Establishing and securing a unique wireless RF link between a tractor and a trailer using a wired connection

• US 7,760,077 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Day, Jeffrey Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US11/758,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 340/431, 340/825.69, 340/539.1, 705/50, 713/168
• US Class Current: 340/431
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• 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 67/12 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 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

Communications between a tractor and trailer are established and secured using a wired connection between the physically connected tractor and trailer. Wireless ID or authentication information is communicated between tractor and trailer using the wired connection. Thereafter, a wireless, secure RF communication link may be established between the tractor and trailer using the ID/authentication information. Further, wireless messages may be encrypted between tractor and trailer using the identification/authentication information received over the wired connection.

Claims

1. A method of communicating among at least two tethered transportation units comprising:

exchanging identification/authentication information between a first transportation unit and a second transportation unit using a wired connection therebetween, wherein the identification/authentication information comprises a public key of the respective first and second transportation units; and

communicating wirelessly between the first and second transportation units via a session key encrypted with the identification/authentication information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said transportation units consist of a tractor, a container, a trailer, a dolly or a combination thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said wired connection uses a conductor within a 7-pin connector.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein said identification/authentication information is modulated on said conductor.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said communicating occurs using mobile communication terminals, each associated with the first and second transportation units.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said encrypted session key is decrypted with a private key associated with the respective first and second transportation units.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein exchanging identification/authentication information between the first transportation unit and the second transportation unit using the wired connection is accomplished when said first and second transportation units are substantially still.

8. A method of communicating comprising:

receiving a public key of a transportation entity over a wired connection;

generating a substantially random session key;

encrypting, according to said public key, said session key;

wirelessly sending said encrypted session key to said transportation entity for decryption by said transportation entity; and

wirelessly communicating with said transportation entity using messages encrypted according to said session key.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein receiving said pubic key of said transportation entity over said wired connection occurs when said transportation entity is substantially still.

10. A method of communicating comprising:

requesting, via a network management facility (NMF), a session key in order to communicate with a mobile communication terminal (MCT) of a transportation entity;

receiving a first copy of a session key encrypted according to a secret key associated with said NMF and a second copy of said session key encrypted according to a secret key associated with said MCT;

decrypting said first copy of said session key according to said secret key associated with said NMF;

sending said second copy of said session key to said MCT over a wired connection for decryption by said MCT according to said secret key associated with said MCT; and

communicating wirelessly with said MCT using messages encrypted according to said session key.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said transportation entity is associated with a transportation unit consisting of a trailer, a container or a dolly.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein sending said second copy of said session key to said MCT over said wired connection occurs during a time said transportation entity is substantially still.

13. A first mobile communications terminal associated with a vehicle comprising:

a transmitter/receiver;

a memory for storing identification/authentication data of said first mobile communications terminal; and

a processor programmed to permit exchanging, over a wired connection and only when said vehicle is substantially stationary, said identification/authentication data with identification/authentication data of a second mobile communications terminal associated with said vehicle, wherein said identification/authentication data comprises a public key of said respective first and second mobile communications terminals, and to permit communication over a wireless communication link with said second mobile communications terminals via a session key encrypted with said identification/authentication information of said second mobile communications terminal.

14. A system for communicating between a tractor and a hauled transportation unit comprising:

a mobile communication terminal for said tractor;

a mobile communication terminal for said hauled transportation unit;

a wired connection coupling said mobile communication terminal of said tractor with said mobile communication terminal of said hauled transportation unit;

a network management facility operable to dispatch a session key, wherein communications between said mobile communication terminal of said tractor and said mobile communication terminal of said hauled transportation unit occur in connection with messages encrypted according to said session key after said session key has been forwarded by said mobile communication terminal of said tractor to said mobile communication terminal of said hauled transportation unit using said wired connection.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein said transportation unit consists of a container, a trailer, or a dolly.

16. The system as recited in claim 14 further including a satellite network through which communications between said network management facility and said mobile communications terminal for said tractor occur.

17. The system as recited in claim 14 further including a terrestrial network through which communications between said network management facility and said mobile communications terminal for said tractor occur.

18. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein communications between said network management facility and said mobile communications terminal for said tractor occur using one consisting of GSM, CDMA, or UTMS.

19. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein said mobile communication terminal for said hauled transportation is communication enabled according to one consisting of GSM, CDMA, UTMS, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or a combination thereof.

20. An apparatus for communicating among at least two tethered transportation units comprising:

means for exchanging identification/authentication information between a first transportation unit and a second transportation unit using a wired connection therebetween, wherein the identification/authentication information comprises a public key of the respective first and second transportation units; and

means for communicating wirelessly between the first and second transportation units via a session key encrypted with the identification/authentication information.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein said transportation units consist of a tractor, a container, a trailer, a dolly or a combination thereof.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein said wired connection uses a conductor within a 7-pin connector.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22 wherein said identification/authentication information is modulated on said conductor.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein said means for communicating comprises mobile communication terminals, each associated with the first and second transportation units.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 further comprising decrypting the encrypted session key with a private key associated with the respective first and second transportation units.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 further comprising means for exchanging identification/authentication information between the first transportation unit and the second transportation unit using the wired connection when said first and second transportation units are substantially still.

27. An apparatus for communicating comprising:

means for receiving a public key of a transportation entity over a wired connection;

means for generating a substantially random session key;

means for encrypting, according to said public key, said session key;

means for wirelessly sending said encrypted session key to said transportation entity for decryption by said transportation entity; and

means for wirelessly communicating with said transportation entity using messages encrypted according to said session key.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 27 further comprising means for receiving said pubic key of said transportation entity over said wired connection occurs when said transportation entity is substantially still.

29. An apparatus for communicating comprising:

means for requesting, via a network management facility (NMF), a session key in order to communicate with a mobile communication terminal (MCT) of a transportation entity;

means for receiving a first copy of a session key encrypted according to a secret key associated with said NMF and a second copy of said session key encrypted according to a secret key associated with said MCT;

means for decrypting said first copy of said session key according to said secret key associated with said NMF;

means for sending said second copy of said session key to said MCT over a wired connection for decryption by said MCT according to said secret key associated with said MCT; and

means for communicating wirelessly with said MCT using messages encrypted according to said session key.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 29 wherein said transportation entity is associated with a transportation unit consisting of a trailer, a container or a dolly.

31. The apparatus as recited in claim 29 further comprising means for sending said second copy of said session key to said MCT over said wired connection during a time said transportation entity is substantially still.

32. A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of communicating among at least two tethered transportation units, said method comprising operations of:

exchanging identification/authentication information between a first transportation unit and a second transportation unit using a wired connection therebetween, wherein the identification/authentication information comprises a public key of the respective first and second transportation units; and

communicating wirelessly between the first and second transportation units via a session key encrypted with the identification/authentication information.

33. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 32 wherein said encrypted session key is decrypted with a private key associated with the respective first and second transportation units.

34. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 32 wherein exchanging identification/authentication information between the first transportation unit and the second transportation unit using the wired connection is accomplished when said first and second transportation units are substantially still.

35. A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of communicating, said method comprising operations of:

receiving a public key of a transportation entity over a wired connection;

generating a substantially random session key;

encrypting, according to said public key, said session key;

wirelessly sending said encrypted session key to said transportation entity for decryption by said transportation entity; and

wirelessly communicating with said transportation entity using messages encrypted according to said session key.

36. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 35 wherein receiving said pubic key of said transportation entity over said wired connection occurs when said transportation entity is substantially still.

37. A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of communicating, said method comprising operations of:

requesting, via a network management facility (NMF), a session key in order to communicate with a mobile communication terminal (MCT) of a transportation entity;

receiving a first copy of a session key encrypted according to a secret key associated with said NMF and a second copy of said session key encrypted according to a secret key associated with said MCT;

decrypting said first copy of said session key according to said secret key associated with said NMF;

sending said second copy of said session key to said MCT over a wired connection for decryption by said MCT according to said secret key associated with said MCT; and

communicating wirelessly with said MCT using messages encrypted according to said session key.

38. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 37 wherein sending said second copy of said session key to said MCT over said wired connection occurs during a time said transportation entity is substantially still.