Method for communicating data from a sensor device to an electronic control unit, a sensor device and an electronic control unit

• US 11,245,673 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Issued: 02/08/2022
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Rasbornig, Friedrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelagay, Shewaye
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ayala, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/437,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20170250961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 380255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0819 Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062

Abstract

A method for communicating data from a sensor device to an Electronic Control Unit using a single-wire bi-directional communication protocol includes providing a first key of the Electronic Control Unit to the sensor device, encrypting sensor data of the sensor device using the first key to determine encrypted data, and transmitting the encrypted data from the sensor device to the Electronic Control Unit.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data from a sensor device to an Electronic Control Unit using a single-wire bi-directional communication protocol, the method comprising:

providing a first key of the Electronic Control Unit to the sensor device;

encrypting sensor data of the sensor device using the first key to generate encrypted data;

transmitting the encrypted data from the sensor device to the Electronic Control Unit;

transmitting a second key from the sensor device to the Electronic Control Unit;

encrypting second data of the Electronic Control Unit with the second key to generate second encrypted data; and

transmitting the second encrypted data from the Electronic Control Unit to the sensor device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second key is transmitted before a trigger pulse.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the second key from the sensor device to the Electronic Control Unit comprises:

transmitting a first portion of the second key before a first trigger pulse of a first data frame; and

transmitting a second portion of the second key before a second trigger pulse of a subsequent second data frame.