Electric Wiring System of a Motor Vehicle with an Authentication Apparatus

• US 20090182461A1
• Filed: 01/16/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Knechtel, Harry, Lindlbauer, Marc, Kuhls, Burkhard, WAGENHUBER, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

An electric wiring system of a motor vehicle with several control devices that communicate with each other via a data bus, and with an immobilizer is provided. In order to create an electric wiring system of a motor vehicle that includes an immobilizer with high reliability the immobilizer includes at least a first and a second control device from the plurality of control devices and an authentication apparatus, in particular an authentication control device. The authentication information of the plurality of control devices is supplied via the data bus to the authentication apparatus. The authentication cancels the immobilizer of the vehicle when the authentication information transmitted from the first and the second control device corresponds to the authentication information expected for the particular control devices.

Claims

1. An electric wiring system of a motor vehicle with several control devices that communicate with each other via a data bus, and with an immobilizer,

wherein

the immobilizer comprises at least a first and a second control device from the plurality of control devices and an authentication apparatus,

the plurality of control devices makes authentication information available,

the authentication information of the plurality of control devices is supplied via the data bus to the authentication apparatus,

the authentication apparatus checks whether the authentication information transmitted from the first and the second control device corresponds to authentication information expected for the first control device and the second control device, respectively, and

the authentication apparatus cancels the immobilizer of the vehicle when the authentication information transmitted from the first and the second control device corresponds to the authentication information expected for the first and second control devices.

2. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information expected for the first and second control devices is stored in the authentication apparatus for checking whether the authentication information transmitted from the first and the second control device corresponds to the authentication information expected for the first and second control devices.

3. The electric wiring system according to claim 2, wherein the expected authentication information is stored protected against manipulation and reading out in the authentication apparatus.

4. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information used to check the authenticity of the control devices is stored in a changeable manner in the authentication apparatus.

5. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication apparatus receives the authentication information to be used for the authentication checks of the control devices, carries out an authentication check, and, after a successful authentication check, checks the authenticity of the control devices based on the received authentication information.

6. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information received for the plurality of the control devices comprises selection information that determines which is the first control device and which is the second control device of the immobilizer.

7. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein an engine of the vehicle only starts when the immobilizer has been canceled.

8. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication apparatus is formed by one of the control devices of the plurality of control devices.

9. The electric wiring system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information is coded, the transmitting of the authentication information from a data source outside the vehicle into the authentication apparatus takes place on the basis of a public key process, and the public key of the data source outside the vehicle is stored in a manipulation-safe manner in the authentication apparatus.

10. A method for controlling an immobilizer of an electric wiring system of a motor vehicle, comprising the acts of:

receiving authentication information from a plurality of control devices via a data bus;

checking whether the authentication information received from a first control device and a second control device corresponds to authentication information expected for the first control device and the second control device, respectively; and

canceling the immobilizer of the vehicle when the received authentication information corresponds to the expected authentication information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the authentication information expected for the first and second control devices is stored in an authentication apparatus for checking whether the authentication information transmitted from the first and the second control device corresponds to the authentication information expected for the first and second control devices.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the expected authentication information is stored protected against manipulation and reading out in the authentication apparatus.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the authentication information used to check the authenticity of the control devices is stored in a changeable manner in an authentication apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein an authentication apparatus receives the authentication information for authentication checks of the control devices, carries out an authentication check, and, after a successful authentication check, checks the authenticity of the control devices based on the received authentication information.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the authentication information received from the plurality of the control devices comprises selection information that determines which is the first control device and which is the second control device of the immobilizer.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein an engine of the vehicle only starts when the immobilizer has been canceled.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the authentication information is coded, the transmitting of the authentication information from a data source outside the vehicle into an authentication apparatus takes place on the basis of a public key process, and the public key of the data source outside the vehicle is stored in a manipulation-safe manner in the authentication apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the authentication information used to check the authenticity of the control devices is stored in a changeable manner in the authentication apparatus.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the authentication apparatus receives the authentication information to be used for the authentication checks of the control devices, carries out an authentication check, and, after a successful authentication check, checks the authenticity of the control devices based on the received authentication information.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the authentication information received for the plurality of the control devices comprises selection information that determines which is the first control device and which is the second control device of the path travel lock.