Method and Device for Secure Communication of a Component of a Vehicle with an External Communication Partner via a Wireless Communication Link

• US 20090212928A1
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Aijaz, Amer
• Granted Patent: US 9,591,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method, a device, and a communication system are provided for secure communication of at least one of multiple components of a vehicle with at least one external communication partner via a wireless communication link, the multiple components in each case including at least one communication module for data exchange. The method includes exchange of data packets between a transceiver device of the vehicle and an external transceiver station, a communication status of the wireless communication link being ascertained and a data exchange between the at least one component and/or the external communication partner on the one hand, and the others of the multiple components on the other hand and/or an access of the at least one component and/or of the external communication partner to the others of the multiple components being enabled or disabled as a function of the communication status. The device and the communication system are provided for implementing the method.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for secure communication of at least one of multiple components of a vehicle with at least one external communication partner via a wireless communication link, each of the multiple components including at least one communication module for data exchange, comprising:

exchanging data packets between a transceiver device of the vehicle and an external transceiver station;

ascertaining a communication status of the wireless communication link; and

at least one of (a) enabling and (b) disabling as a function of the communication status at least one of (i) data exchange between at least one of (a) the at least one component and (b) the external communication partner and others of the multiple components and (ii) access of at least one of (a) the at least one component and (b) the external communication partner to the others of the multiple components.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the communication status is ascertained in the ascertaining step based on at least one of (a) an encryption and (b) an authentication used by the external transceiver station.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the communication status is ascertained in the ascertaining step based on at least one of (a) an encryption and (b) an authentication used by the external communication partner.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the disabling includes deactivating at least the communication modules of the others of the multiple components.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the external transceiver station includes a WLAN access point.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein the transceiver device of the vehicle includes a WLAN client.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the multiple components include computer applications configured to be executed on a vehicle computer of the vehicle.

33. The method according to claim 26, further comprising performing at least one of (a) an authentication and (b) an encryption in all network/application layers by a central security component of the vehicle.

34. The method according to claim 26, further comprising performing at least one of (a) an authentication and (b) an encryption in OSI layers by a central security component of the vehicle.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein the security component includes computer application executable on a vehicle computer.

36. The method according to claim 33, wherein the communication status is ascertained in the ascertaining step by the security component.

37. The method according to claim 26, wherein the external communication partner includes an application program on an external computer which communicates with the transceiver station via a network.

38. The method according to claim 26, wherein the communication status includes a communication security level, the method further comprising assigning a component security level to each of the multiple components, the disabling including disabling at least one of (a) data exchange with and (b) access to the others of the multiple components if the component security level of the corresponding others of the multiple components is lower than the communication security level.

39. A device for secure communication of at least one of multiple components of a vehicle with at least one external communication partner via a wireless communication link, each of the multiple components including at least one communication module configured for data exchange, comprising:

a transceiver device of the vehicle configured to exchange data packets with an external transceiver station;

an arrangement configured to ascertain a communication status of the wireless communication link; and

an arrangement configured to at least one of (a) enable and (b) disable as a function of the communication status at least one of (a) data exchange between at least one of (i) the at least one component and (ii) the external communication partner and others of the multiple components and (b) access of at least one of (a) the at least one component and (b) the external communication partner to the others of the multiple components.

40. The device according to claim 39, wherein the communication status is ascertainable based on at least one of (a) an encryption and (b) an authentication used by the external transceiver station.

41. The device according to claim 39, wherein the communication status is ascertainable based on at least one of (a) an encryption and (b) an authentication used by the external communication partner.

42. The device according to claim 39, further comprising an arrangement configured to deactivate the communication modules of the others of the multiple components to disable the at least one of (a) data exchange and (b) access.

43. The device according to claim 39, wherein the external transceiver station includes a WLAN access point.

44. The device according to claim 39, wherein the transceiver device of the vehicle includes a WLAN client.

45. The device according to claim 39, wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle computer, and the multiple components include computer applications executable on the vehicle computer of the vehicle.

46. The device according to claim 39, further comprising a central security component of the vehicle configured to perform at least one of (a) authentication and (b) encryption in all network/application layers by a central security component of the vehicle.

47. The device according to claim 39, further comprising a central security component of the vehicle configured to perform at least one of (a) authentication and (b) encryption in OSI layers by a central security component of the vehicle.

48. The device according to claim 46, wherein the security component includes a computer application executable on a vehicle computer.

49. The device according to claim 39, wherein the communication status is ascertainable by a security component.

50. The device according to claim 39, wherein the external communication partner includes an application program executable on an external computer connected to the transceiver station via a network.

51. The device according to claim 39, wherein the communication status includes a communication security level, a component security level being assigned to individual components of the multiple components, and the at least one of (a) the data exchange with and (b) the access to the others of the multiple components disabled if the component security level is lower than the communication security level of corresponding others of the multiple components.

52. A communication system for secure communication of at least one of multiple components of a vehicle with at least one external communication partner via a wireless communication link, each of the multiple components including at least one communication module configured for data exchange, comprising:

an external transceiver station including a WLAN access point; and

a device including;

a transceiver device of the vehicle configured to exchange data packets with the external transceiver station;

an arrangement configured to ascertain a communication status of the wireless communication link; and

an arrangement configured to at least one of (a) enable and (b) disable as a function of the communication status at least one of (a) data exchange between at least one of (i) the at least one component and (ii) the external communication partner and others of the multiple components and (b) access of at least one of (a) the at least one component and (b) the external communication partner to the others of the multiple components.