Retrofittable encryption/decryption apparatus using modified frequency modulation

• US 5,150,401 A
• Filed: 12/04/1990
• Issued: 09/22/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chips International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chips International Inc.
• Inventors: Vandaveer, Robert L., Favors, Frankie B., Krause, Lothar A. Jr., Ashby, James C. III, Tiemann, Roy G., Burkhart, Clark
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Application Number:
  US07/621,476
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 380/28, 380/29, 380/31, 380/33, 380/34, 380/38, 380/39, 380/40, 380/49, 341/72
• US Class Current: 380/29
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/667 using a division in frequency subbands for TV signals H04N19/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/02 by adding a second signal to make the desired signal unintelligible

Abstract

A communication system for providing secured communication over a communication channel. The system includes a DES encryption device and a DES decryption device retrofittable into or within a conventional radio unit. The encryption device receives analog input at the transmitter end of the radio and converts the analog signal to digital signal, then encrypts this digital data, modulates the encrypted digital data using modified frequency modulation (MFM) which is then sent over the communication path. During decryption, the apparatus receives MFM data from the communication path, demodulates this digital data, decrypts the data and then outputs this decrypted digital data to the interface unit. The interface unit contains both a transmitter and a receiver which is capable of half duplex operation. The interface unit also contains a voice coder and a voice decoder which are of the sub-band type. The interface unit further contains a method for selecting from either a digital data transceiver or a voice coded digital data transceiver. Still further, the apparatus contains a method for selectively controlling the authorized reception for digital data by a single receiver or a plurality of receivers. Also, a method is available for selecting one of a plurality of master keys, which are used for the encryption process initialization. Still further, the present system allows for encrypting and decrypting the digital data by exclusive-oring the digital data with the operative digital encryption device which is implemented in DES.

Claims

1. A communication system for providing secure communication over a communication channel, comprising:

a conventional radio capable of transmitting and receiving non-secure analog signals;

means for converting said radio into a DES-encryption device, including;

a codec coupled to receive said non-secure analog signals and convert said analog signals into pulse code modulated digital signals;

a signal processor coupled to receive said pulse code modulated digital signals and convert said digital signals into a plurality of sub-band codes in response to a series of prologues transmitted over said communication channel;

means for exclusive-oring DES codes with respective said sub-band codes to produce modified DES-encrypted signals;

a modem for transmitting said modified DES-encrypted signals over said communication channel in MFM format in response to said series of prologues transmitted over said communication channel;

means for converting said radio into a DES-decryption device, including;

said modem for receiving said modified DES-encrypted signals and converting said modified DES-encrypted signals from MFM to NRZ format;

said signal processor coupled to receive NRZ signals with said NRZ format and perform DES-decryption and sub-band decoding of said NRZ signals; and

,

said codec coupled to convert said decrypted and decoded signals into analog output.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said communication channel is a radio channel having a bandwidth less than 15 KHz.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said communication channel is a telephone line.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for retrofitting said radio with a plurality of panel controls including a plurality of secure modes.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for retrofitting said radio with a plurality of panel controls including a plurality of operation modes.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a radio interface attachable between a wide variety of conventional non-secure said radios and said DES-encryption and decryption device.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a universal synchronous/asynchronous receiver/transmitter having at least one port for receiving auxiliary data to be transmitted as said secure communication over said radio channel.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said auxiliary data is sent from external sources including fax, digitized video and ASCII.

9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said universal synchronous/asynchronous receiver transmitter including a programmable baud rate generator to achieve multiple baud rates to both said modem and said auxiliary data port.

10. A device for converting analog signals to modified DES-encrypted digital signals and transmitting the modified DES-encrypted signals over a radio channel, comprising:

a conventional radio including a microphone capable of receiving said analog signals;

a codec, retrofitted within said radio, for receiving said analog signals and for converting said analog signals into digital, pulse code modulated signals;

a digital signal processor having a memory medium, retrofitted within said radio, for receiving and compressing said pulse code into a plurality of sub-band codes and storing said sub-band codes within said medium in accordance with a predetermined encoding algorithm;

means for selecting a DES encryption code from a data encryption device retrofitted within said radio and storing said DES code within said medium;

means for exclusive-oring said stored sub-band codes with said stored DES codes to produce said modified DES-encrypted signals;

a series of prologues transmitted over said radio channel for controlling said DES-encrypted signals from at least one remote location; and

,

a modem for transmitting said DES-encrypted signals in MFM format in response to said prologues.

11. The device as recited in claim 10, further comprising customizeable circuitry for interconnecting devices which include said radio, codec, digital signal processor, data encryption device and memory medium.

12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein said customizeable circuitry comprises either a programmable gate array, a programmable logic device, erasable programmable logic device or field programmable logic device.

13. The device as recited in claim 10, further comprising a universal synchronous/asynchronous receiver/transmitter having at least one port for receiving auxiliary data to be transmitted as said modified DES-encrypted signals.

14. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said radio is a conventional radio retrofittable to transmit said modified DES-encrypted signals.

15. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said radio channel having a frequency bandwidth less than 15 KHz and capable of receiving at least 2 bits/Hz.

16. The device as recited in claim 10, further comprising external Data Terminal Equipment for sending and receiving data to and from said device at varying bit rates.

17. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said data encryption device operates in the output feedback mode of operation.

18. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said data encryption device comprises a plurality of security keys of which at least one master key can be accessed and rekeyed via a program prologue from said series of prologues transmitted over said radio channel.

19. A device for converting modified DES-encrypted digital signals received over a radio channel to analog signals, comprising:

a conventional radio including an antenna capable of receiving said modified DES-encrypted digital signals;

a modem, retrofitted within said radio, for converting from MFM format to serial NRZ format said modified DES-encrypted signals;

means, retrofitted within said radio, for data bit converting said serial NRZ format to 8-bit parallel NRZ format, for stripping control data bits from said serial NRZ format and for forward error correcting bit errors discovered within said serial NRZ format;

a digital signal processor, retrofitted within said radio, programmed to receive said 8-bit parallel NRZ format and perform DES-decryption and sub-band decoding of NRZ signals with said parallel NRZ format;

a codec, retrofitted within said radio, coupled to convert said decrypted and decoded signals into analog output; and

,

amplifying means, coupled to said analog output for amplifying said output.

20. The device as recited in claim 19, wherein said amplifying means further comprising a speaker means for listening to non-secure amplified analog output from said radio.

21. The device as recited in claim 19, wherein said DES-decryption and said sub-band decoding utilizing decoding algorithms opposite that of encoding algorithms used to produce said modified DES-encrypted digital signals.