Integrated circuit for preventing chip swapping and/or device cloning in a host device

• US 8,650,633 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kothari, Love, Chou, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cribbs, Malcolm
• Application Number:
  US13/250,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/14 Protection against unauthorised use of memory or access to memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/01 Modifications for accelerating switching
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00019 Variable delay
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00026 controlled by an analog electrical signal, e.g. obtained after conversion by a D/A converter
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00058 controlled by a digital setting
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0315 Ring oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/037 Bistable circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0375 provided with means for increasing reliability; for protection; for ensuring a predetermined initial state when the supply voltage has been applied; for storing the actual state when the supply voltage fails digital storage cells each combining volatile and non-volatile storage properties G11C14/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/133 using a chain of active delay devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0802 the loop being adapted for reducing power consumption H03L7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/097 using a comparator for comparing the voltages obtained from two frequency to voltage converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0997 Controlling the number of delay elements connected in series in the ring oscillator

Abstract

An integrated circuit is disclosed that can be included in a host electronic device that can be commonly manufactured, where the integrated circuit can be designated (“locked”) for a specific manufacturer, thereby substantially reducing the likelihood that a third party will be able to successfully clone a host electronic device manufactured by the specific manufacturer and/or swap the chip containing the integrated circuit for one having more enabled features. The integrated circuit includes an ID module that can be programmed after fabrication. Components within the integrated circuit designate manufacturer-specific configurations (e.g., address mapping, pin routing and/or vital function releasing) based on the programmed manufacturer ID. As a result, once the integrated circuit has been programmed with the manufacturer ID, the integrated circuit will function correctly only within a host device manufactured by the manufacturer associated with the programmed manufacturer ID.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit that is included in a host electronic device, comprising:

a plurality of pins;

a controller module configured to communicate with one or more off-chip electronics components via the plurality of pins; and

a clone prevention module configured to lock the integrated circuit to a specific manufacturer of the host electronic device, the clone prevention module including;

an addressing module configured to set at least one of an electronics component address and a pin configuration based on a manufacturer identification (ID) so as to route signals between the controller module and the plurality of pins based on the manufacturer ID.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the clone prevention module is capable of being programmed to lock the integrated circuit to the specific manufacturer after fabrication of the integrated circuit has been completed.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the clone prevention module includes an ID module configured to store the manufacturer ID associated with the specific manufacturer.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the addressing module is an address map module configured to set an address map that defines the electronics component address based on the manufacturer ID stored in the ID module.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the address map module stores, in a memory module, encrypted address maps corresponding to a plurality of possible manufacturers, and

wherein the address map module selects the address map by using the manufacturer ID as a decryption key for decrypting an encrypted address map corresponding to the specific manufacturer.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the address map identifies addresses of electronics components within the host electronic device of the specific manufacturer.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 5, further comprising a controller module configured to communicate with the electronics components based on the address map set by the address map module.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the addressing module determines from the manufacturer ID that a first off-chip electronics component is connected to a first pin of the plurality of pins within an electronics apparatus of the specific manufacturer, and

wherein the addressing module routes signals sent from the controller module that are designated for the first off-chip electronics component to the first pin.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the addressing module includes a plurality of multiplexers that route the signals using the manufacturer ID as a selection address.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the clone prevention module includes a read-only memory (ROM) module configured to store first data corresponding to the specific manufacturer and second data corresponding to a second manufacturer.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the ROM module hides the first data and the second data, and releases only the first data or the second data based on the manufacturer ID stored in the ID module.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 11, wherein the ROM module releases the first data due to its association with the specific manufacturer based on the manufacturer ID stored in the ID module.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the first data is a first application programming interface (API) and the second data is a second API.

14. An integrated circuit that is included in a host electronic device, comprising:

a clone prevention module configured to lock the integrated circuit to a specific manufacturer of the host electronic device,

wherein the clone prevention module includes an identification (ID) module configured to store a manufacturer ID associated with the specific manufacturer,

wherein the clone prevention module includes a read-only memory (ROM) module configured to store first data corresponding to the specific manufacturer and second data corresponding to a second manufacturer,

wherein the ROM module is a boot ROM,

wherein the first data is a first boot program located in a first region of the boot ROM, and

wherein the second data is a second boot program located in a second region of the boot ROM.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the ROM module hides and releases one of the first region or the second region based on the manufacturer ID stored in the ID module.

16. A method of preventing device-swapping within an integrated circuit, comprising:

reading a manufacturer identification (ID) corresponding to a specific manufacturer from an ID module; and

configuring an operation of the integrated circuit based on the manufacturer ID so as to lock the integrated circuit to the specific manufacturer, the configuring including;

setting at least one of an electronics component address and a pin configuration based on the manufacturer ID;

defining a pin configuration based on the manufacturer ID; and

routing signals from the integrated circuit to a plurality of pins based on the defined pin configuration,

wherein the integrated circuit communicates with the plurality of pins.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the configuring includes determining an address map based on the manufacturer ID, and

wherein the address map identifies communication addresses of components within a host electronic device of the specific manufacturer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit includes a read-only memory (ROM) that stores first data corresponding to the specific manufacturer and second data corresponding to a second manufacturer, and

wherein the configuring includes releasing only the data corresponding to the specific manufacturer based on the manufacturer ID.

19. A method of preventing device-swapping within an integrated circuit, comprising:

reading a manufacturer identification (ID) corresponding to a specific manufacturer from an ID module; and

configuring an operation of the integrated circuit based on the manufacturer ID so as to lock the integrated circuit to the specific manufacturer, the configuring including;

setting at least one of an electronics component address and a pin configuration based on the manufacturer ID; and

determining, based on the manufacturer ID, an address map that identifies communication addresses of components within a host electronics device of the specific manufacturer.