System and methods for securing data transmissions over wireless networks

• US 8,428,100 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Franceschini, Michael R., Muldoon, Kelly P., Yi, Yunjung
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US12/246,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20090097531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 375/133, 375/132, 375/130
• US Class Current: 375/133
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7143 Arrangements for generation of hop patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/715 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/71365 using continuous tuning of a single frequency source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/7154 with means for preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/255 based on redundancy of transmitted data, transmission path or transmitting source

Abstract

A method of communicating over a network for wireless communications is disclosed. The method transmits encoded data from a source device to a destination device via a single path up through a plurality of wireless paths using a random frequency hopping tuning pattern for wireless communications, and pseudo-randomly varies dwell times of the frequency hopping tuning pattern over which the data is transmitted. The network uses forward-error correction coding redundancy within a data burst to allow recovery of corrupted data in any partially jammed hop of the transmitted data.

Claims

1. A method of communicating over a network for wireless communications, the method comprising:

transmitting encoded data from a source device to a destination device via a single path up through a plurality of wireless paths using a random frequency hopping tuning pattern for wireless communications;

pseudo-randomly varying dwell times of the frequency hopping tuning pattern over which the data is transmitted; and

using forward-error correction coding redundancy within a data burst to allow recovery of corrupted data in any partially jammed hop of the transmitted data, including using an adaptive learning process with a variable redundancy rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein pseudo-randomly varying the dwell times further comprises:

periodically modifying a prescribed variance in a length of the dwell times of the encoded data transmissions to achieve an aperiodic hop rate; and

adjusting the dwell times between the aperiodic hops to accommodate variations in data transfer rates for each of the encoded data transmissions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein pseudo-randomly varying the dwell times further comprises:

using the adaptive learning process with the variable redundancy rate having a prescribed redundancy threshold level to discover one or more security breaches in the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein using the adaptive learning process with the variable redundancy rate further comprises:

using the forward error correction coding redundancy in achieving substantially simultaneous encoded data transmissions between the source device and the destination device via the plurality of wireless paths while reducing a prescribed redundancy threshold level of the adaptive learning process.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising varying the dwell time between 30 to 60 microseconds.

6. A method for securing data over a network for wireless communications, the method comprising:

transmitting encoded data from a source device to a destination device;

providing a pseudo-random variable dwell time for at least a first portion of one or more data transmissions over the network using a random frequency hopping tuning pattern for spread-spectrum wireless communications;

determining that at least the first portion of the one or more data transmissions is received using forward error correction with a variable redundancy rate;

monitoring a prescribed redundancy threshold level once jamming of the data transmissions is detected to discover one or more security breaches in the network; and

using the variable redundancy rate to reduce the prescribed redundancy threshold level once a data erasure count from the one or more security breaches is learned to achieve a prescribed data transfer rate for substantially simultaneous encoded data transmissions over the network.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing a plurality of transmission bursts of varying lengths of the one or more data transmissions, wherein one or more of the transmission bursts frequency hop the transmission signals using a quasi-uniform distribution of frequency hopping channels.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the transmission bursts of varying lengths comprises providing the transmission bursts based on a spread of the pseudo-random variable dwell time during each transmission burst.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the pseudo-random variable dwell time further comprises:

periodically modifying a prescribed variance in the dwell time of the one or more data transmissions to achieve an aperiodic hop rate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein periodically modifying the prescribed variance comprises adjusting a period of the dwell time between the aperiodic hops.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein using the variable redundancy rate to reduce the prescribed redundancy threshold level further comprises:

providing at least one error correction codeword to overcome data erasures caused by a jamming device.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions for implementing the method for securing data over a network for wireless communications according to claim 6.

13. The method of claim 6 further comprising varying the dwell time between 30 to 60 microseconds.

14. A network system for wireless communications, comprising:

a plurality of wireless communications devices, each of the devices coupled to a plurality of the other devices via corresponding wireless signal links, each of the devices including;

a communications transceiver having a processing unit; and

a random dwell time generator within the processing unit, the random dwell time generator operable to transmit data-encoded signals on at least one wireless path between the wireless signal links using a random frequency hopping tuning pattern,

wherein the random dwell time generator is operable to;

pseudo-randomly vary a frequency hopping dwell time of the frequency hopping tuning pattern over which the data-encoded signals are transmitted, and

determine a transmission sequence for transmitting a plurality of redundant copies of the data-encoded signals based on a variable period of the dwell time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the random dwell time generator is operable to:

periodically modify a prescribed variance in a dwell time length of the data-encoded signals to achieve an aperiodic hop rate; and

adjust the dwell time length between the aperiodic hops to accommodate variations in data transfer rates of the data-encoded signals.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the random dwell time generator is further operable to:

provide an adaptive learning process with a variable redundancy rate and a prescribed redundancy threshold level to discover one or more security breaches in the network; and

perform forward error correction on a plurality of redundant copies of the data-encoded signals to reduce the prescribed redundancy threshold level.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the devices transmits the data-encoded signals using one of a direct sequence spread spectrum or an ultra wide band communications spectrum for each of the plurality of channels.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the devices receive and transmit the data-encoded signals based on a one-hop transmission range.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the variable period of the dwell time is between 30 to 60 microseconds.