COMMUNICATIONS RELAY APPARATUS

• US 20130185766A1
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiki, Kouji, Kishigami, Tomohisa, Takai, Yoshinori, Imai, Yasumasa
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40006 Architecture of a communication node current supply arrangements H04L12/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A communications relay apparatus for relaying communications between an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the apparatus via an in-vehicle local area network (LAN) and an external device connected to the apparatus via a communication path different from the in-vehicle LAN. In the apparatus, a data transfer unit forwards relay data received from the ECU to the communication path and forwards relay data received from the external device to the in-vehicle LAN. But the data transfer unit is inhibited from forwarding reprogramming data for reprogramming the ECU received from the external device to the in-vehicle LAN. An authentication unit authenticates a vehicle user, and when the vehicle user is successfully authenticated, then permits the data transfer unit to forward the reprogramming data to the in-vehicle LAN.

Claims

1. A communications relay apparatus for relaying communications between an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the apparatus via an in-vehicle local area network (LAN) and an external device connected to the apparatus via a communication path different from the in-vehicle LAN, the apparatus comprising:

a data transfer unit that forwards relay data received from the ECU to the communication path and forwards relay data received from the external device to the in-vehicle LAN, the data transfer unit being inhibited from forwarding reprogramming data for reprogramming the ECU received from the external device to the in-vehicle LAN; and

an authentication unit that authenticates a vehicle user, and when the vehicle user is successfully authenticated, permits the data transfer unit to forward the reprogramming data to the in-vehicle LAN.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transfer unit is adapted to forward only pre-registered relay data received from the external device to the in-vehicle LAN, regardless of whether or not the vehicle user is successfully authenticated, and the reprogramming data is included in the pre-registered relay data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects a sequence of operations performed on a predetermined set of operation units of a vehicle,

wherein the authentication unit determines whether or not the detected sequence of operations are consistent with a predetermined authentication procedure from detections of the detection unit, and when it is determined that the detected sequence of operations are consistent with the predetermined authentication procedure, the vehicle user is successfully authenticated.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the detection unit detects the sequence of operations performed on the predetermined set of operation units on the basis of data received from the ECU via the in-vehicle LAN.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a storage unit for storing an authentication procedure for permitting relay of the reprogramming data received from the external device, and the authentication unit determines whether or not the detected sequence of operations are consistent with the authentication procedure previously stored in the storage unit as the predetermined authentication procedure.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a setting unit that determines whether or not the predetermined authentication procedure is stored in the storage unit, and when it is determined that no authentication procedure is stored in the storage unit, then sets up and stores in the storage unit an authentication procedure as the predetermined authentication procedure.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predetermined set of operation units are selected from a group of outer and inner door handles of respective doors of the vehicle, a door-window opening/closing switch, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, an operational button for vehicle equipment, a touch-sensitive switch for detecting a user'"'"'s hand has touched a door handle, and a door lock switch used to unlock a vehicle door without a key.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication path comprises a wired communication path.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication path comprises a wireless communication path.