Method for distributing a list of certificate revocations in a vanet

• US 20090260057A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Haas, Jason, Hu, Yih-Chun, Laberteaux, Kenneth P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,461,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In a vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication system utilizing certificates to verify trustworthiness of received communications, a method for distributing a list of certificate revocations to vehicles in the communication system. At least one main station transmits a list of certificate revocations to at least one vehicle and the vehicle thereafter transmits the list of certificate revocations to other vehicles in the communication network. Each of the other vehicles in the communication network updates its list of certificate revocations in response to the receipt of the list of certificate revocations from another vehicle in the system. The other vehicles thereafter transmit their updated list of certificate revocations to other vehicles in the system.

Claims

1. In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system utilizing certificate(s) to verify trustworthiness of received communications, a method for distributing a list of certificate revocations to vehicles in the communication system comprising the steps of:

a main station transmitting a list of certificate revocations to at least one vehicle,

said at least one vehicle thereafter transmitting said list of certificate revocations to other vehicles in the communication system,

each of said other vehicles updating its list of certificate revocations in response to the receipt of the list of certificate revocations from another vehicle in the system, and

said other vehicles thereafter transmitting its updated list of certificate revocations to other vehicles in the system.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said updating step further comprises the steps of:

each individual vehicle comparing the received list of certificate revocations received from another vehicle with the list of certificate revocations currently maintained by the individual vehicle,

the individual vehicle thereafter updating the list of certificate revocations maintained by the individual vehicle by adding received certificate revocations not currently on the list of certificate revocations to the list of certificate revocations maintained by the individual vehicle.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 and further comprising the steps of:

said at least one main station assigning a sequential number to each certificate revocation in the list transmitted by said at least one main station,

each individual vehicle in the system maintaining a count of the number of certificate revocations in the list of certificate revocations maintained by said each individual vehicle,

said updating step comprising the step of each individual vehicle adding only received certificate revocations to the list of certificate revocations maintained by the vehicle which exceed the count maintained by said individual vehicle.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein said main station transmitting step further comprises the step of transmitting a sequential number associated with each certificate revocation in the transmitted list of certificate revocations.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 and further comprising the step of encrypting said list of certificate revocations prior to transmission by said main station.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 and further comprising the step of encrypting said list of certificate revocations prior to transmission by said vehicles.

7. A method for distributing information to vehicles in a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system comprising the steps of:

a main station transmitting information to at least one vehicle,

said at least one vehicle thereafter periodically transmitting said information to other vehicles in the communication system,

each of said other vehicles updating its information in response to the receipt of the information from another vehicle in the system, and

said other vehicles thereafter periodically transmitting its updated information to other vehicles in the system.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein said updating step further comprises the steps of:

each individual vehicle comparing the received information with the information currently maintained by the individual vehicle,

the individual vehicle thereafter updating the information maintained by the individual vehicle by adding received information not currently on the information to the information maintained by the individual vehicle.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 and further comprising the steps of:

said at least one main station assigning a sequential number to each item of information transmitted by said at least one main station,

each individual vehicle in the system maintaining a count of the number of items in the information maintained by said each individual vehicle,

said updating step comprising the step of each individual vehicle adding only received items of information to the list of information maintained by the vehicle which exceed the count maintained by said individual vehicle.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein said main station transmitting step further comprises the step of transmitting a sequential number associated with each item of information in the transmitted list of items of information.

11. The method as defined in claim 7 and further comprising the step of encrypting said information prior to transmission by said main station.

12. The method as defined in claim 7 and further comprising the step of encrypting said information prior to transmission by said vehicles.