Method for operating a mobile device by means of a motor vehicle

• US 9,590,809 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Hueger, Fabian, Neuner, Helge, Mirtschink, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Herzog, Madhuri
• Application Number:
  US14/162,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 713155-159, 713168-177, 726 2- 10, 726/21, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/589 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

A method for operating a mobile device, not assigned to a motor vehicle, via an electronic device with a display and operator control device of the motor vehicle is made available. The program has program parts for a user interface and for operator control sequences which are assigned a digital certificate. The user interface comprises fixed areas for displaying variable contents. The program parts are transmitted together with the digital certificate to the electronic device of the motor vehicle and are carried out when the certificate is successfully checked. The transmission of data without protection by a digital certificate is restricted to the variable contents for display in the fixed areas of the user interface.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information and operating a mobile device not assigned to a motor vehicle via an electronic unit in a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle electronic unit having a display and an operating device of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

storing, on the mobile device, a program executable on the mobile device, wherein the program comprises user interface program parts to provide a user interface for operating processes of the program, the user interface having fixed areas for displaying variable contents;

storing, on the mobile device, a digital certificate, which is assigned to the user interface program parts;

transmitting the user interface program parts, with the at least one certificate assigned to the program parts, from the mobile device to the electronic unit of the motor vehicle;

receiving and storing the user interface program parts and the at least one certificate assigned to the program parts at the motor vehicle electronic unit;

transmitting program data to the motor vehicle electronic unit from a vehicle bus and the mobile device;

receiving and storing the program data at the motor vehicle electronic unit, wherein the user interface program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit receive and process the program data received from the vehicle bus;

verifying the user interface program parts received and stored in the motor vehicle electronic unit based on verification of validity of the transmitted at least one digital certificate in the motor vehicle electronic unit;

establishing access to the program data by the user interface program parts in response to verification of the user interface program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit;

executing the user interface program parts transmitted from the mobile device in the motor vehicle electronic unit in response to verification of the user interface program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit; and

displaying, on the motor vehicle electronic unit display, the variable contents in the fixed areas of the user interface for operating processes of the program executable on the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital certificate is issued beforehand by a certification server, wherein the at least one digital certificate is assigned to the user interface program parts for the operating processes of the program executable on the mobile device via the certification server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the certification server has at least one key pair comprising a private key and a public key, wherein the public key is used for verification of the user interface program parts using the at least one digital certificate in the motor vehicle electronic unit, wherein the public key is stored in the motor vehicle electronic unit or transmitted to the motor vehicle electronic unit from the certification server or some other trusted source over a secure data connection.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one digital certificate comprises a digital fingerprint, and wherein the digital fingerprint is created by the certification server using the private key and the user interface program parts for the operating processes of the program executable on the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the certification server issues the at least one digital certificate in accordance with the ITU-T standard X.509.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user interface program executable on the mobile device and the at least one digital certificate assigned to the user interface program parts are transmitted from the certification server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable contents for display in fixed areas of the user interface on the motor vehicle electronic unit display are transmitted to the motor vehicle electronic unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle electronic unit is connected to at least one data bus system of the motor vehicle and the variable contents for display in fixed areas of the user interface on the motor vehicle electronic unit display are obtained from data received via the at least one data bus system.

9. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

transmitting the data obtained from the at least one bus system from the motor vehicle electronic unit to the mobile device for processing by the program executable and stored on the mobile device; and

transmitting the processed data from the mobile device to the electronic unit of the motor vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one command generated via the operating device of the motor vehicle electronic unit to the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the program executable on the mobile device as a function of the at least one command.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the motor vehicle electronic unit receives data from a plurality of sensors in the motor vehicle via the vehicle data bus.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is unchangeable.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the program data received from the vehicle bus to the mobile device, and receiving transformed program data from the mobile device at the electronic unit.

13. A method for displaying information and operating a mobile device not assigned to a motor vehicle via an electronic unit of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle electronic unit having a display and an operating device, the method comprising:

storing, on the mobile device, a program executable on the mobile device, wherein the program comprises a plurality of user interface program parts to provide a user interface for operating processes of the program, wherein the user interface has fixed areas for displaying variable contents;

storing, on the mobile device, a digital certificate, which is assigned to the plurality of user interface program parts;

transmitting user interface program data, at least one of the plurality of user interface program parts, and the digital certificate from the mobile device to the motor vehicle electronic unit;

receiving and storing, at the motor vehicle electronic unit, the at least one of the plurality of user interface program parts and the digital certificate at the motor vehicle electronic unit;

receiving and storing, at the motor vehicle electronic unit, the program data, wherein the user interface program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit receive and process the program data received from a vehicle bus;

verifying the at least one of the plurality of user interface program parts based on verification of validity of the transmitted digital certificate assigned to the plurality of user interface program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit;

executing the at least one of the plurality of user interface program parts transmitted from the mobile device in the motor vehicle electronic unit in response to verification of the validity of the digital certificate;

establishing ongoing access to the program data by the at least one of the plurality of user interface program parts stored in the motor vehicle electronic unit in response to the verification of the validity of the digital certificate;

executing the at least one of the plurality of program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit; and

displaying the variable contents in fixed areas of the user interface for operating processes of the program executable on the mobile device as a result of executing the at least one of the plurality of program parts.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the verifying of the at least one of the plurality of user interface program parts based on the transmitted digital certificate assigned to the plurality of user interface program parts in the motor vehicle electronic unit results in at least one verified user interface program part that restricts access to program data from the vehicle bus of the motor vehicle.