Thermal Profiling To Validate Electronic Device Authenticity

• US 20100230597A1
• Filed: 03/16/2009
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumhyr, David B., Johnson, Glenn D., Young, Yvonne M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,136,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/340
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0003 for sensing the radiant heat transfer of samples, e.g. emittance meter
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0096 for measuring wires, electrical contacts or electronic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/04 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/047 Mobile mounting; Scanning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2213/00 Temperature mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information

Abstract

Counterfeit electronic devices are detected by comparing a thermal profile of the counterfeit device and an authentic device under predetermined operating conditions. A thermal profile for an authentic electronic device is recorded executing an instruction set over time, such as with static infrared images at predetermined times, video infrared images over a predetermined time period or temperature measurements made at predetermined locations of the electronic device. In one embodiment, a thermal profile indicates that a processor device has been used in the place of a field programmable grid array device. In an alternative embodiment, an electromagnetic profile is detected instead of or in addition to the thermal profile. The electromagnetic profile of an authentic device is used to create an expected profile for comparison with an electromagnetic profile of electronic devices under test.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether an electronic device is authentic or counterfeit, the method comprising:

running the electronic device under predetermined operating conditions;

monitoring a thermal profile of the electronic device;

comparing the thermal profile with an expected thermal profile;

determining the electronic device as authentic if the thermal profile has the expected thermal profile; and

determining the electronic device as counterfeit if the thermal profile lacks the expected thermal profile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

running an authentic electronic device under the predetermined operating conditions; and

monitoring a thermal profile of the authentic electronic device to generate the expected thermal profile.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the expected thermal profile comprises a temperature range associated with the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the predetermined conditions comprise a predetermined set of instructions run for a predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the thermal profile comprises infrared images taken at predetermined time intervals.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the thermal profile comprises temperature measurements at predetermined positions relative to the electronic device over a predetermined time period.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the thermal profile comprises an infrared video taken over a predetermined time period.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises plural electronic components and wherein comparing further comprises comparing a thermal profile for each of the plural components with an expected thermal profile for each of the plural components.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the electronic device comprises a router and the plural components comprise one or more field programmable arrays.

10. A system for identifying electronic devices as authentic or counterfeit, the system comprising:

a thermal profile database having expected thermal profiles for one or more electronic devices under one or more predetermined operating conditions;

a thermal profile detector operable to detect a thermal profile of an electronic device under test; and

an authenticity module interfaced with the thermal profile database and the thermal profile detector, the authenticity module operable to compare a thermal profile of the electronic device under test with an expected thermal profile to identify the electronic device as authentic or counterfeit.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the thermal profile detector comprises an infrared camera operable to take static images of the electronic device under test at predetermined times.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the thermal profile detector comprises an infrared camera operable to take video images of the electronic device over a predetermined time period.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the thermal profile detector comprises temperature strips placed at predetermined positions and operable to turn one of plural temperatures based on the temperature of the electronic device under test.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the thermal profile detector comprises crystal thermometers placed at predetermined positions and operable to measure a temperature of the electronic device.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the electronic device comprises plural electronic components, the thermal profile database comprises a thermal profile for each electronic component under the predetermined operating conditions.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the thermal profile comprises the relative temperatures of the plural electronic components.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the authentic component comprises a field programmable grid array and the counterfeit component comprises a processor.

18. A method for identifying one or more components of an electronic device, the method comprising:

executing instruction on the electronic device;

measuring a thermal profile for the one or more components;

comparing the measured thermal profile for the one or more components with expected thermal profiles; and

identifying the one or more components based upon the comparing.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein comparing the measured thermal profile comprises comparing a component thermal profile with an expected thermal profile of a counterfeit component to identify the component as a counterfeit component.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the expected thermal profile comprises a thermal profile of a field programmable gate array executing the instructions and the measured thermal profile comprise a thermal profile of a processor mimicking a field programmable gate array, and wherein identifying the one or more components further comprises identifying the one or more components as a counterfeit.