US 12,177,341 B2
Radio transmitter apparatus with cryptographic engine
Marko Winblad, Oulu (FI); and Hannu Talvitie, Oulu (FI)
Assigned to Nordic Semiconductor ASA, Trondheim (NO)
Appl. No. 17/802,837
Filed by Nordic Semiconductor ASA, Trondheim (NO)
PCT Filed Mar. 9, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/055903
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 26, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/180714, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 16, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2003404 (GB), filed on Mar. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0090750 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 9/08 (2006.01); G06F 21/75 (2013.01); H04L 9/32 (2006.01)
CPC H04L 9/0861 (2013.01) [G06F 21/755 (2017.08); H04L 9/3236 (2013.01); H04L 2209/80 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An integrated-circuit radio transmitter chip comprising:
a radio transmitter;
a cryptographic engine; and
control circuitry for controlling the cryptographic engine,
wherein the cryptographic engine is configured to perform a cryptographic operation by:
receiving input data for the cryptographic operation;
performing a first component process to generate first result data;
performing a second component process to generate second result data; and
using the first result data and the second result data to generate output data representative of a result of the cryptographic operation; and
outputting the output data,
wherein the control circuitry comprises a radio-state input for determining whether the radio transmitter circuit is in an active state in which the radio transmitter circuit transmits one or more radio signals, and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the radio-state input to:
control the cryptographic engine to perform the first component process in response to determining that the radio transmitter circuit is in the active state, so that the radio transmitter circuit transmits a radio signal while the cryptographic engine performs the first component process;
prevent the cryptographic engine from performing the second component process while the radio transmitter circuit is in the active state, such that the radio transmitter circuit does not transmit any radio signal while the cryptographic engine performs the second component process; and
control the cryptographic engine to perform the second component process in response to determining that the radio transmitter circuit is not in the active state.