Method and system for vehicle authentication of another vehicle

• US 7,600,114 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Levenson, Samuel M., Fehr, Walton L., Reinold, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, JUNG W
• Application Number:
  US10/184,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,657 Days
• Field of Search: 713/155, 713/156
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0234 related to maintenance or repairing of vehicles
• 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 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• 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 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A first vehicle obtains from a certification authority a certification that an authentic vehicle is associated with a cryptographic key. The certification certifies that the cryptographic key is bound to information identifying the authentic vehicle, and may be implemented. The first vehicle utilizes the cryptographic key obtained from the certification authority in cryptographic communication with a second vehicle, and determines whether the second vehicle is the authentic vehicle based on whether the cryptographic key is successfully utilized in the cryptographic communication. Upon determining the second vehicle is the authentic vehicle, the first vehicle may communicate further with the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for a first vehicle communicating securely with a second vehicle, the method comprising:

performing the following steps by the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle has vehicle data stored therein, the vehicle data accessible to the second vehicle only if the second vehicle is an authentic vehicle, including;

obtaining from a certification authority a certification that the authentic vehicle is associated with a cryptographic key, wherein the certification includes a digital signature of the certification authority;

using the digital signature of the certification authority to verify that the certification authority is authorized to certify the authentic vehicle, wherein the certification authority authorized to certify the authentic vehicle is a vehicle manufacturer of the first vehicle and of the authentic vehicle;

utilizing the cryptographic key obtained from the certification authority authorized to certify the authentic vehicle in cryptographic communication with the second vehicle;

determining whether the second vehicle is the authentic vehicle from the same vehicle manufacturer as the first vehicle based on whether the cryptographic key is successfully utilized in the cryptographic communication with the second vehicle; and

upon determining that the second vehicle is the authentic vehicle, communicating further with the second vehicle, and authorizing the second vehicle to access the vehicle data stored within the first vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle comprises one or more databases, and wherein the vehicle data is stored in at least one of the one or more databases of the first vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the certification comprises a digital certificate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the certification authority is further authenticated by a second certification authority.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a vehicle system of the first vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a component of the first vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentic vehicle has a first cryptographic key and the cryptographic key with which the certification associates the authentic vehicle is a second cryptographic key corresponding to the first cryptographic key.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first cryptographic key is a private cryptographic key of the authentic vehicle and the second cryptographic key is a public cryptographic key of the authentic vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital signature of the certification authority authorized to certify the authentic vehicle is a digital signature uniquely identifying the vehicle manufacturer.