Ultra-wideband (UWB) secure wireless device pairing and associated systems

• US 7,738,569 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nix, William Dale Todd, Quinn, Liam B., Anson, Douglas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bocure; Tesfaldet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams; Lawrence B
• Application Number:
  US11/403,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20070242729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/259, 375/295, 375/377, 379/142.05, 380/247, 455/411, 713/176, 726/1, 726/14, 726/15, 370/252, 370/282, 370/507, 709/237
• US Class Current: 375/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7183 Synchronisation
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for ultra-wideband (UWB) secure wireless device pairing. Secure pairing between devices for secure UWB communications is conducted over in-band UWB communications to provide secure pairing without requiring a visual confirmation through a graphical user interface (GUI), in particular, for wireless personal area network (WPAN) communications. The secure in-band pairing of wireless UWB devices over a UWB radio link provides considerable advantages over prior secure pairing techniques.

Claims

1. A method for secure pairing of two or more ultra-wideband (UWB) devices, comprising:

initiating device discovery with at least a first UWB device by entering a low power UWB transmit mode for the first UWB device and transmitting a beacon signal from the first UWB device for device discovery;

conducting automatically secure pairing between the first UWB device and a second UWB device over in-band UWB communications;

to automatically generate one or more pairing secrets for subsequent UWB communications between the first and second UWB devices using a key exchange protocol based upon device-known or device-generated information to generate the one or more pairing secrets;

wherein the conducting and generating steps are conducted without requiring a visual match confirmation through graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of the first and second UWB devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising also entering a low power UWB transmit mode for the second UWB device and transmitting a beacon signal from the second UWB device for device discovery.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating step is performed manually.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating step is performed automatically by the first UWB device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating step comprises initiating a discovery phase through a graphical user interface (GUI) for the first and the second UWB devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the key exchange protocol comprises at least in part upon a Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol.

7. A secure pairing system for two or more ultra-wideband (UWB) devices, comprising:

a first UWB device having an automated secure pairing module and a UWB communication interface, the first UWB device being configured to conduct automatically secure pairing with at least one other UWB device over in-band UWB communications without requiring a visual match confirmation through a graphical user interface (GUI); and

a second UWB device having an automated secure pairing module and a UWB communication interface, the second UWB device being configured to conduct automatically secure pairing with at least one other UWB device over in-band UWB communications without requiring a visual match confirmation through a graphical user interface (GUI);

wherein the first UWB device and the second UWB device are further configured to utilize at least one beacon signal transmitted in a low power UWB transmit mode for device discovery and to generate automatically one or more pairing secrets using a key exchange protocol based upon device-known or device-generated information to generate the one or more pairing secrets.

8. The secure pairing system of claim 7, wherein the first and second UWB devices are both configured to use a beacon signal transmitted in a low power UWB transmit mode for device discovery.

9. The secure pairing system of claim 7, wherein the first and second UWB devices further each comprise a graphical user interface (GUI).

10. The secure pairing system of claim 9, wherein at least the first or the second UWB device is configured to have secure pairing manually initiated through its GUI.

11. The secure pairing system of claim 9, wherein at least the first or the second UWB device is configured to initiate automatically secure pairing.

12. The secure pairing system of claim 7, wherein first and second UWB devices comprise a personal computer and a peripheral.

13. The secure pairing system of claim 7, wherein the first and second UWB devices are configured to utilize one or more pairing secrets established during secure pairing to verify identity of the UWB devices in subsequent UWB communications.

14. An ultra-wideband (UWB) device having automated in-band secure pairing, comprising:

a UWB communication interface; and

an automated secure pairing module configured to conduct automatically secure pairing with at least one other UWB device over in-band UWB communications without requiring a visual match confirmation through a graphical user interface (GUI);

wherein the automated secure pairing module is further configured to use a beacon signal transmitted in low power UWB transmit mode for device discovery and to generate automatically one or more pairing secrets with the other UWB device using a key exchange protocol based upon device-known or device-generated information to generate the one or more pairing secrets.