Security key generator
View Patent ↗A communication system has a first and a second communicating device operable to send and receive data units through a communication channel. Some of the data are encrypted using a security key. The first device comprises a first key generator generating a first embodiment of the key independently of a second embodiment of the key generated by a second generator of the second device, the second embodiment being generated independently of the first, which depends on parameter(s) characterizing a first transmission quality of the channel when receiving a first set of unencrypted data sent by the second device. The second embodiment depends on parameter(s) characterizing a second transmission quality of the channel when receiving a second set of unencrypted data sent by the first device, the first set being different from the second set.
1. A communication system having a first and a second communicating device operable to send and receive a plurality of data units through a communication channel, said plurality of data units comprising data units encrypted using a security key, said first device comprising a first security key generator generating a first embodiment of said security key independently of a second embodiment of said security key generated by a second security key generator of said second device, said second embodiment being generated independently of said first embodiment, said first embodiment depending on one or more parameters characterizing a first transmission quality of said communication channel when receiving a first set of data units sent by said second device not encrypted using said security key, said second embodiment depending on one or more parameters characterizing a second transmission quality of said communication channel when receiving a second set of data units sent by said first device not encrypted by said security key, said first set, as transmitted, including different content from said second set, as transmitted, wherein at least one of the first and second communicating devices is moved at least once during the receiving of the first and second sets of data units, wherein said communication channel is a wired communication channel, and wherein a physical parameter of said communication channel is changed at least once during transmission of said first and second set of data units not encrypted using said security key, wherein said physical parameter comprises a link capacitance, wherein said first and second security key generators additionally generate respective embodiments of an additional security key at said first device and said second device, wherein said respective embodiments of said additional security key are different from said first embodiment and said second embodiment of the security key, a respective embodiment of said additional security key being used for decrypting received data units encrypted by the first embodiment of the security key, said first device sending a valid key confirmation to said second device, wherein the valid key confirmation is encrypted using said first embodiment of the security key.
2. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first security key generator generates said first embodiment of said key depending on a variation of at least one parameter characterizing said first transmission quality and said second security key generator generates said second embodiment of said key depending on a variation of at least one parameter characterizing said second transmission quality.
3. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said one or more parameters are link quality indication (LQI) values.
4. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said devices is moved at least once during transmission of said first and second set of data units not encrypted using said security key.
5. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said security key comprises a public key and said additional security key comprises a private key.
6. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising at least one further communicating device operable to communicate with said first and/or said second communicating device.
7. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a physical parameter of said communication channel is changed at least once during transmission of said first and second set of data units not encrypted using said security key, wherein said physical parameter further comprises at least one of a link resistance and a link inductance.
8. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein data units of said first set and said second set are sent alternately by said first and said second device.
9. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first set and said second set of data units are sets of dummy data units.
10. A method of establishing a secure communication between a first and a second communicating device operable to send and receive a plurality of data units through a communication channel, comprising sending a first set of data units not encrypted by a security key from said second device to said first device; sending a second set of data units not encrypted by said security key from said first device to said second device, said second set of data units, as sent, including different content from said first set of data units, as sent, wherein at least one of the first and second communicating devices is moved at least once during transmission of the first and second sets of data units; extracting a first set of values of one or more parameters characterizing a first transmission quality of said communication channel when receiving said first set of data units; generating a first embodiment of said security key depending on said first set of extracted values, independently of a second embodiment of said security key, extracting a second set of values of one or more parameters characterizing a second transmission quality of said communication channel when receiving said second set of data units; generating said second embodiment of said security key depending on said second set of extracted values; additionally generating respective embodiments of an additional security key at said first device and said second device, wherein said respective embodiments of said additional security key are different from said first embodiment and said second embodiment of the security key, a first embodiment of said additional security key being used for decrypting received data units encrypted by the first embodiment of the security key; and sending a valid key confirmation from the first device to the second device, wherein the valid key confirmation is encrypted using the first embodiment of the security key, wherein a physical parameter of said communication channel is changed at least one during transmission of said first and second set of data units not encrypted using said security key.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , comprising
sending at least one data unit encrypted using said first embodiment of said security key from said first device to said second device;
decrypting said at least one data unit encrypted using said first embodiment of said security key and sending at least one data unit encrypted using said second embodiment of said security key from said second device to said first device;
decrypting said at least one data unit encrypted using said second embodiment of said security key and sending a valid key confirmation from said first device to said second device.
12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , comprising:
changing a physical parameter of said communication channel at least once during transmission of said first and second set of data units not encrypted using said security key, wherein said communication channel is a wired communication channel, and wherein said physical parameter comprises a link resistance, wherein said physical parameter further comprises at least one of a link capacitance and a link inductance.
13. A communication system having a first and a second communicating device operable to send and receive a plurality of data units through a communication channel, said plurality of data units comprising data units encrypted using a security key, said first device comprising a first security key generator generating a first embodiment of said security key independently of a second embodiment of said security key generated by a second security key generator of said second device, said second embodiment being generated independently of said first embodiment, said first embodiment depending on one or more parameters characterizing a first transmission quality of said communication channel when receiving a first set of data units sent by said second device not encrypted using said security key, said second embodiment depending on one or more parameters characterizing a second transmission quality of said communication channel when receiving a second set of data units sent by said first device not encrypted by said security key, said first set, as transmitted, including different content from said second set, as transmitted, wherein at least one of the first and second communicating devices is moved at least once during the receiving of the first and second sets of data units, wherein variation of link quality induced by movement of at least one of the first and second communicating devices is used for key generation, wherein changing a physical parameter between the first and second communicating devices is used for key generation, wherein said communication channel is a wired communication channel, and wherein said physical parameter comprises a link inductance, and wherein said first and second security key generators additionally generate respective embodiments of an additional security key at said first device and said second device, wherein said respective embodiments of said additional security key are different from said first embodiment and said second embodiment of the security key, a respective embodiment of said additional security key being used for decrypting received data units encrypted by the first embodiment of the security key, said first device sending a valid key confirmation to said second device, wherein the valid key confirmation is encrypted using said first embodiment of the security key.
14. The communication system of claim 13 wherein changing a physical parameter between the first and second communicating devices is used for key generation, wherein said communication channel is a wired communication channel, and wherein said physical parameter comprises at least one of a link capacitance and a link resistance.
15. The communication system of claim 13 wherein usage of the communication channel induces a variation of the one or more parameters characterizing the first transmission quality and the one or more parameters characterizing the second transmission quality.
16. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the variation of link quality is a relative variation rather than an absolute value of a link quality parameter.
17. The communication system of claim 1 , said first embodiment further depending on a numerical average of one of the one or more parameters characterizing a first transmission quality, and said second embodiment further depending on a numerical average of one of the one or more parameters characterizing a second transmission quality.
18. The communication system of claim 1 , said first embodiment further depending on one of a Fourier analysis or a Wiener filtering of one of the one or more parameters characterizing a first transmission quality, and said second embodiment further depending on one of a Fourier analysis or a Wiener filtering of one of the one or more parameters characterizing a second transmission quality.