Programmable field measuring instrument

• US 6,697,684 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas Gillen
• Original Assignee: Thomas Gillen
• Inventors: Gillen, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): VOELTZ, EMANUEL T
• Application Number:
  US09/784,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 700/12, 700/52, 700/53, 700/65, 700/66, 702/91, 73/232, 73/233, 324/115, 356/375, 356/376
• US Class Current: 700/66
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1433 for a module or a part of a module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect

Abstract

A programmable field measuring instrument includes a control unit, and a connector terminal, and a software protection device. The control unit executes a control program. The connector terminal is connected to the software protection device such that the software protection device may be released from the connector terminal. The software protection device includes a connector mating element with an integrated electronic component which allow authorization examination by the control unit.

Claims

1. A programmable field measuring instrument having a control unit, which serves for executing a control program and which has, as an interface, a connector terminal, which is connected, in a manner that allows it to be released, to a software protection device essentially comprising a connector mating element with an integrated electronic component, which allows authorization examination by the control unit.

2. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1, in which the electronic component comprises a microcontroller whose control program memory is protected or can be protected against read-out.

3. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1, in which the electronic component comprises a peripheral interface controller.

4. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 2, in which the electronic component comprises a peripheral interface controller.

5. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1, in which the connector terminal serves as an update terminal of the field measuring instrument.

6. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 2, in which the connector terminal serves as an update terminal of the field measuring instrument.

7. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 3, in which the connector terminal serves as an update terminal of the field measuring instrument.

8. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 4, in which the connector terminal serves as an update terminal of the field measuring instrument.

9. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 2, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

10. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 2, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

11. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 3, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

12. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 4, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

13. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 5, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

14. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 6, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

15. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 7, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

16. The programmable field measuring instrument as claimed in claim 8, in which the control unit comprises a microprocessor.

17. A method for the protection of software in a field measuring instrument having a control unit and a memory with different control program variants, having the following method steps:

A) start of an initialization routine of the control unit,

B) interrogation of the identifier of a software protection device connected, in a manner that allows it to be released, to the field measuring instrument,

C) selection of a control program variant by the control unit on the basis of the identifier.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, in which, with the interrogation, a random quantity generated in the control unit is sent to the software protection device, from which new values X1=F1(Z) and X2=F2(Z) are calculated according to an algorithm both in the control unit and in the software protection device, which values are compared with one another in the control unit and, in the absence of correspondence X1≠

X2, only a basic functionality is activated.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, in which the identifier is transmitted with the value X2 calculated in the software protection device and is evaluated in the control unit.