Handling device and method of security data

• US 7,426,275 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sugawara, Takehito
• Primary Examiner(s): Parthasarathy; Pramila
• Application Number:
  US10/687,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 380/264, 380/262, 340 562- 564
• US Class Current: 380/264
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0023 with encription of the transmittted data signal
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00412 the transmitted data signal being encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A handling device of security data of a vehicle includes: an in-vehicle unit having a portable unit authenticating unit, an EEPROM, a ROM, and a controller; a vehicle having the in-vehicle unit, a door locking mechanism, and a communication unit; and a portable unit for locking or unlocking the door locking mechanism of the vehicle. In the above device, an encryption unit for encrypting the security data with a cipher key is interposed between the controller and the EEPROM, the security data is encrypted with the cipher key and stored into the EEPROM, according to the instruction from the controller based on the authentication result of the portable unit authenticating unit, and the cipher key is stored into the ROM.

Claims

1. A handling device of security data comprising:

an in-vehicle unit having a portable unit authenticating unit, a nonvolatile memory, a general controller, and a data encryption controller;

a vehicle having the in-vehicle unit, and a communication unit; and

a portable unit for giving a control instruction to the in-vehicle unit of the vehicle through communication with the communication unit, wherein a first cipher key is stored in the portable unit and the in-vehicle unit,

wherein the portable unit transmits a signal encrypted with the first cipher key indicating a ID of the portable unit to the vehicle,

the communication unit receives the transmission signal,

the portable unit authenticating unit authenticates as to whether the signal is a transmission signal that is transmitted from a predetermined portable unit based on a comparison between the reception signal encrypted with the first cipher key and data indicating the ID of the portable unit stored in the nonvolatile memory or not,

the general controller causes the in-vehicle unit to perform the control instructions if the portable unit authenticating unit judges that the signal is a transmission signal that is transmitted from a predetermined portable unit,

the data encryption controller for encrypting security data of the vehicle with a second cipher key is interposed between the general controller and the nonvolatile memory of the in-vehicle unit, and

the security data is encrypted by the data encryption controller with the second cipher key and stored into the nonvolatile memory according to an instruction from the general controller when the in-vehicle unit is set into a security data register mode.

2. The handling device of security data, according to claim 1, wherein the second cipher key is stored in a ROM that is different from the nonvolatile memory storing the encrypted signal of the security data.

3. The handling device of security data, according to claim 2, wherein the security data includes a portable unit ID and the nonvolatile memory is an EEPROM.

4. The handling device of security data, according to claim 3, wherein an in-vehicle unit ID is stored in the EEPROM in addition to the portable unit ID.

5. The handling device of security data according to claim 1, wherein the data encryption controller decodes encrypted data.

6. A handling method of security data of a vehicle provided with an in-vehicle unit having a portable unit authenticating unit, a first nonvolatile memory, a general controller and a data encryption controller, a vehicle having the in-vehicle unit, a door locking mechanism, and a communication unit, and a portable unit for locking or unlocking a door locking mechanism of the vehicle through communication with the communication unit, wherein a first cipher key is stored in the portable unit and the in-vehicle unit, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the portable unit, instructions for locking/unlocking the door locking mechanism of the vehicle and a signal encrypted with the first cipher key indicating a ID of the portable unit and

receiving the signal encrypted with the first cipher key by the communication unit provided in the vehicle;

the portable unit authenticating unit authenticating as to whether the signal is a transmission signal that is transmitted from a predetermined portable unit based on a comparison between data indicating the ID of the portable unit stored in the nonvolatile memory and data indicating the ID of the portable unit contained in the signal transmitted from the portable unit or not;

the central controller provided in the in-vehicle unit causing the door lock mechanism to be locked/unlocked if the portable unit authenticating unit judges that the signal is a transmission signal that is transmitted from a predetermined portable unit;

wherein the data encryption controller for encrypting the ID of the portable unit with a second cipher key is interposed between the general controller and the nonvolatile memory of the in-vehicle unit, and

the ID of the portable unit contained in the signal transmitted from the portable unit is encrypted by the data encryption controller with the second cipher key and stored into the nonvolatile memory according to an instruction from the general controller when the transmission signal is received from the portable unit after setting the in-vehicle unit into an ID register mode.

7. The handling method of security data according to claim 6, wherein the second cipher key is stored in a ROM, which is not the aforementioned nonvolatile memory.