Method for ensuring functional reliability in electromobility by means of digital certificates

• US 10,017,067 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technische Universitat Dortmund
• Original Assignee: Technische Universitat Dortmund
• Inventors: Groning, Sven, Schmutzler, Jens, Wietfeld, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Moyer, Dale
• Application Number:
  US14/420,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20160052416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for ensuring functional reliability of components (5), which participate in a charging operation, of the electromobility technology of an actuator (4) which is formed in particular as an electric vehicle or electric charging station, in connection with the charging operation or during a test, wherein at least one of the participating components (5) comprises a module (6) for the implementation of security functions in which a first assigned certificate of a technical test station (3) concerning a means for carrying out a self-diagnosis of the component (5) and a second assigned certificate (11) of a manufacturer (2) are stored, characterized by the following steps to be carried out in the participating components (5): (1a) activating a self-diagnosis, (1b) providing a result of the self-diagnosis of the component (5) with a signature by means of the second assigned certificate (11) of the manufacturer (2), (1c) transmitting to the technical test station (3) the results of the self-diagnoses, provided with the signatures, and an assignment of the results to the actuator (4), (1d) checking the validity of the signatures and validating the results of the self-diagnoses, and (1e) decision about issuing a temporary certificate (12) on the basis of the validity of the component signatures and a result of the validation.

Claims

1. A method for verifying functional reliability of electromobility components (5) of an electric vehicle (4) or of an electric charging station (4), which electromobility components (5) are involved in a charging process, wherein the functional reliability is verified within the context of said charging process or in the course of an examination, wherein at least one of the electromobility components (5) comprises a module (6) for implementing security functions that stores a first assigned certificate (10) of a technical test center (3) related to execution of a self-diagnosis on the electromobility component (5) and a second assigned certificate (11) of a manufacturer (2), wherein the method comprises the execution of the following steps:

(1a) activating the self-diagnosis of the electromobility component (5),

(1b) using the second assigned certificate (11) of the manufacturer (2) to furnish a result of the self-diagnosis on the component (5) with a signature,

(1c) assigning the result of the self-diagnosis to the electric vehicle/electric charging station (4),

(1d) transmitting the result of the self-diagnosis furnished with the signature and the assignment of the result to the electric vehicle/electric charging station (4) to the technical test center (3)

(1e) inspecting a validity of the signature and validating the result of the self-diagnosis, and

(1f) verifying the functional reliability of the electromobility components by issuing a temporary certificate (12) based on the validity of the signature and the result of the validation.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that steps (1e) and (1f) are executed by the technical test center (3).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that for the purpose of reciprocal verification of functional reliability for a plurality of electric vehicle/electric charging station (4), step (1f) involves at least the decision regarding the result of the validation being taken jointly by the electromobility components (5) of the electric vehicle/electric charging station (4) that are involved.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that in the issuing of the temporary certificate (12) a decision about a functional restriction is taken.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that after step (1a) and before step (1b) the following steps are executed for each of the electromobility components (5) involved:

(2a) performing an integrity test of a self-diagnosis method of the electromobility component (5) involved using the module (6) for implementing security functions, and

(2b) performing the self-diagnosis method of the electromobility component (5) involved only if the result of the integrity test is positive.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first assigned certificate (10) is awarded by the technical test center (3) following a successful execution of the self-diagnosis of the electromobility component (5).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the activation of the self-diagnosis is initiated by a trigger (18).

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the inspection of the validity of the signatures by the technical test center (3) is effected on the basis of a public portion of the second assigned certificate (11) of the manufacturer (2), which portion has been deposited at the technical test center (3) by the manufacturer (2) of the respective electromobility component (5) at an earlier time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that step (1f) is executed in an automated form.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first assigned certificate (10) of the technical test center (3) and the second assigned certificate (11) of the manufacturer (2) are derived from at least one root certificate (7).

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the temporary certificate (12) is issued either in the course of a regularly scheduled examination by the technical test center (3) for the technical acceptance testing of electromobility components (5) of the electric vehicle/electric charging station (4), which is particularly formed as an electric vehicle or electric charging station, or in fully automated fashion in the course of an individual charging process.