink apparatus is the second type.

4. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to a self-assessment from said Sink apparatus.

5. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to a classification of said Sink apparatus.

6. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to services supported by said Sink apparatus.

7. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by a Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means, by using a Stream Get Capability command which is defined by an AVDTP (Audio Video Distribution Transport Protocol) protocol for audio transmission, determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to the self-assessment from said Sink apparatus.

8. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by the Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means ask said Sink apparatus about its processing power by using a Security Control command defined by the AVDTP (Audio Video Distribution Transport Protocol) protocol for audio transmission.

9. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by a Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to a Class of Device information obtained during an Inquiry procedure.

10. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by the Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means determines the processing power according to services (a protocol or a profile) obtained by a Service Discovery and corresponding to said Sink apparatus.

11. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that:

said determination means determines that said Sink apparatus is the first type of the low processing power when said Sink apparatus corresponds to only an A2DP (Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile).

12. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that:

said determination means determines that said Sink apparatus is not the first type of the low processing power when said Sink apparatus corresponds to at least one of profiles of a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (LAN Access Profile), an Object Push, and a File Transfer.

13. A radio communication control apparatus for transmitting a data stream to a Sink apparatus in a predetermined radio cell, characterized by comprising:

a determination means for determining processing power of said Sink apparatus; and

an authentication control means for deciding an authentication system between said Source apparatus and said Sink apparatus according to thus determined processing power of said Sink apparatus.

14. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said determination means determines whether said Sink apparatus is a first type apparatus of low processing power or a second type apparatus of high processing power.

15. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that:

said authentication control means employs a comparatively simple authentication system when said Sink apparatus is the first type, and employs a comparatively complicated authentication system when said Sink apparatus is the second type.

16. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to a self-assessment from said Sink apparatus.

17. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to a classification of said Sink apparatus.

18. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to services supported by said Sink apparatus.

19. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by a Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means, by using a Stream Get Capability command which is defined by an AVDTP (Audio Video Distribution Transport Protocol) protocol for audio transmission, determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to the self-assessment from said Sink apparatus.

20. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by the Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means asks said Sink apparatus about the processing power by using a Security Control command defined by the AVDTP (Audio Video Distribution Transport Protocol) protocol for audio transmission.

21. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by a Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means determines the processing power of said Sink apparatus according to a Class of Device information obtained during an Inquiry procedure.

22. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by the Bluetooth wireless network; and

said determination means determines the processing power according to services (a protocol or a profile) obtained by a Service Discovery and corresponding to said Sink apparatus.

23. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that:

said determination means determines that said Sink apparatus is the first type of the low processing power when said Sink apparatus corresponds to only an A2DP (Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile).

24. The radio communication control apparatus as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that:

said determination means determines that said Sink apparatus is not the first type of the low processing power when said Sink apparatus corresponds to at least one of profiles of a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (LAN Access Profile), an Object Push, and a File Transfer.

25. A radio communication control method for controlling transmission of a data stream to a Sink apparatus in a predetermined radio cell, characterized by comprising:

a determination step for determining processing power of said Sink apparatus; and

an authentication control step for deciding an authentication system between said Source apparatus and said Sink apparatus according to thus determined processing power of said Sink apparatus.

26. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

it is determined whether said Sink apparatus is a first type apparatus of low processing power or a second type apparatus of high processing power in said determination step.

27. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that:

a comparatively simple authentication system is employed when said Sink apparatus is the first type, and a comparatively complicated authentication system is employed when said Sink apparatus is the second type in said authentication control step.

28. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

the processing power of said Sink apparatus is determined according to a self-assessment from said Sink apparatus in said determination step.

29. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

the processing power of said Sink apparatus is determined according to a classification of said Sink apparatus in said determination step.

30. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

the processing power of said Sink apparatus is determined according to services supported by said Sink apparatus in said determination step.

31. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by a Bluetooth wireless network; and

the processing power of said Sink apparatus is determined according to the self-assessment from said Sink apparatus by using a Stream Get Capability command which is defined by an AVDTP (Audio Video Distribution Transport Protocol) protocol for audio transmission in said determination step.

32. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by the Bluetooth wireless network; and

said Sink apparatus is asked about the processing power by using a Security Control command defined by the AVDTP (Audio Video Distribution Transport Protocol) protocol for audio transmission in said determination step.

33. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by a Bluetooth wireless network; and

the processing power of said Sink apparatus is determined according to a Class of Device information obtained during an Inquiry procedure in said determination step.

34. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that:

said radio cell is established by the Bluetooth wireless network; and

the processing power is determined according to services (a protocol or a profile) obtained by a Service Discovery and corresponding to said Sink apparatus in said determination step.

35. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 34, characterized in that:

said Sink apparatus is determined to be the first type of the low processing power when said Sink apparatus corresponds to only an A2DP (Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) in said determination step.

36. The radio communication control method as claimed in claim 34, characterized in that:

said Sink apparatus is determined not to be the first type of the low processing power when said Sink apparatus corresponds to at least one of profiles of a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (LAN Access Profile), an Object Push, and a File Transfer in said determination step.

37. A storage medium wherein computer software which is described so as to execute, by means of the computer system, transmission control of a data stream to a Sink apparatus in a predetermined radio cell, is physically stored, characterized by comprising:

a determination step for determining processing power of said Sink apparatus; and

an authentication control step for deciding an authentication system between said Source apparatus and said Sink apparatus according to thus determined processing power of said Sink apparatus.

38. A computer program described in a computer-readable format so as to execute, by means of the computer system, transmission control of a data stream to a Sink apparatus in a predetermined radio cell, characterized by comprising:

a determination step for determining processing power of said Sink apparatus; and

an authentication control step for deciding an authentication system between said Source apparatus and said Sink apparatus according to thus determined processing power of said Sink apparatus.