Motor Vehicle Control Device Data Transfer System And Process

• US 20080278282A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGCO GmbH (AGCO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AGCO GmbH (AGCO Corporation)
• Inventors: Waldmann, Alfred, Spiess, Hans-Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,035,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle control device data transfer system and process. In particular, it relates to such a system and process for the transfer of data, subject to the risk of tampering, from a central data-processing device (12) at the motor vehicle manufacturer'"'"'s to a motor vehicle data-processing device (5), such as an electronic drive engine control device, in which tamper-free data transfer is guaranteed. In this connection, an authentication enquiry value is generated by the vehicle data-processing device (5) and transferred to the central data-processing device (12) by means of a mobile data-processing device (9). This generates an authentication response value, which is transferred back by the same route with release data.

Claims

1. Data transfer system for programming motor vehicle control devices comprising:

a first data-processing device (5) which is adapted to store data which is to be protected against unauthorized access;

a second data-processing device (9); and

,

a third data-processing device (12), which is adapted to receive data which is to be protected against unauthorized access and is to be transferred to the first data-processing device (3, 5);

wherein the first data-processing device (5) and the second data-processing device (9) are adapted to be connected to one another via a first data transfer device and for data stored in the first data-processing device (5) to be transferred as first transfer data to the second data-processing device (9),

wherein the second data-processing device (9) and the third data-processing device (12) are adapted to bring the second data-processing device (9) from an area at the first data-processing device (5) into a spatial area in which the second data-processing device (9) can be connected to the third data-processing device (12) indirectly or directly via a second data transfer device (11), to connect the second data-processing device (9) and the third data-processing device (12) indirectly or directly via the second data transfer device (11) and transfer at least a part of the first transfer data from the second data-processing device (9) to the third data-processing device (12) as second transfer data;

wherein the third data-processing device (12) is adapted to generate an authentication response value from the first transfer data or a part thereof by means of a generating function;

wherein the second data-processing device (9) and the third data-processing device (12) are adapted to transfer the authentication response value and data stored in the third data-processing device (12) as third transfer data to the second data-processing device (9);

wherein the first data-processing device (5) and the second data-processing device (9) are adapted to transfer the authentication response value and the other third transfer data or part thereof to the first data-processing device (5) as fourth transfer data; and

wherein the first data-processing device (5) is adapted to check the correctness of the authentication value by means of the first transfer data or parts thereof and to process the fourth transfer data further.

2. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third data-processing devices (5, 9, 12) are adapted such that, before the transfer, a one-way hash function is applied to the first, second, third and/or fourth transfer data, and the hash value generated by this is appended to the first, second, third, and/or fourth transfer data.

3. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third data-processing devices (5, 9, 12) are adapted such that the first, second, third, and/or fourth transfer data are encoded.

4. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second data-processing devices (3, 5) are adapted such that an authentication of the first or second data-processing device is carried out by means of a challenge-response process.

5. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the generating function is a symmetrical encoding process or an encoding process without reverse function, and the first data-processing device (5) is adapted to apply the generation function with the same input values to the first transfer data or a part thereof and to compare the result of this with the authentication response value.

6. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the generating function is a symmetrical or asymmetrical encoding process and the first data-processing device (5) is adapted to apply the reverse function of the generating function to the authentication response value and to compare the result of this with the first transfer data or parts thereof.

7. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the third data-processing device (12) is adapted to store the second transfer data or parts thereof in the long term.

8. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first transfer data contains an authentication enquiry value and at least one of a chassis number, a drive engine control device serial number or immobilizer control device serial number, a representation of a ceiling curve, an equipment list and a chassis number.

9. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the second transfer data additionally contains at least one value from an identification value of the second data-processing device and an identification value of the user of the second data-processing device (9).

10. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the third transfer data contains a main key for creating a learning readiness mode of a drive engine control device (3) and the first data-processing device is the drive engine control device and is adapted to create a learning readiness state for acquisition of an immobilizer control device.

11. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the third transfer data contains a representation of a ceiling curve and the first data-processing device (5) is adapted to process the ceiling curve further.

12. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the third transfer data contains the second transfer data or parts thereof and the second data-processing device (9) is adapted to check whether the second transfer data or parts thereof correspond to the second transfer data which was transferred with the third transfer data.

13. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first data-processing device (5) and the second data-processing device (9) are adapted:

to request an authentication enquiry value by the second data-processing device (9) at the first data-processing device (5);

to generate and store a pseudo-random number as an authentication enquiry value by the first data-processing device (5); and

,

to transfer the first transfer data to the second data-processing device (9).

14. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the second data-processing device (9) is adapted:

to aggregate the second transfer data to an encoded file; and

,

to transfer the encoded file as second transfer data to the third data-processing device (12).

15. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the second data-processing device (9) and the third data-processing device (12) are adapted to transfer the second transfer data or third transfer data respectively by means of SMTP, HTTP, or FTP.

16. Data transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first data-processing device (5) is part of an agricultural utility vehicle, in particular an agricultural tractor.

17. Motor vehicle control device data transfer process comprising:

(a) transfer of data stored in a first data-processing device as the first transfer data from the first data-processing device (5) to a second data-processing device (9);

(b) bringing the second data-processing device into a spatial area in which the second data-processing device can be connected to a third data-processing device (12) indirectly or directly via a data transfer device (11);

(c) transfer of at least a part of the first transfer data from the second data-processing device (9) to the third data-processing device (12) as second transfer data;

(d) generation of an authentication response value from the first transfer data or a part thereof by the third data-processing device (12) by means of a generation function;

(e) transfer of the authentication response value and data stored in the third data-processing device (12) as third transfer data from the third data-processing device (12) to the second data-processing device (9);

(f) transfer of the authentication response value and the remaining third transfer data or a part thereof as fourth transfer data from the second data-processing device (9) to the first data-processing device (5);

(g) checking the correctness of the authentication response value by means of the first transfer data or parts thereof by the first data-processing device (5); and

(h) further processing of the fourth transfer data by the first data-processing device (5).

18. Process according to claim 17, wherein, in steps (a), (c), (e) and/or (f), before the transfer, a one-way hash function is applied to the first, second, third, and/or fourth transfer data, and the hash value generated in this way is appended to the first, second, third, and/or fourth transfer data.

19. Process according to claim 17, wherein, in steps (a), (c), (e) and/or (f), the first, second, third, and/or fourth transfer data are encoded.

20. Process according to claim 17, wherein, in steps (a) and/or (f), an authentication is carried out by the first or second data-processing device (5;

9) respectively by means of a challenge-response process.

21. Process according to claim 17, wherein the generating function is a symmetrical encoding process or an encoding process without reverse function, and step (g) comprises applying the generating function with same input values to the first transfer data or part thereof, and comparing the result from this with the authentication response value.

22. Process according to claim 17, wherein the generating function is a symmetrical or asymmetrical encoding process, and step (g) comprises applying the reversing function of the generating function to the authentication response value and comparing the result from this with the first transfer data or parts thereof.

23. Process according to claim 17, wherein after step (c) or (d) the following step is carried out:

long-term storage of the second transfer data or parts thereof.

24. Process according to claim 17, wherein the first transfer data contains an authentication enquiry value and at least one value from a chassis number, a drive engine control device serial number or immobilizer control device serial number, a representation of a ceiling curve, an equipment list, and a chassis number.

25. Process according to claim 17, wherein the second transfer data additionally contains at least one value from an identification value of the second data-processing device (9) and an identification value of the user of the second data-processing device (9).

26. Process according to claim 17, wherein the third transfer data contains a main key for creating a learning readiness mode of a drive engine control device, and after step (h) the following step is carried out:

creating the learning readiness mode of the drive engine control device.

27. Process according to claim 17, wherein the third transfer data contains a representation of a ceiling curve, and after step (h) the following step is carried out:

further processing of the ceiling curve in the immobilizer control device or the drive engine control device.

28. Process according to claim 17, wherein the third transfer data contains the second transfer data or parts thereof, and after step (e) the following step is carried out:

check by the second data-processing device (9) as to whether the second transfer data or parts thereof correspond to the second transfer data which was transferred with the third transfer data.

29. Process according to claim 17, wherein step (a) comprises the following substeps:

request for an authentication enquiry value by the second data-processing device (9) at the first data-processing device (5);

generation of a pseudo-random number as an authentication enquiry value and storage of this by the first data-processing device (5); and

,

transfer of the first transfer data from the first data-processing device (5) to the second data-processing device (9).

30. Process according to claim 17, wherein step (c) comprises of the following substeps:

aggregation of the second transfer data to one encoded file; and

,

transfer of the encoded file as second transfer data to the third data-processing device (12).

31. Process according to claim 17, wherein, in steps (c) and (d) the second transfer data or third transfer data respectively is transferred by means of SMTP, HTTP, or FTP.

32. Process according to claim 17, wherein the first data-processing device (5) is part of an agricultural utility vehicle, in particular an agricultural tractor.