METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UTILZING NFC TO ESTABLISH A SECURE CONNECTION

• US 20170142205A1
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: MAKKE, Omar, GUSIKHIN, Oleg Yurievitch
• Granted Patent: US 10,284,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to approve an application vehicular-system-access request based on a temporary key and device ID transmitted with the access request matching a stored temporary key and device ID pair previously stored by the processor. This can assist in ensuring that only validated devices and/or applications are requesting access to a vehicle system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

approve an application vehicular system access request based on a temporary key and device ID transmitted with the access request matching a stored temporary key and device ID pair previously stored by the processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is also configured to generate the temporary key.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is also configured to deliver the temporary key to a programmable vehicular near-field communication (NFC) device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is also configured to receive a device ID when the programmable vehicular NFC device transmits the temporary key to a mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to approve the access request based on an application ID received with the access request matching a pre-approved application ID.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate an initial random key when a vehicle is started.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate a new random key when a previously generated random key is stored in conjunction with a mobile device ID.

8. A system comprising:

a programmable vehicular near-field communication (NFC) device; and

a processor in communication with the NFC device, wherein the processor is configured to;

generate an initial random key and deliver the initial random key to the NFC device, wherein the NFC device is configured to;

provide the initial random key via NFC to a requesting mobile device and to receive a device ID from the requesting mobile device, and wherein the processor is further configured to;

receive the device ID from the NFC device and store the device ID in conjunction with the initial random key.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to generate a new random key following storage of the device ID in conjunction with the initial random key.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a wireless access request from an application executing on the mobile device, and to approve the access request based on a match between both a random key and device ID received with the access request matching a stored device ID and random key pair.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to approve the access request based on a match between an application ID received with the access request and a list of approved application IDs.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the NFC device is installed in a vehicle in a location such that a device external to the vehicle cannot interact with the NFC device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to generate the initial random key when a vehicle is started.

14. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an access request from an application executing on a mobile device requesting access to a vehicular system and including a device ID and a random key;

comparing the device ID and random key to previously stored device ID and random key pairs; and

approving the access request, via a vehicle computer, if both the device ID and random key match one of the stored device ID and random key pairs.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating a random key and providing the random key to a programmable vehicular NFC device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the random key from the programmable vehicular NFC device to a mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a device ID from the mobile device upon transmitting the random key, and storing the device ID and random key in a list of device ID and random key pairs.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a new random key following the storing of the device ID and random key in the list.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating the random key upon an ignition cycle initiation.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising deleting the list of device ID and random key pairs when an ignition cycle ends.