Data security system for a navigation system

• US 20060009906A1
• Filed: 07/06/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hellmich, Jurgen, Altiparmak, Normen, Koslowski, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 9,279,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A data security system for a navigation system comprising an enabling/disabling unit for enabling or disabling a data transfer from a data memory to a data storage unit of the navigation system, an identification unit for identifying an identification code, such as a vehicle or navigation system identification code, and a comparison unit for comparing these identification codes with identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit, where the enabling/disabling unit may enable or disable the data transfer responsive to the comparison. If a vehicle or navigation system identification code is not stored in the enabling/disabling unit, a read/write unit writes an identification code retrieved by an identification unit into the enabling/disabling unit.

Claims

1. A data security system for a navigation system, the data security system comprising:

an enabling/disabling unit in signal communication with the navigation system, configured to enable and disable a data transfer from a data memory including navigation data to be transmitted to a data storage unit of the navigation system;

an identification unit in signal communication with the enabling/disabling unit, configured to identify a vehicle or a navigation system identification code; and

a comparison unit in signal communication with the enabling/disabling unit and with the identification unit, configured to compare a vehicle or a navigation system identification code stored on the enabling/disabling unit to the respective identification code of the vehicle or navigation system identified by the identification unit,

where the enabling/disabling unit enables or disables the data transfer responsive to the comparison.

2. The data security system of claim 1, where the enabling/disabling unit enables the data transfer to the data storage unit if the two vehicle identification codes or the two navigation system identification codes coincide, and disables the data transfer if the two vehicle identification codes or the two navigation system identification codes do not coincide.

3. The data security system of claim 1, further including:

a control unit configured to determine whether any vehicle or navigation system identification code is stored on the enabling/disabling unit; and

a writing unit configured to write, in the enabling/disabling unit, the vehicle or navigation system identification code retrieved from the identification unit if a vehicle or navigation system identification code is not stored on the enabling/disabling unit.

4. The data security system of claim 2, where the writing unit writes the vehicle or navigation system identification code in the enabling/disabling unit once the navigation data have been transferred to the data storage unit and stored on the data storage unit.

5. The data security system of claim 1, where the data memory is a removable data memory that may be removably arranged in the navigation system, the data storage unit of the navigation system being a fixed disk.

6. The data security system of claim 1, where the navigation data to be transmitted to the data storage unit includes map data for the navigation system.

7. The data security system of claim 1, where the enabling/disabling unit stores the release number of the navigation data to be transmitted to the data storage unit and the status of the data transfer to the data storage unit.

8. The data security system of claim 1, where the enabling/disabling unit includes a smart card including a memory.

9. The data security system of claim 1, further including an interface configured to connect the enabling/disabling unit to the navigation system for the data transfer to the data storage unit.

10. The data security system of claim 1, where the data memory includes one or more geographical identification codes that identify one or more geographical areas of the stored data.

11. The data security system of claim 1, where the enabling/disabling unit further includes a money control unit configured to allow the deposit of money to, and the withdrawal of money from, the enabling/disabling unit.

12. The data security system of claim 11, where the amount of money withdrawn from the enabling/disabling unit for the transmittal of navigation data is determined based on the geographic identification code assigned to the navigation data being transmitted and the time for which the transmitted data will be accessible.

13. A method for transmitting navigation data from a data memory to a data storage unit of a navigation system, the method comprising:

connecting the data memory to the navigation system;

retrieving a vehicle or navigation system identification code;

comparing a vehicle or navigation system identification code stored in an enabling/disabling unit in signal communication with the navigation system to the retrieved identification code, and

enabling or disabling the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system responsive to the comparison.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

determining whether a vehicle or navigation system identification code is stored on the enabling/disabling unit; and

writing the retrieved vehicle or navigation system identification code in the enabling/disabling unit if it is determined that a vehicle or navigation system identification code is not stored on the enabling/disabling unit.

15. The method of claim 13, where the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system is enabled if the two vehicle identification codes or the two navigation system identification codes coincide, and the data transfer is disabled if the two vehicle identification codes or the two navigation system identification codes do not coincide.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of storing a release number of the data transmitted to the data storage unit and a status of the data transfer on the enabling/disabling unit.

17. The method of claim 13, where the vehicle or navigation system identification code is stored in the enabling/disabling unit in an encrypted format.

18. The method of claim 13, where the enabling/disabling unit is in signal communication with the navigation system during the data transfer to the data storage unit.

19. The method of claim 18, where the data transfer to the data storage unit is disabled whenever the enabling/disabling unit is not in signal communication with the navigation system.

20. The method of claim 13, further including the steps of comparing

a geographical identification code contained in the data stored on the data memory to a geographical identification code contained in the data already stored on the data storage unit of the navigation system;

and

updating the data contained on the data storage unit with the data stored on the data memory if the two geographical identification codes coincide.

21. The method of claim 13, further including:

comparing a release number of the data contained on the data memory to the release number of the data contained on the data storage unit of the navigation system; and

updating the data contained on the data storage unit by using the data stored on the data memory if the release number of the data contained on the data memory is more recent than the release number of the data contained on the data storage unit of the navigation system.

22. The method of claim 13, further including:

selecting data of one or more predetermined geographical areas; and

transmitting the data of the predetermined selected geographical areas to the data storage unit of the navigation system.

23. The method of claim 22, further including the step of withdrawing money from a money control unit included in the enabling/disabling means, where the amount of the money withdrawn is dependent on the selected geographical areas.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of informing a user of the navigation system that the data have been transmitted to the data storage unit and stored thereon.

25. The method of claim 13, further including the steps of

determining the number of identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit;

comparing the number of identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit with a predetermined number; and

disabling the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system if the number of identification codes stored is equal to or exceeds the predetermined number.

26. The method of claim 25, further including the steps of:

comparing the retrieved vehicle or navigation system identification code with the identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit; and

enabling the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system if the retrieved vehicle or navigation system identification code coincides with an identification code stored in the enabling/disabling unit.

27. A computer-readable medium having software for transmitting navigation data from a data memory to a data storage unit of a navigation system, the computer-readable medium comprising:

logic configured for connecting the data memory to the navigation system;

logic configured for retrieving a vehicle or navigation system identification code;

logic configured for comparing a vehicle or navigation system identification code stored in an enabling/disabling unit in signal communication with the navigation system to the retrieved identification code, and

logic configured for enabling or disabling the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system responsive to the comparison.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further including:

logic configured for determining whether a vehicle or navigation system identification code is stored on the enabling/disabling unit; and

logic configured for writing the retrieved vehicle or navigation system identification code in the enabling/disabling unit if it is determined that a vehicle or navigation system identification code is not stored on the enabling/disabling unit.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system is enabled if the two vehicle identification codes or the two navigation system identification codes coincide, and the data transfer is disabled if the two vehicle identification codes or the two navigation system identification codes do not coincide.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising logic configured for storing a release number of the data transmitted to the data storage unit and a status of the data transfer on the enabling/disabling unit.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the vehicle or navigation system identification code is stored in the enabling/disabling unit in an encrypted format.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the enabling/disabling unit is in signal communication with the navigation system during the data transfer to the data storage unit.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, where the data transfer to the data storage unit is disabled whenever the enabling/disabling unit is not in signal communication with the navigation system.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further including:

logic configured for comparing a geographical identification code contained in the data stored on the data memory to a geographical identification code contained in the data already stored on the data storage unit of the navigation system; and

logic configured for updating the data contained on the data storage unit with the data stored on the data memory if the two geographical identification codes coincide.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further including:

logic configured for comparing a release number of the data contained on the data memory to the release number of the data contained on the data storage unit of the navigation system; and

logic configured for updating the data contained on the data storage unit by using the data stored on the data memory if the release number of the data contained on the data memory is more recent than the release number of the data contained on the data storage unit of the navigation system.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further including:

logic configured for selecting data of one or more predetermined geographical areas; and

logic configured for transmitting the data of the predetermined selected geographical areas to the data storage unit of the navigation system.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, further including logic configured for withdrawing money from a money control unit included in the enabling/disabling means, where the amount of the money withdrawn is dependent on the selected geographical areas.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising logic configured for informing a user of the navigation system that the data have been transmitted to the data storage unit and stored thereon.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further including:

logic configured for determining the number of identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit;

logic configured for comparing the number of identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit with a predetermined number; and

logic configured for disabling the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system if the number of identification codes stored is equal to or exceeds the predetermined number.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, further including:

logic configured for comparing the retrieved vehicle or navigation system identification code with the identification codes stored in the enabling/disabling unit; and

logic configured for enabling the data transfer to the data storage unit of the navigation system if the retrieved vehicle or navigation system identification code coincides with an identification code stored in the enabling/disabling unit.