Encryption/identification using array of resonators at transmitter and receiver

• US 20100074445A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Niemi, Valtteri, Nefedov, Nikolai, Uusitalo, Mikko A., Oksanen, Markku A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,742,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/12 Details relating to cryptographic hardware or logic circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/001 using chaotic signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner

Abstract

A sender and a receiver includes first and second arrays of coupled oscillators, respectively, that are substantially identically constructed so as to exhibit substantially the same dynamical response to excitation. A chaotic waveform generated at the sender is transmitted to the receiver, which generates a second chaotic waveform, and compares the received waveform with the generated second waveform. If the first and second waveforms match the sender is an authorized sender. An integrated circuit includes an array of coupled oscillators that in combination generate a waveform in response to at least one excitation signal. The array of coupled oscillators represents, in response to application of the excitation signals, a multi-dimensional security key that is shared between the sender of the waveform and the receiver of the waveform.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

exciting at least some individual ones of a plurality of oscillators of an array of coupled oscillators with a signal comprising first information that comprises a first key known to a sender and to a receiver, said array of coupled oscillators representing second information that comprises a second key known to the sender and to the receiver;

generating a waveform that comprises signals output from the at least some individual ones of the coupled oscillators; and

sending the waveform from the sender to the receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first information comprises initial conditions.

3. The method of claim 2, where the initial conditions comprise at least one of an excitation pattern, used subsets of frequencies, and a set of observation intervals.

4. The method as in claim 2, where information descriptive of said initial conditions is sent to the receiver.

5. The method as in claim 1, where the second information comprises a set of frequencies and a coupling matrix.

6. The method as in claim 1, where said first information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said array of coupled oscillators to an input of said array of coupled oscillators.

7. The method as in claim 1, where said second information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said array of coupled oscillators to an input of said array of coupled oscillators.

8. The method as in claim 1, where the generated waveform is comprised of a time evolution of a frequencies generated by at least some of said oscillators and exhibits chaotic behavior, and further comprising embedding at least one pilot signal into the generated waveform.

9. An integrated circuit comprising an array of coupled oscillators that in combination are configured to generate a waveform in response to at least one excitation signal, said array of coupled oscillators representing, in response to application of the at least one excitation signal, a multi-dimensional security key that is shared between a sender of the waveform and a receiver of the waveform.

10. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, where said oscillators comprise at least one of micro-electromechanical system components, nano-electromechanical system components, and transistor-based components.

11. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, where said oscillators comprise carbon nanotubes.

12. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, further comprising circuitry to convert a current output of said array to a voltage output, said voltage output comprising said waveform.

13. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, where said array is comprised of an array of globally, repulsively coupled oscillators.

14. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, further comprising a commutation circuit coupled to an output of said array of coupled oscillators and configured to select a of subset of frequencies n output from said array.

15. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, where said waveform is comprised of a time evolution of a frequencies generated by at least some of said oscillators and exhibits chaotic behavior.

16. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, further comprising a pilot signal generator coupled to an output of said array of coupled oscillators and configured to periodically embed a predetermined frequency signal into the waveform.

17. The integrated circuit as in claim 9, further comprising a feedback circuit coupled between an output of said array and an input of said array.

18. The integrated circuit as in claim 17, where said feedback circuit is configured to provide an amount of feedback that comprises a part of said multi-dimensional security key.

19. The integrated circuit as in claim 18, where strength of the feedback is variable over time.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a receiver, a waveform from a sender;

exciting at least some individual ones of a plurality of oscillators of an array of coupled oscillators with at least one signal comprising first information that comprises a first key known to the sender and to the receiver, said array of coupled oscillators representing second information that comprises a second key known to the sender and to the receiver;

generating a waveform that comprises signals output from the at least some individual ones of the coupled oscillators; and

comparing the generated waveform to the received waveform.

21. The method of claim 20, where if a result of comparing indicates a difference between the generated waveform and the received waveform that is less than a threshold amount, indicating that the sender is an authorized sender.

22. The method as in claim 20, where the first information comprises initial conditions.

23. The method of claim 22, where the initial conditions comprise at least one of an excitation pattern, used subsets of frequencies, and a set of observation intervals.

24. The method as in claim 22, where information descriptive of said initial conditions is received from the sender.

25. The method as in claim 22, where the second information comprises a set of frequencies and a coupling matrix.

26. The method as in claim 22, where said first information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said array of coupled oscillators to an input of said array of coupled oscillators.

27. The method as in claim 20, where said second information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said array of coupled oscillators to an input of said array of coupled oscillators.

28. The method as in claim 20, further comprising receiving at least one pilot signal that is embedded in the received waveform.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

means for generating a time evolution of frequencies output from at least some of a plurality of globally coupled oscillators;

means for exciting at least some individual ones of the plurality of oscillators with a signal comprising first information that comprises a first key known to a sender and to a receiver, said generating means representing second information that comprises a second key known to the sender and to the receiver;

means for outputting a waveform that comprises frequency signals from at least some individual ones of the plurality of oscillators, the generated waveform exhibiting chaotic behavior; and

means for sending the waveform from the sender to the receiver.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, where the first information comprises initial conditions that comprise at least one of an excitation pattern, used subsets of frequencies, and a set of observation intervals.

31. The apparatus as in claim 29, where information descriptive of said initial conditions is known to the receiver.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, where the first information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said generating means to an input of said generating means.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, where the second information comprises a set of frequencies and a coupling matrix.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, where said second information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said generating means to an input of said generating means.

35. The apparatus as in claim 29, further comprising means for embedding at least one pilot signal into the generated waveform.

36. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a waveform from a sender at a receiver;

means for generating a time evolution of frequencies output from at least some of a plurality of globally coupled oscillators;

means for exciting at least some individual ones of the plurality of oscillators with a signal comprising first information that comprises a first key known to the sender and to the receiver, said generating means representing second information that comprises a second key known to the sender and to the receiver;

means for outputting a waveform that comprises frequency signals from at least some individual ones of the plurality of oscillators, the generated waveform exhibiting chaotic behavior; and

means for comparing the output waveform to the received waveform.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, where if a result of comparing indicates a difference between the generated waveform and the received waveform that is less than a threshold amount, said comparing means is configured to indicate that the sender is an authorized sender.

38. The apparatus as in claim 36, where the first information comprises initial conditions that comprise at least one of an excitation pattern, used subsets of frequencies, and a set of observation intervals.

39. The apparatus as in claim 36, where the second information comprises a set of frequencies and a coupling matrix.

40. The apparatus as in claim 36, where one of said first information or said second information comprises strength of a feedback signal coupled from an output of said generating means to an input of said generating means.

41. The apparatus as in claim 36, further comprising means for detecting a presence of a pilot signal that is embedded in the received waveform.