Customer driving mode for vehicles

• US 10,166,993 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Boran, Lisa Therese, Hille, Kevin Thomas, Caushi, Aldi, Weinfurther, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US15/749,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20180222489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 340 574, 340 431, 340449, 701 36, 701103, 726 19, 726 28
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0004 In digital systems, e.g. discrete-time systems involving sampling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0082 for initialising the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0083 Setting, resetting, calibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0085 Setting or resetting initial positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

An access assessment tool is described for providing a technical solution for selectively controlling access to restricted information and/or implementation of restricted functionalities based on a current vehicle mode and/or validated credentials. The access assessment tool described herein controls the validation of a user or diagnostic tool requesting access to restricted information or implementation of a restricted function before allowing access to the restricted information or allowing implementation of the restricted function.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

memory to store restricted information including a default cabin temperature;

a vehicle module;

a gateway interface to receive a diagnostic tool; and

a processor to;

receive, from the diagnostic tool, a request including security credentials for the restricted information;

determine whether to enable the diagnostic tool to modify the default cabin temperature based on the security credentials of the request; and

control the vehicle module based on the default cabin temperature.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether to allow the diagnostic tool to access the restricted information based on a current vehicle mode.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the current vehicle mode is one of a factory mode, a transport mode, or a service mode.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the current vehicle mode operates in either an unrestricted access setting or a restricted access setting.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a network interface configured to communicate with a security server;

and

wherein the processor is further configured to;

control the network interface to communicate the request to the security server and receive an access decision from the security server based on the security credentials; and

determine whether to allow the diagnostic tool to access the restricted information based the access decision.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the restricted information includes diagnostic identifier data.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether to enable a predetermined function for modifying the restricted information based on the security credentials; and

control operation of the vehicle module based on the restricted information.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the vehicle module includes a vehicle temperature control module.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the predetermined function includes a change to an access setting for a current vehicle mode.

10. A vehicle comprising:

memory to store restricted information including a default cabin temperature;

a vehicle module;

a gateway interface to receive a connection with an external diagnostic tool; and

a processor enabled to communicate with the memory and the gateway interface, the processor configured to;

receive, from the external diagnostic tool, a modification request including security credentials for modifying the default cabin temperature;

determine whether to allow modification of the default cabin temperature via the external diagnostic tool based on the security credentials; and

control the vehicle module based on the default cabin temperature.

11. A method comprising:

storing restricted information including a default cabin temperature of a vehicle;

receiving diagnostic tool via a gateway interface;

receiving, from the diagnostic tool, a request including security credentials for the restricted information;

authenticating the diagnostic tool based on the security credentials;

determining whether to enable the diagnostic tool to modify the default cabin temperature based on the security credentials; and

controlling a vehicle module based on the default cabin temperature.

12. The method of claim 11, further including determining whether to allow the diagnostic tool to access the restricted information based on authentication of the diagnostic tool and a current vehicle mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the current vehicle mode is one of a factory mode, a transport mode, or a service mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the current vehicle mode operates in either an unrestricted access setting or a restricted access setting.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

controlling communication of a validation request to a security server, the validation request including the security credentials;

receiving an access decision from the security server based on the security credentials; and

determining whether to allow the diagnostic tool to access the restricted information based the access decision.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the restricted information includes diagnostic identifier data.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether to enable a predetermined function for modifying the restricted information based on the security credentials included in the access request; and

controlling operation of the vehicle module based on the restricted information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the vehicle module includes a vehicle temperature control module.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined function includes a change to an access setting for a current vehicle mode.

20. The method of claim 11, further including determining whether to allow the diagnostic tool to access the restricted information based on sensor information obtained from the vehicle module.