Method and apparatus to determine if a cellular jamming signal is malicious or non-malicious based on received signal strength
First Claim
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1. A method of determining whether a signal received by a wireless communications transceiver in a vehicle on a wireless communication system control channel is authentic, the method comprising:
- monitoring a control channel signal;
measuring the control channel signal level;
determining a rate of increase in the control channel signal level;
determining if the control channel signal level rate of increase exceeds a predetermined threshold;
after determining that the control channel signal level rate of increase exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining from a navigation system on the vehicle, a first location of the vehicle where the control channel signal level rate of increase exceeded said predetermined threshold;
determining from a jamming transmitter location database stored within the vehicle whether said first location is proximate to a location where a control channel signal jamming transmitters is known to be located;
andidentifying the rate of increase in the control channel signal level as indicative of a control channel jamming signal when the rate of increase exceeds the predetermined threshold and when the first location of the vehicle is not proximate to a location where a control channel signal jamming transmitter is known to be located.
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Abstract
A signal on a wireless communication system control channel can be identified as authentic or malicious by monitoring control channel signal strength changes. When a control channel signal level increases abnormally fast or too quickly, i.e., above a threshold value rate of increase, the control channel signal is identified as likely being from a malicious source, such as a jamming transmitter.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of determining whether a signal received by a wireless communications transceiver in a vehicle on a wireless communication system control channel is authentic, the method comprising:
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monitoring a control channel signal; measuring the control channel signal level; determining a rate of increase in the control channel signal level; determining if the control channel signal level rate of increase exceeds a predetermined threshold; after determining that the control channel signal level rate of increase exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining from a navigation system on the vehicle, a first location of the vehicle where the control channel signal level rate of increase exceeded said predetermined threshold; determining from a jamming transmitter location database stored within the vehicle whether said first location is proximate to a location where a control channel signal jamming transmitters is known to be located; and identifying the rate of increase in the control channel signal level as indicative of a control channel jamming signal when the rate of increase exceeds the predetermined threshold and when the first location of the vehicle is not proximate to a location where a control channel signal jamming transmitter is known to be located. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for determining whether a signal on a control channel for a communications system used by a vehicle telematics system is authentic or spurious, the apparatus comprising:
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a received signal strength determiner (determiner), configured to output a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) at specific points in time, each RSSI having a value corresponding to the strength of a signal received on the control channel by a receiver, at a corresponding point in time; an RSSI comparator coupled to the determiner and configured to compare a plurality of successive RSSI values to a threshold signal increase value and configured to output a spurious signal indicator when a control channel signal strength rate of increase between successive RSSI values exceeds the threshold signal rate of increase value; a global positioning system (GPS) coupled to the RSSI comparator and configured to determine a current location responsive to receipt of a spurious signal indicator; a location database stored at the vehicle, coupled to the GPS and storing locations where control channel jamming transmitters are known to exist; an interfering signal location determiner coupled to the location database and coupled to the GPS, the interfering signal location determiner being configured to determine from the location database and GPS whether the current location is proximate to a location where a control channel jamming transmitter is known to exist and additionally configured to output an interference signal indicating that a control channel signal level increase is due to jamming when the current location is not proximate to a location where a control channel jamming transmitter is known to exist. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification