Patent Application
20060023655
This invention relates to signal tampering detection and more particularly to systems and methods for easily deploying a network for signal tampering detection.
Recent world events have made it necessary to secure signal transmission facilities from unauthorized tampering or interference caused by unknown sources. For example, certain signals (such as Glopal Positioning System (GPS) signals) are used for navigational purposes. These signals are often used as an aid in allowing aircraft to locate proper landing areas. In poor weather, or in unfamiliar surroundings, these navigational signals can be critically important. Not only do these signals yield positioning data for aircraft but they also can be used, perhaps in combination with other signals, for proper altitude control. Thus, even a slight “adjustment” of a navigation signal such as by tampering with the signal (or with components of the signal) or by atmospheric or other interference factors (such as trees, weather, etc.) could yield disastrous results.
Thus, a person, or persons, bent on destruction could, for example, modify (or add other false signals to) one or more such navigational signals, thereby causing loss of life and property. If such modifications are made at a time just prior to the arrival of an aircraft, the unsuspecting aircraft could use the “bad” data without warning.
The combination of a large number of facilities that could be targeted from time to time with a correspondingly large number of aircraft susceptible to data manipulation yields a potentially large area for concern. In addition, while the examples discussed concern aircraft and GPS systems, the same factors hold true for any system which relies on signal emitters for control purposes.
A system and method is arranged to capture data from existing consumer deployed signal detecting equipment. The gathered data, for example, is used to monitor the position of certain of the consumer devices. By comparing newly-arrived positioning data from each device against the “known” previous position of these devices, an unexplained (or unanticipated) position change yields an early warning that tampering may have occurred within the monitored area.
In one embodiment, the devices could be cell phones with built-in GPS signal processing equipment. These cell phones could be pre-positioned in known locations around an area to be protected and could communicate, either over publicly available communication bands, or over data paths, such as the internet or e-mail. Messages from these devices could, for example, be addressed directly to a flight entering a certain protected space, or could be directed to a control center. In one embodiment, the messages would contain base-line data pertaining to the determined geographical position of each device. When the actual known physical location of a device varies from the position newly calculated from the incoming signals, an early warning is provided that the signals may have been tampered with and are thus unreliable as a single-source navigation aide.
In one embodiment, the system and method could be used to continuously gather positioning information, as obtained from any number of devices, such as cell phones, moving within a specific area. This gathered data (which may or may not be gathered continuously from the same devices) is then statistically combined to provide an early warning when the calculated positions of the monitored devices change in an unpredicted manner.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.
Turning now to
The positions from all the other devices 11B, 11C, 11D to 11N are also similarly stored. In a situation where these devices are in stationary locations, the location information for each device should not change from time to time. Thus, if on a subsequent reading from anyone of the devices that device appears to be at a different position (latitude, longitude, and/or altitude change) then an indication is sent under control of processor 13 and communication interface 14 to a particular address, or addresses, or to a command center, as desired. This communication can be wireline, wireless, internet, etc. The specific address(s) can be, for example, a specific aircraft about to land at airport 100.
In the situation, as will be discussed hereinafter, where devices 11A through 11N are mobile, their position (but not necessarily their altitude) would be expected to change from reading to reading. Thus, it is necessary to calculate a next “expected” position for each device. This is accomplished under control of processor 13. In some situations, it may not be pre-known which devices 11A-11N are in proximity to area 100 and in such situations a statistical calculation is made from those devices determined to be within area 100. From the statistical analysis of these readings a determination is made as to the next anticipated position for a given device. Thus, when the statistical readings change such that the next actual reading is different from the calculated anticipated reading, an error message is sent. When calculating statistical “next” locations, any desired statistical system could be used, including weighted averages of last positions.
In the embodiment discussed with respect to
Similarly, each device can ‘self calibrate’ at turn-on to its new location and use that self-calibration as a reference. In most cases it will still be advantageous for the devices to ‘check in’ to a server periodically to assure the server that they have not gone ‘offline’ due to tampering or malfunction. The frequency of these health reports can be significantly less than the number of GPS readings. Using the processing capability of each device reduces the probability of choking the system with ‘no change’ messages and reserves bandwidth for the more important ‘something changed’ messages.
Process 204 determines if all sites have been recorded. If the answer is no, then process 205 index N by 1 and process 201, 202, 203 and 204 are repeated. When all sites have been recorded, process 206 then pauses for a certain delay. N is reset to 1 and the process is restarted so that readings are again taken from all of the sites.
When a device is within the zone, a GPS reading is obtained from the device via process 303. This GPS reading is stored via process 304 and process 305 calculates the expected next location based upon either statistical analysis or the actual location of the device.
Returning to process 403, if there is an expected location for this device, then process 404 compares the new location against the “expected” location to see if the locations match, i.e. whether the newly obtained GPS reading matches the previous (or expected) reading. Process 405 determines whether the locations match by being within the expected range of locations. Note that “match” in this context may mean not the exact same location, but an expected location or range of expected locations. If not, processes 406 and 407 control the sending of warnings, as discussed above.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, while the GPS device discussed above is associated with a consumer device, such as a cell phone, other devices could be used. Such devices could be, for example, mobile devices in use by consumers or located in public conveyances such as buses, trucks, etc. The system would utilize the natural brownian motion of these detectors along with constraints, such as the fact that the vehicle must be on a road when going 30 mph or more and the vehicle should not be in ‘restricted’ areas. Data could be harvested from applications within the devices or from telecom existing infrastructure. For example, location enabled cell phones (such as those used for E911) and location enabled cars which may or may not use GPS. Cell phones have the ability to send SMS messages or Internet traffic data while there are already several types of car monitoring systems that utilize GPs or cell phone or satellite communication for fleet management, stolen vehicle retrieval, or car door unlocking.
Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
