Apparatus for secure storage of vehicle odometer values and method therefor

• US 6,772,090 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2001
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Duvenhage, Fanie, Hutton, Brendon
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HIEN XUAN
• Application Number:
  US09/769,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 702/165, 377/24, 377/26, 377/24.1, 701/19, 701/33, 713/189, 713/193, 713/194, 713/161, 380/280, 380/26, 380/57
• US Class Current: 702/165
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/12 Measuring wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/02 by conversion into electric waveforms and subsequent integration, e.g. using tachometer generator G01C22/002, G01C22/004, G01C22/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/5055 in which one operand is a constant, i.e. incrementers or decrementers

Abstract

An improved vehicle odometer is provided with an encoder and a microcontroller. The encoder has a unique key that configures an encryption algorithm. The encryption algorithm can be in the form of circuitry or software or any combination there between. The encoder receives a increment signal from the vehicle indicating that the vehicle has traveled a pre-determined distance. The encoder then increments the odometer-related value and then encrypts it with the encryption algorithm. The encoder then wraps the encrypted odometer-related value into a data packet with a serial number. Only a suitably equipped computing device, such as a microcontroller, identify and correctly decrypt and process the encrypted odometer-related value, thereby preventing the tampering of the vehicle'"'"'s odometer.

Claims

1. An odometer counter, said odometer counter comprising:

an encoder, said encoder having a unique key, said key constructed and arranged to configure an encryption engine, said encoder further constructed and arranged to execute said encryption engine with an odometer value to form an encrypted odometer value, said encoder further constructed and arranged to store said odometer value in a non-volatile memory, said encoder is further constructed and arranged to increment said odometer value upon receiving an increment signal; and

a decoder, said decoder constructed and arranged to receive said encrypted odometer value from said encoder, said decoder further constructed and arranged to decrypt said encrypted odometer value and to transmit said decrypted odometer value.

2. An odometer counter, said odometer counter comprising:

an encoder, said encoder having a unique key, said key constructed and arranged to configure an encryption engine, said encoder further constructed and arranged to execute said encryption engine with an odometer value to form an encrypted odometer value, said encoder further constructed and arranged to store said odometer value in a non-volatile memory; and

a decoder, said decoder constructed and arranged to receive said encrypted odometer value from said encoder, said decoder further constructed and arranged to decrypt said encrypted odometer value and to transmit said decrypted odometer value;

wherein said key is 64 bits in length.

3. An odometer counter, said odometer counter comprising:

an encoder, said encoder having a unique key, said key constructed and arranged to configure an encryption engine, said encoder further constructed and arranged to execute said encryption engine with an odometer value to form an encrypted odometer value, said encoder further constructed and arranged to store said odometer value in a non-volatile memory; and

a decoder, said decoder constructed and arranged to receive said encrypted odometer value from said encoder, said decoder further constructed and arranged to decrypt said encrypted odometer value and to transmit said decrypted odometer value;

wherein said odometer value is 16 bits in length.

4. An odometer counter as in claim 3 wherein said 16 bit odometer value is combined with another 16 bit value.

5. An odometer counter as in claim 4 wherein said another 16 bit value is composed of a pre-defined 12 bit value and a 4 bit value based upon inputs to said encoder.

6. An odometer counter as in claim 5 wherein said 12 bit value is stored in said non-volatile memory of said encoder.

10. An odometer counter as in claim 5 wherein a portion of said 12 bit value is stored in said non-volatile memory of said encoder.

11. An odometer counter as in claim 5 wherein a portion of said 12 bit value is a checksum based on said odometer value.

7. An odometer counter, said odometer counter comprising:

an encoder, said encoder having a unique key, said key constructed and arranged to configure an encryption engine, said encoder further constructed and arranged to execute said encryption engine with an odometer value to form an encrypted odometer value, said encoder further constructed and arranged to store said odometer value in a non-volatile memory; and

a decoder, said decoder constructed and arranged to receive said encrypted odometer value from said encoder, said decoder further constructed and arranged to decrypt said encrypted odometer value and to transmit said decrypted odometer value;

wherein said encrypted odometer value from said encoder is transmitted asynchronously to said decoder.

8. A method for securing odometer values, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an encoder having a unique key and an encryption engine;

(b) configuring said encryption circuit with said key;

(c) receiving an increment signal;

(d) incrementing an odometer value to form an incremented odometer value;

(e) storing said incremented odometer value into said a non-volatile memory;

(f) adding a 16-bit value to said odometer value to form a 32 bit value;

(g) encrypting said 32 bit value with said encryption engine to form said encrypted odometer value;

(h) transmitting said encrypted odometer value to a decoder; and

(i) decrypting said encrypted odometer value with said decoder to obtain said odometer value.

9. A method for securing odometer values, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an encoder having a unique key and an encryption engine;

(b) configuring said encryption circuit with said key;

(c) receiving an increment signal;

(d) incrementing an odometer value to form an incremented odometer value;

(e) storing said incremented odometer value into said a non-volatile memory;

(f) encrypting said incremented odometer value with said encryption engine to form an encrypted odometer value;

(g) generating a data packet with said encrypted odometer value;

(h) adding an identifier code to said data packet to form a tagged data packet;

(i) transmitting said tagged data packet from said encoder to said decoder; and

(j) decrypting said encrypted odometer value with said decoder to obtain said odometer value.