Tachograph, toll onboard unit, display instrument, and system

• US 9,196,099 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Grill, Thomas, Hess, Erwin, Rombach, Gerhard, Conte, Raphael Lo
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROJAS, HAJIME S
• Application Number:
  US12/680,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,616 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40234 Local Interconnect Network LIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

A tachograph and a toll onboard unit as communication partners, which each have a data interface for a data communication via a vehicle data bus to which the communication partners are coupled. The tachograph and/or the toll onboard unit are implemented as a transmitter of data to ascertain a cryptographic check value as a function of user data, which are to be transmitted to the communication partner, and to transmit the cryptographic check value in addition to the user data to the communication partner. The toll onboard unit or the tachograph, respectively, as a receiver of data, is implemented to receive user data and the cryptographic check value associated with the user data from the communication partner and to check the received user data for corruption as a function of the received cryptographic check value.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle data bus;

a tachograph having a first data interface configured as a first vehicle data bus interface coupleable to the vehicle data bus;

a toll onboard unit having a second data interface configured as a second vehicle data bus interface coupleable to the vehicle data bus, the toll onboard unit and the tachograph configured as communication partners for data communication; and

a connecting unit configured to translate the data communication between the communication partners,

at least one of the tachograph and the toll onboard unit is configured as a data transmitter configured to;

determine a shortened cryptographic check value based at least in part on payload data transmitted via the data interface to the respective communication partner, and

transmit separately the payload data and the cryptographic check value associated with the payload data to the respective communication partner in respective separate messages; and

at least one of the toll onboard unit and the tachograph is configured as a data receiver to;

receive the separate messages including, respectively, the payload data and the associated cryptographic check value via the data interface from the respective communication partner in a retained layout, and

check the received payload data for corruption based at least in part on the received cryptographic check value,

whereby only the cryptographic check value transmitted in the respective separate message is required for secure transmission of the payload data,

wherein all communication partners of the tachograph are configured to authenticate themselves to the tachograph, and

wherein the tachograph is configured to produce at least one cryptographic key and to encryptedly transmit the at least one cryptographic key that is produced to only those communication partners of the tachograph that have previously authenticated themselves to the tachograph.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the payload data transmitted from the tachograph and received by the toll onboard unit comprises at least one from the group consisting of:

speed data, route data, and an up-to-date mileage, determined by at least one of the tachograph and sensors coupled to the tachograph, time data, identification data of a driver, identification data of a company, and identification data of a vehicle.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the payload data to be transmitted from the toll onboard unit and received the tachograph comprises time at least one of information and position information from a position-finding unit.

4. The system as claimed claim 1, further comprising a display instrument as a further communication partner for data communication, which comprises:

a third data interface configured as a third vehicle data bus interface coupleable to the vehicle data bus a data interface such that the data communication takes place via the vehicle data bus, the display instrument configured to receive the payload data and the cryptographic check value associated with the payload data via the data interface from the respective communication partner, and to check the received payload data for corruption based at least in part on the received cryptographic check value.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display instrument is a transmitter of data configured to determine the cryptographic check value based at least in part on the payload data that is transmitted via the third data interface to the respective communication partner, and to transmit the cryptographic check value and the payload data to the respective communication partner.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display instrument comprises at least one secure memory configured to store at least one from the group consisting of:

the at least one cryptographic key, a current mileage, identification data of a driver, identification data of a company, identification data of a vehicle, setting parameters for components in the vehicle, and diagnostics data relating to the vehicle.

7. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display instrument comprises at least one housing protective device and a housing, whereby opening the housing of the display instrument can be identified.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the housing protective device comprises a housing switch.

9. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display instrument further comprises a fourth data interface configured as a fourth vehicle data bus interface coupleable to the vehicle data bus a data interface such that the data communication takes place via the vehicle data bus, the display instrument configured as the connecting unit for data communication between communication partners coupled to different ones of the third and fourth data interfaces, the display instrument further configured to perform at least one of acts from the group consisting of:

relay received payload data, check the received payload data, authenticate the received payload data, and authenticate the communication partners.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the payload data comprises one of a software, which can be executed, and forms software, which can be executed.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the display instrument further comprises a microprocessor configured to execute the software, which can be executed.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the display instrument is configured to relay the software, which can be executed to at least one of the communication partners after at least one of successful checking and authentication of the software, which can be executed.

13. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display instrument forms at least part of at least one from the group consisting of:

a convenience device control unit, a diagnosis interface unit, an identification unit configured to identify a a person, an access monitoring unit, and an immobilizer unit.

14. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein

each of the communication partners of the tachograph comprises at least one secure memory configured to store the at least one cryptographic key,

the communication partners of the tachograph are configured to receive and decrypt the at least one encrypted cryptographic key, and to secure storage of the at least one cryptographic key in their respective secure memory, and

the communication partners of the tachograph are configured to determine the cryptographic check value as a function of the at least one cryptographic key.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communication partners of the tachograph are configured to determine the cryptographic check value as a message authentication code based at least in part on the at least one cryptographic key.

16. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communication partners of the tachograph are configured to determine the cryptographic check value as a shortened message authentication code based at least in part on the at least one cryptographic key.

17. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communication partners are configured to transmit the cryptographic check value with the associated payload data in one message.

18. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communication partners are configured to transmit the cryptographic check value and the associated payload data separately from one another, in at least one respective message.

19. The system as claimed claim 4, wherein the toll onboard unit and the display instrument are configured to authenticate themselves with the tachograph and, in the event of successful authentication, to allow trustworthy data communication between at least one from the group consisting of:

the tachograph and at least one of the toll onboard unit and the display instrument, and

the toll onboard unit and the display instrument,

whereby if there is not a successful authentication, to prevent trustworthy data communication based on the check of the respectively received payload data.

20. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the communication partners comprises an interface to an external unit, and is configured to perform at least one from the group consisting of:

determine an external unit cryptographic check value and transmit the external unit cryptographic check value and the payload data to the external unit, and

receive payload data and the cryptographic check value from the external unit and to check the received payload data for corruption based at least in part on the received cryptographic check value.

21. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the communication partners is configured to encrypt the payload data to be transmitted, and at least one other of the communication partners is configured to decrypt the received encrypted payload data.

22. The system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising at least one from the group consisting of:

a traffic telematics unit,

an engine control unit configured to control one of an internal combustion engine and at least one electric motor,

a convenience device control unit,

a diagnosis interface unit,

an identification unit configured to identify a person, and

an access monitoring unit as communication partner for data communication,

each of which comprises a respective data interface configured for the vehicle data bus interface such that the data communication takes place via the vehicle data bus, to which the at least one from the group consisting of the traffic telematics unit, the engine control unit, the convenience device control unit, the diagnosis interface unit, the identification unit and the access monitoring unit are coupled.

23. A tachograph, comprising

a data interface configured as a vehicle data bus interface, such that data communication takes place with one or more communication partners via a vehicle data bus, to which the tachograph and the respective one or more communication partners are coupled, the tachograph being configured to:

receive authentication from the one or more communication partners of the tachograph,

produce at least one cryptographic key and to encryptedly transmit the at least one cryptographic key that is produced to only those of the one or more communication partners that have previously authenticated themselves to the tachograph,

determine a cryptographic check value as a function of payload data, for transmission via the data interface to the respective at least one communication partner, and to transmit separately the payload data and the cryptographic check value associated with the payload data to the respective communication partner in respective separate messages, and

receive the respective separate messages containing the payload data and the associated cryptographic check value via the data interface in a retained layout, from the respective at least one communication partner, and to check the received payload data for corruption, based at least in part on the received cryptographic check value,

whereby only the cryptographic check value in the respective separate message is required for secure reception of the payload data.