Ultra-secure communication methods and apparatus
A secure communication topology can be used for communications between a locator and one or more transponders to determine the location of the transponders. An example system may include a locator that is configured to transmit an interrogation signal that is encoded for receipt by one or more of the transponders. When a transponder receives and correlates the interrogation signal with an internally stored reference sequence, the transponder can transmit one or more reply transmissions at precisely determined time delay intervals. The time delay intervals are secretly known by both the locator and the transponder. The reply transmissions can each correspond to previously sampled noise signals that are also secretly known by both the transponder and the locator.
1. A method for a transponder (MT) adapted to communicate with a remote locator (RL), the method for the transponder (MT) comprising:
capturing samples of a signal transmission spectrum with a receiver in the MT;
detecting an interrogation signal from the RL when the captured samples correspond to an interrogation signal that is encoded with a specific ID Code associated with the MT; and
when the interrogation signal is detected:
synthesizing a precise carrier phase, frequency, cadence and timing for subsequent transmission from the received interrogation signal;
retrieving a first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) and a first non-repeating noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) for a first signal transmission;
encoding the first signal transmission with the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 );
wherein after the expiration of the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ), transmitting the first signal transmission, which is encoded with the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ), using the precise carrier phase, frequency, cadence and timing; and
wherein retrieving the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) and the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) comprises the steps of:
determining an index from a hash function, and
selecting the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) and the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) using the index.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving the hash function corresponds to a cryptographic streaming hash function and wherein the crypto hash function makes the noise samples.
3. A method for a transponder (MT) adapted to communicate with a remote locator (RL), the method for the transponder (MT) comprising:
capturing samples of a signal transmission spectrum with a receiver in the MT;
detecting an interrogation signal from the RL when the captured samples correspond to an interrogation signal that is encoded with a specific ID Code associated with the MT; and
when the interrogation signal is detected:
synthesizing a precise carrier phase, frequency, cadence and timing for subsequent transmission from the received interrogation signal;
retrieving a first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) and a first non-repeating noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) for a first signal transmission;
encoding the first signal transmission with the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 );
wherein after the expiration of the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ), transmitting the first signal transmission, which is encoded with the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ), using the precise carrier phase, frequency, cadence and timing; and
wherein retrieving the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) and the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) comprises the steps of:
determining a first index from a first hash function,
determining a second index from a second hash function,
selecting the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) using the first index, and
selecting the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) using the second index.
4. A method for a transponder (MT) adapted to communicate with a remote locator (RL), the method for the transponder (MT) comprising:
capturing samples of a signal transmission spectrum with a receiver in the MT;
detecting an interrogation signal from the RL when the captured samples correspond to an interrogation signal that is encoded with a specific ID Code associated with the MT; and
when the interrogation signal is detected:
synthesizing a precise carrier phase, frequency, cadence and timing for subsequent transmission from the received interrogation signal;
retrieving a first timing delay (Delay D 1 ) and a first non-repeating noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) for a first signal transmission;
encoding the first signal transmission with the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 );
wherein after the expiration of the first timing delay (Delay D 1 ), transmitting the first signal transmission, which is encoded with the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ), using the precise carrier phase, frequency, cadence and timing; and
wherein retrieving the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ) comprise the steps of:
providing a predetermined seed to a streaming secure cryptographic hash function,
generating a stream of bits from the streaming secure cryptographic hash function, and
aggregating groups of bits to generate the first noise pattern (Noise N 1 ).
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined seed is derived from one or more of a shared key, an ID code associated with the MT, a time stamp, or a date stamp.