US-12625963-B2 - Over-the-air device, over-the-air method and over-the-air system

US12625963B2US 12625963 B2US12625963 B2US 12625963B2US-12625963-B2

Abstract

An Over-the-Air (OTA) method includes controlling the current state using a control state register. The method includes recording the current state and the hash algorithm. A sorting setter obtains a random number from a server. The method includes sorting the random numbers according to a preset sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter. A hash calculator uses the sorting parameter as the input of the hash algorithm. The hash algorithm outputs a device-side hash result and transmits the device-side hash result to the server through a transmission device. After the server receives the device-side hash result, it compares the device-side hash result with the server-side hash result calculated by the server.

Inventors

Ching-An Chen
Tzu-Lan Shen

Assignees

NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230705
Priority Date: 20220826

Claims (20)

1 . An Over-the-Air (OTA) device, comprising: a control state register, configured to control a current state and record the current state and a hash algorithm; a sorting setter, configured to obtain a random number from a server and sort the random number according to a set sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter; and a hash calculator, configured to use the sorting parameter as input for the hash algorithm, the hash algorithm outputs a device-side hash result, and the device-side hash result is sent to the server through a transmission device; wherein after receiving the device-side hash result, the server compares the device-side hash result with a server-side hash result calculated by the server, and when the device-side hash result is compared with the server-side hash result; when the device-side hash result is the same as the server-side hash result, the server establishes an over-the-air connection with the transmission device.
2 . The OTA device of claim 1 , wherein when the device-side hash result is different from the server-side hash result, the server does not establish the over-the-air connection with the transmission device.
3 . The OTA device of claim 1 , wherein the control state register, the sorting setter and the hash calculator are each implemented by hardware.
4 . The OTA device of claim 1 , wherein control state register, the sorting setter and the hash calculator are located in hardware.
5 . The OTA device of claim 4 , wherein the hash calculator further comprises: a data quick-moving device, configured to rapidly transfer data required by a processor from a microprocessor to the processor; a control hash operation device, configured to control an execution state of the hash calculator; and a hash engine device, configured to sort the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter; wherein the processor is configured to read the current state of the control state register.
6 . The OTA device of claim 5 , wherein the hash engine device is a hash computing hardware accelerator.
7 . The OTA device of claim 1 , wherein the server sorts the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter, and inputs the sorting parameter into the hash algorithm, and the hash algorithm outputs the server-side hash result.
8 . An Over-the-Air (OTA) method, comprising: controlling a current state and recording the current state and a hash algorithm via a control state register; obtaining a random number from a server and sorting the random number according to a set sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter via a sorting setter; and using the sorting parameter as input for the hash algorithm via a hash calculator, so that the hash algorithm outputs a device-side hash result, and the device-side hash result is sent to the server through a transmission device; wherein after receiving the device-side hash result, the server compares the device-side hash result with a server-side hash result calculated by the server, and when the device-side hash result is the same as the server-side hash result, the server establishes an over-the-air connection with the transmission device.
9 . The OTA method of claim 8 , wherein when the device-side hash result is different from the server-side hash result, the server does not establish the over-the-air connection with the transmission device.
10 . The OTA method of claim 8 , wherein the control state register, the sorting setter, and the hash calculator are each implemented by hardware.
11 . The OTA method of claim 8 , wherein the control state register, the sorting setter, and the hash calculator are located in hardware.
12 . The OTA method of claim 11 , wherein the hash calculator further comprises: a data quick-moving device, a control hash operation device, and a hash engine device, and the OTA method further comprises: rapidly transferring data required by a processor from a microprocessor to the processor via the data quick-moving device; controlling an execution state of the hash calculator via the control hash operation device; and sorting the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter via the hash engine device; wherein the processor is configured to read the current state of the control state register.
13 . The OTA method of claim 12 , wherein the hash engine device is a hash computing hardware accelerator.
14 . The OTA method of claim 8 , further comprises: sorting the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter and inputting the sorting parameter into the hash algorithm via the server; and outputting the server-side hash result via the hash algorithm.
15 . An OTA system, comprising: a server; and an over-the-air device, comprising: a control state register, configured to control a current state and record the current state and a hash algorithm; a sorting setter, configured to obtain a random number from a server and sort the random number according to a set sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter; and a hash calculator, configured to use the sorting parameter as input for the hash algorithm, the hash algorithm outputs a device-side hash result, and the device-side hash result is sent to the server through a transmission device; wherein after receiving the device-side hash result, the server compares the device-side hash result with a server-side hash result calculated by the server, and when the device-side hash result is the same as the server-side hash result, the server establishes an over-the-air connection with the transmission device; wherein the server sorts the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter, and inputs the sorting parameter into the hash algorithm, and the hash algorithm outputs the server-side hash result.
16 . The OTA system of claim 15 , wherein when the device-side hash result is different from the server-side hash result, the server does not establish the over-the-air connection with the transmission device.
17 . The OTA system of claim 15 , wherein the control state register, the sorting setter, and the hash calculator are each implemented by hardware.
18 . The OTA system of claim 15 , wherein the control state register, the sorting setter, and the hash calculator are located in hardware.
19 . The OTA system of claim 18 , wherein the hash calculator further comprises: a data quick-moving device, configured to rapidly transfer data required by a processor from a microprocessor to the processor; a control hash operation device, configured to control an execution state of the hash calculator; and a hash engine device, configured to sort the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter; wherein the processor is configured to read the current state of the control state register.
20 . The OTA system of claim 15 , wherein the hash calculator includes a hash computing hardware accelerator.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 111132224, filed on Aug. 26, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to a mechanism for remotely updating a device, and in particular, to an over-the-air device, an over-the-air method, and an over-the-air system. Description of the Related Art With the rise of IoT devices, remote updates of device software and firmware has become an indispensable part of Internet of things (IoT) devices. The purpose of these updates is not only to improve the functioning of the original device and to fix code loopholes, but they may also contain important information and algorithms. However, if an Over-the-Air (OTA) server cannot identify whether a device that needs to be updated is legitimate (for example, whether the device is an original device sold by the manufacturer), leakage of important software and firmware information may occur, leaving the system open to malicious attacks and copyright violations of its products. Therefore, a more secure method is required to confirm whether a desired update device is legitimate, so as to avoid leakage of important software and firmware information. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the present disclosure provides an Over-the-Air (OTA) device. The OTA device includes a control state register, a sorting setter and a hash calculator. The control state register is configured to control the current state and record the current state and the hash algorithm. The sorting setter is configured to obtain a random number from a server and sort the random number according to a set sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter. Moreover, the hash calculator is configured to use the sorting parameter as input for the hash algorithm. The hash algorithm outputs a device-side hash result. The device-side hash result is sent to the server through a transmission device. After receiving the device-side hash result, the server compares the device-side hash result with the server-side hash result calculated by the server. When the device-side hash result is the same as the server-side hash result in this comparison, the server establishes an over-the-air connection with the transmission device. In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the present disclosure provides an Over-the-Air (OTA) method. The OTA method includes the following steps. The control state register controls the current state and records the current state and the hash algorithm. The sorting setter obtains a random number from the server and sorts the random number according to a set sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter. The hash calculator uses the sorting parameter as input into the hash algorithm, the hash algorithm outputs a device-side hash result, and the hash calculator sends the device-side hash result to the server through a transmission device. After receiving the device-side hash result, the server compares the device-side hash result with the server-side hash result calculated by the server. When the device-side hash result is the same as the server-side hash result, the server establishes an over-the-air connection with the transmission device. In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the present disclosure provides an Over-the-Air (OTA) system. The OTA system includes: a server and an over-the-air device. The over-the-air device includes a control state register, a sorting setter and a hash calculator. The control state register is configured to control the current state and record the current state and the hash algorithm. The sorting setter is configured to obtain a random number from a server and sort the random number according to a set sorting method to obtain a sorting parameter. The hash calculator is configured to use the sorting parameter as input for the hash algorithm, which outputs a device-side hash result. The device-side hash result is sent to the server through a transmission device. After receiving the device-side hash result, the server compares the device-side hash result with the server-side hash result calculated by the server. When the device-side hash result is the same as the server-side hash result, the server establishes an over-the-air connection with the transmission device. The server sorts the random number according to the set sorting method to obtain the sorting parameter, and inputs the sorting parameter into the hash algorithm, and the hash algorithm outputs the server-side hash result. With the OTA device, OTA method and OTA system described in the invention, in the manufacturing stage, after the sorting setter is written to set the sorting method, the device becomes a readable and non-writable hardware. In other words, the sorting setter is a hardware circuit that allows a write opportu