Smart Edge Co-Processor

What is this patent about?

’758 is related to the field of securing data from sensors in electronic devices, particularly in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT). Traditional sensor architectures provide raw data directly to a device's processor, leaving it vulnerable to hacking. The patent addresses the problem of securing sensor data at the network edge , before it reaches the main processor, to prevent unauthorized access even if the device itself is compromised.

The underlying idea behind ’758 is to interpose a smart edge module between a sensor and the device's main processor. This module intercepts the raw sensor data, encrypts it, and then passes the encrypted data to the processor. This ensures that even if a hacker gains access to the processor or intercepts communications, they will only obtain encrypted data, rendering it useless without the decryption key.

The claims of ’758 focus on a smart edge module comprising a sensor, a hardware co-processor for encrypting the raw signal from the sensor, a secured interface between the sensor and the co-processor, a communication interface for external communication, and an authentication module. Crucially, the authentication module includes a JTAG module for verifying the integrity of the sensor and secured interface, with the co-processor mounted on a PCB board with a JTAG access point.

In practice, the smart edge module operates by receiving raw data from a sensor, pre-processing it to filter out noise or irrelevant information, encrypting the filtered data using a local contract (potentially a blockchain contract) for secure key management, and then transmitting the encrypted data to the device's processor. The JTAG module periodically validates the hardware configuration to detect tampering, ensuring that the sensor and interface haven't been compromised.

This approach differs from prior solutions by pushing security to the sensor level, rather than relying solely on device-level or network-level security measures. By encrypting data at the source, ’758 protects against vulnerabilities in the device's operating system or communication channels. The use of a JTAG dongle for hardware authentication adds an additional layer of security, preventing physical tampering and ensuring the integrity of the entire system from sensor to processor.