METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

• US 20150134970A1
• Filed: 07/14/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jang, Won-Churl, Kim, Jeong-Yeop, Lee, Woon-Ki
• Granted Patent: US 9,430,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method of updating firmware of a near field communication (NFC) device includes copying metadata, which is included in a firmware image file, from an application processor to the NFC device. One of a certification success signal and a certification fail signal is provided from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies an integrity of the metadata. Firmware data, which is included in the firmware image file, is copied from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device.

Claims

1. A method of updating firmware of a near field communication (NFC) device, the method comprising:

copying metadata, which is included in a firmware image file, from an application processor to the NFC device;

providing one of a certification success signal and a certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies an integrity of the metadata; and

copying firmware data, which is included in the firmware image file, from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes meta-information for the firmware data and a digital signature for the meta-information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing one of the certification success signal and the certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies the integrity of the metadata includes:

determining, by the NFC device, whether the meta-information is changed after the digital signature is generated based on the digital signature and a public key;

transmitting the certification success signal to the application processor when the meta-information is unchanged after the digital signature is generated; and

transmitting the certification fail signal to the application processor when the meta-information is changed after the digital signature is generated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware data is divided into a plurality of packets, and the metadata includes a plurality of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) values corresponding to the plurality of packets, respectively.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device includes:

serially transmitting the plurality of packets from the application processor to the NFC device;

upon receiving at the NFC device, one packet among the plurality of packets from the application processor, determining whether the one packet is damaged based on a CRC value corresponding to the one packet among the plurality of CRC values included in the metadata;

requesting the application processor to retransmit the one packet when the one packet is damaged; and

storing the one packet in a firmware storage unit included in the NFC device when the one packet is undamaged.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes a hash function value of the firmware data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device includes:

transmitting the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device;

comparing, by the NFC device, a value, which is calculated by performing a hash function on the firmware data, with the hash function value included in the metadata;

transmitting a fail signal to the application processor when the calculated value is different from the hash function value; and

transmitting a success signal to the application processor when the calculated value is equal to the hash function value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device further includes:

retransmitting the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the fail signal from the NFC device; and

storing the firmware image file in a current firmware storage unit included in the application processor when the application processor receives the success signal from the NFC device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware image file includes a data area, which includes the metadata and the firmware data, and a digital signature for the data area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device includes:

determining, by the application processor, whether the data area is changed after the digital signature is generated based on the digital signature and a public key; and

transmitting the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device when the data area is unchanged after the digital signature is generated.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes a hardware version, which represents a version of a hardware on which a firmware corresponding to the firmware data operates, and a firmware version, which represents a version of the firmware data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device includes:

transmitting a version request signal from the application processor to the NFC device;

transmitting a current hardware version and a current firmware version from the NFC device to the application processor in response to the version request signal; and

transmitting the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device when the hardware version included in the metadata is equal to the current hardware version received from the NFC device, and the firmware version included in the metadata is higher than the current firmware version received from the NFC device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes meta-information for the firmware data and a digital signature for the meta-information, and the meta-information includes a hash function value for the firmware data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing one of the certification success signal and the certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies the integrity of the metadata includes:

determining, by the NFC device, whether the meta-information is changed after the digital signature is generated based on the digital signature and a public key;

transmitting the certification success signal to the application processor when the meta-information is unchanged after the digital signature is generated; and

transmitting the certification fail signal to the application processor when the meta-information is changed after the digital signature is generated, and

wherein providing the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device includes;

transmitting the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device;

comparing, by the NFC device, a calculated value, which is generated by performing a hash function on the firmware data, with the hash function value included in the meta-information;

transmitting a fail signal to the application processor when the calculated value is different from the hash function value; and

transmitting a success signal to the application processor when the calculated value is equal to the hash function value.

15. A method of operating an electronic system including an application processor, a near field communication (NFC) device and a communication unit, the method comprising:

downloading a firmware image file, which includes firmware data and metadata for the firmware data, using the communication unit;

storing the firmware image file in a new firmware storage unit included in the application processor;

copying the metadata from the application processor to the NFC device;

providing one of a certification success signal and a certification fail signal from the NFC device to the application processor after the NFC device verifies an integrity of the metadata;

copying the firmware data from the application processor to the NFC device when the application processor receives the certification success signal from the NFC device; and

storing the firmware image file in a current firmware storage unit included in the application processor.

16. A near field communication (NFC) system comprising:

an application processor (AP), including a new firmware storage unit (NFSU) and a current firmware storage unit (CFSU), the AP configured to receive a firmware image file (FIF) into the NFSU, the FIF comprising a meta-data and a firmware-data, the AP configured to copy the FIF from the NFSU to the CFSU upon validation of an attribute of the meta-data; and

an NFC device in electrical communication with the AP, the NFC device configured to receive the meta-data from the AP, to determine the validation of the attribute of the meta-data, and to transmit a signal to the AP to indicate if a validation of the meta-data has occurred.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the AP is configured to transmit the firmware-data to the NFC device upon validation of an attribute of the meta-data.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the AP is configured to transmit the firmware-data to the NFC device as a series of packets.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the meta-data includes a digital signature used to validate the attribute of the meta-data.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the meta-data includes a hash function value used to validate the attribute of the meta-data.