System and method for reprogramming ECU devices (electronic control units) in vehicles, via digital radio

• US 10,725,764 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente
• Original Assignee: Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente
• Inventors: Rivas Silva, Hector Antonio, Gonzalez Jimenez, Luis Enrique, Ruiz Cruz, Riemann, Campos Rodriguez, Raul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US15/742,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20180196660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/046 involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle, e.g. via telemetry, satellite, Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/91 broadcasting computer programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The disclosure describes a system and method for the reprogramming of the electronic control units (ECU) devices simultaneously in one or more motor vehicles using a radio broadcast system to transmit a digital radio signal to a receiving electronic control units (ECU) device present in the motor vehicles.

Claims

1. A system for the reprogramming of one or more Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in a vehicle via digital radio, comprising

encrypted audio files with reprogramming software of files for reprogramming one or more Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in the vehicle creating a first encrypted packet;

encrypted data files and vehicle information files comprising a header creating a second encrypted packet;

a radio broadcast station to transmit said first and second encrypted packets simultaneously in digital format by a digital radio signal;

a receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device located in said vehicle configured to receive said first and second encrypted packets via a digital radio receiver;

nonvolatile memory for storing said first and second encrypted packets in the vehicle;

wherein said receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device demodulates the received digital radio signal and separates the first encrypted packet from the second encrypted packet;

wherein said receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device decrypts said first and second encrypted packets to separate the audio files from the software files and the data files from the vehicle information files;

wherein said receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device comprises a bus that retransmits said audio files, reprogramming software files, data files and vehicle information files through an internal network of the vehicle so that a plurality of further Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in the vehicle can receive the retransmitted files simultaneously; and

after authenticating the information, the plurality of further Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices may auto-reprogram with the software files received in an application memory.

2. The system for the reprogramming of one or more Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in the vehicle via digital radio according to claim 1, wherein the Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices to be reprogrammed comprise a main microcontroller and a supervisory microcontroller that receive data coming from the bus in a redundant manner which allows for receiving, storing and comparing the data coming from the bus, and corroborating later that the information received was the same in the two microcontrollers, thus ensuring a correct interpretation of the information received.

3. The system for the reprogramming of one or more Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in the vehicle via digital radio according to claim 1, wherein the data files and the vehicle information files, having both been encrypted with an additional header, contain data about a model of the vehicle, the specific Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in the vehicle to receive said information, identification key information, data about an original manufacturer of the vehicle and the Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices within said vehicle, a year that the vehicle was manufactured, vehicle platform information, identification data about the receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device, a size of the first and second encrypted packets, the key of the software files and end of file information of the data packets that are packaged and encrypted in the audio sections of the audio files.

4. A method for the reprogramming of one or more Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices in one or more vehicles via digital radio, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting a software file to be transmitted to one or more predefined vehicles which are tuned to a specific frequency of digital radio transmission at that moment;

b) encrypting the software file with audio files generating a first encrypted packet;

c) encrypting data files with vehicle information files by adding an identification header, generating a second encrypted packet;

d) using a radio broadcast station to mix said first encrypted packet and said second encrypted packet and simultaneously transmit said first encrypted packet and said second encrypted packet in digital format by a digital radio signal;

e) receiving said first and second encrypted packets by means of a receiver of digital radio frequency radio signals of each vehicle, which are sent to a receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device and stored in a non-volatile memory;

f) using the receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device to demodulate the digital radio signal and separate the first encrypted packet from the second encrypted packet;

g) using the receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device to decrypt said first encrypted packet and to separate the audio files and software files and to decrypt said second encrypted packet and to separate the data files and the vehicle information files;

h) using a bus of the receiving Electronic Control Units (ECU) device to retransmit the software files and data files within the bus through an internal network of the one or more vehicles, so that a plurality of further Electronic Control Units (ECU) devices of an electronic system of the one or more vehicles receive the software and data files simultaneously;

causing an Electronic Control Units (ECU) device intended to be reprogrammed to be the only Electronic Control Units (ECU) device responding to the transmitted software files and data files;

i) auto-reprogramming the intended Electronic Control Units Units (ECU) device with the software files after said intended Electronic Control Units (ECU) device authenticates the information on the data files received in step h).