IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,192,832
Granted Patent B2
US 12,192,832 · App. 17/765,348 · Granted Jan 7, 2025

Determining security keys

Inventors: Patrik Rugeland (Stockholm, SE); Gunnar Mildh (Sollentuna, SE); Julien Muller (Rennes, FR)
Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
H04W36/0027H04W12/041H04W36/0069H04W36/28H04W36/362H04W36/00835
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,192,832
App. No.
17/765,348
Granted
Jan 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Examples of this disclosure include a method performed by a wireless device for determining security keys. The method comprises, for each candidate primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a plurality of candidate PSCells for conditional addition or conditional change by the wireless device for dual connectivity, receiving, from a network node, a respective value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell. The method also comprises determining, for each of at least one candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells, a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and the respective value associated with the candidate PSCell.

Claims (38)

1. A method performed by a wireless device for determining security keys, the method comprising:

for each candidate primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a plurality of candidate PSCells for conditional addition or conditional change by the wireless device for dual connectivity, receiving, from a network node, a respective value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell;

when a condition associated with a first candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells is fulfilled, determining a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the first candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and the respective value associated with the first candidate PSCell, wherein the values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a first primary cell for the wireless device;

for each candidate PSCell, receiving, from the network node, a respective further value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the further value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with the candidate PSCell and is different to the further value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell, and wherein the further values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a second primary cell for the wireless device; and

when a condition associated with a second candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells is fulfilled, determining a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the second candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and the respective further value associated with the second candidate PSCell, wherein the further values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a secondary primary cell for the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving the values associated with the candidate PSCells and/or the master key from a network node or base station.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first candidate PSCell and the second candidate PSCell are the same PSCell.

4. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method according to claim 1 .

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring the wireless device to use the first candidate PSCell as a PSCell.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the candidate PSCells include two or more PSCells associated with a same candidate secondary node or base station, and the two or more PSCells are associated with the same value or different values.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving, from the network node, one or more configurations for configuring the wireless device with the plurality of candidate PSCells, wherein the one or more configurations indicate the values associated with the candidate PSCells.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a RRC resume procedure to resume in the first primary cell, and wherein determining, for each of the at least one candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells, the respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell comprises determining the security key for communications between the wireless device and a first candidate PSCell of the candidate PSCells based on the master key and the value associated with the candidate PSCell and the first primary cell.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing a RRC resume procedure to resume in a first primary cell, and wherein receiving the values associated with the candidate PSCells is performed after a start of the RRC resume procedure.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing an RRC suspend procedure when connected to a first primary cell, and performing an RRC resume procedure, and wherein determining, for each of at least one candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells, the a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell is performed only if the RRC resume procedure is for resuming in the first primary cell.

11. The method of claim 1 , comprising, for each candidate PSCell, receiving, from a network node, a respective updated value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the updated value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with the candidate PSCell and is different to the updated value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell;

wherein determining, for each of at least one candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells, the respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell comprises determining the respective security key based on the master key and the respective updated value associated with the candidate PSCell.

12. A method performed by a network node for determining security keys, the method comprising:

determining, for each candidate primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a plurality of candidate PSCells for conditional addition or conditional change by a wireless device for dual connectivity, a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and a respective value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell;

sending, for each candidate PSCell, the respective security key to a respective candidate secondary node associated with the candidate PSCell;

sending, to the wireless device, one or more configurations for configuring the wireless device with the plurality of candidate PSCells, wherein the one or more configurations indicate the respective values associated with the candidate PSCells, wherein the values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a first primary cell for the wireless device; and

for each candidate PSCell, sending, to the wireless device, a respective further value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the further value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with the candidate PSCell and is different to the further value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell, and wherein the further values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a second primary cell for the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising sending the values associated with the candidate PSCells and/or the master key to the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the candidate PSCells include two or more PSCells associated with a same candidate secondary node or base station, and the two or more PSCells are associated with the same value or different values.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining that the wireless device has connected to the first primary cell, and wherein determining, for each of the at least one candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells, the respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell comprises determining the security key for communications between the wireless device and a first candidate PSCell of the candidate PSCells based on based on the master key and the value associated with the candidate PSCell and the first primary cell.

16. The method of claim 12 , comprising:

determining that the wireless device has connected to a first primary cell before sending the security keys associated with the candidate PSCells to the respective candidate secondary nodes; or

determining that the wireless device has suspended from and resumed to a first primary cell before sending the security keys associated with the candidate PSCells to the respective candidate secondary nodes.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the network node comprises a base station associated with a primary cell for the wireless device.

18. Apparatus in a wireless device for determining security keys, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to:

for each candidate primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a plurality of candidate PSCells for conditional addition or conditional change by the wireless device for dual connectivity, receive, from a network node, a respective value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell;

when a condition associated with a first candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells is fulfilled, a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the first candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and the respective value associated with the first candidate PSCell, wherein the values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a first primary cell for the wireless device;

for each candidate PSCell, receive, from the network node, a respective further value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the further value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with the candidate PSCell and is different to the further value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell, and wherein the further values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a second primary cell for the wireless device; and

when a condition associated with a second candidate PSCell of the plurality of candidate PSCells is fulfilled, determine a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the second candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and the respective further value associated with the second candidate PSCell, wherein the further values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a secondary primary cell for the wireless device.

19. Apparatus in a network node for determining security keys, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to:

determine, for each candidate primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a plurality of candidate PSCells for conditional addition or conditional change by a wireless device for dual connectivity, a respective security key for communications between the wireless device and the candidate PSCell, wherein the respective security key is determined based on a master key and a respective value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell;

send, for each candidate PSCell, the respective security key to a respective candidate secondary node associated with the candidate PSCell;

send, to the wireless device, one or more configurations for configuring the wireless device with the plurality of candidate PSCells, wherein the one or more configurations indicate the respective values associated with the candidate PSCells, wherein the values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a first primary cell for the wireless device; and

for each candidate PSCell, send, to the wireless device, a respective further value associated with the candidate PSCell, wherein the further value associated with the candidate PSCell is different to the value associated with the candidate PSCell and is different to the further value associated with at least one other candidate PSCell, and wherein the further values associated with the candidate PSCells are associated with a second primary cell for the wireless device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 30, 2022
From: RUGELAND, PATRIK; MILDH, GUNNAR; MULLER, JULIEN
To: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
Reel/Frame 059447/0438 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62907846 · Sep 30, 2019
Related Publication 20220394565A1 · Dec 8, 2022
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