Method and device for vehicle control events data recording and securing

• US RE41,395 E1
• Filed: 06/11/2002
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hara, Jacques, Jambhekar, Shrirang Nilkanth, Barr, John Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/166,818
• Time in Patent Office: 2,933 Days
• Field of Search: 711/152, 711/163, 711/164, 711/167, 713182-184, 701/29, 701/32, 701/33, 701/35, 701/117, 340/426, 340/428, 340/459, 340/901, 340/991, 340/426.1
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A device (100) and method (200, 300) authenticate and secure control event data for a vehicle, wherein the device includes: A) a microcontroller (104), coupled to receive control event information, for attaching a first time stamp and vehicle identification number VIN to the control event information to provide first information and sending the first information to memory (106) in time overlap fashion; B) the memory (106), coupled to the microcontroller (104) and a microprocessor (108), for storing first information and second information in time overlap fashion; and C) the microprocessor (108), coupled to the memory (106) and a plurality of transducers (110), for determining whether received impact data varies from previous impact data, and where received impact data varies, adding a second time stamp and VIN to the received impact data to form second information.

Claims

1. A device for authenticating and securing control event data for a vehicle, comprising:

A) a microcontroller, coupled to receive control event information, for attaching a first time stamp and vehicle identification number VIN to the control event information to provide first information and sending the first information to memory in time overlap fashion;

B) the memory, coupled to the microcontroller and a microprocessor, for storing first information and second information in time overlap fashion; and

C) the microprocessor, coupled to the memory and a plurality of transducers, for determining whether received impact data varies from previous impact data, and where received impact data varies, adding a second time stamp and VIN to the received impact data to form second information.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the device further includes an auto-lock unit coupled to the microprocessor for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the device further includes a manual lock for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

57. The device of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller continuously attaches further time stamps to further control event information received subsequent to the receipt of the control event information by the microcontroller and prior to receipt of the impact data by the microprocessor.

4. A method for authenticating and securing control event data for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

A) sending control event information and data to a microcontroller;

B) attaching, by the microcontroller, a first time stamp and vehicle identification number to the control event information and data to provide first information and sending the first information to a memory;

C) storing the first information in a list in the memory in time overlap fashion;

D) determining whether one of;

an ignition of a vehicle is in off position and a predetermined time has elapsed, and where one of;

the ignition is on and the predetermined time is unelapsed, determining whether any other control event has occurred;

E) where another control event has occurred, returning to step A;

F) where another control event has failed to occur, ending;

G) where one of;

the ignition is in an off position and the predetermined time has elapsed, sending instructions to the memory to start a new list in overlap fashion;

H) determining whether another control event has occurred;

I) where another control event has occurred, returning to step A; and

J) where another control event has failed to occur, ending.

5. A method for authenticating impact data and control event information in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

upon transducers being impacted,

A) sending impact data to a microprocessor;

B) determining whether impact data varies and where impact data fails to vary, ending, and where impact data varies, adding a time stamp two and a vehicle identification number to the impact data to form second information and storing the second information in memory;

C) determining whether a manual lock is in use and;

where the manual lock is in use, using the manual lock to retain the second information unchanged in memory;

and where a manual lock fails to be in use, using an auto lock to retain the second information unchanged in memory;

D) obtaining first information on control events and data and comparing with second information;

E) determining whether the first information and the second information is synchronized;

F) where the first information and the second information fails to be synchronized, reporting unauthenticated data/tampering; and

G) where the first information and second information is synchronized, storing the first information and the second information in memory.

6. A method for interpreting control event data and impact data in a vehicle to provide an analysis of an accident, comprising the steps of:

A) determining whether access is authorized to stored impact data with time stamp two and control event information and data with time stamp one in the vehicle;

B) where access is unauthorized, denying access;

C) where access is authorized, obtaining impact data with time stamp two and control event information and data with time stamp one and interpreting the impact data with time stamp two and control event information and data with time stamp one to provide an analysis of the accident.

7. A device for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

a processing system, coupled to receive control event information, for attaching a first time stamp to the control event information to provide first information and sending the first information to memory in time overlap fashion;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and second information; and

the processing system, coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining a second time stamp to impact data received from the transducer to form the second information.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processing system compares the first information with the second information.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the processing system combines the second time stamp to the impact data in response to determining that the impact data varies from previous impact data.

10. The device of claim 7, further comprising an auto-lock unit coupled to the processing system for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

11. The device of claim 7, further comprising a manual lock for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the control event information is associated with a vehicle.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the processing system comprises:

a microcontroller, coupled to receive the control event information, for attaching the first time stamp to the control event information to provide the first information and sending the first information to the memory in time overlap fashion; and

a microprocessor, separate from the microcontroller and coupled to the memory and the transducer, for combining the second time stamp to the impact data received from the transducer to form the second information.

58. The device of claim 7, wherein the processing system continuously attaches further time stamps to further control event information received subsequent to the receipt of the control event information by the processing system and prior to receipt of the impact data by the processing system.

14. A device for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

a processing system, coupled to receive control event information, for providing first information to memory in time overlap fashion, wherein the first information comprises the control event information;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and second information in time overlap fashion; and

the processing system, coupled to the memory and a transducer, for forming the second information, the second information comprising impact data received from the transducer.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing system compares the first information with the second information.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing system forms the second information in response to determining that the impact data varies from previous impact data.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first information and the second information stored in the memory comprises a dual record with a time phase difference to produce records overlapping by a predetermined amount.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the dual record comprises a first list and a second list out of phase with the first list by a predetermined amount of time.

19. The device of claim 14, further comprising an auto-lock unit coupled to the processing system for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

20. The device of claim 14, further comprising a manual lock for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the control event information is associated with a vehicle.

22. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing system comprises:

a microcontroller, coupled to receive the control event information, for providing the first information to the memory in time overlap fashion, wherein the first information comprises the control event information; and

a microprocessor, separate from the microcontroller and coupled to the memory and the transducer, for forming the second information, the second information comprising impact data received from the transducer.

25. A device for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

a processing system, coupled to receive control event information, for attaching an identification number to the control event information to provide first information and sending the first information to memory;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and second information; and

the processing system, coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining the identification number to impact data received from the transducer to form the second information, wherein the processing system compares the first information with the second information.

23. The device of claim 25, wherein the control event information is associated with a vehicle.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the identification number comprises an identification number of the vehicle.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the processing system combines the identification number to the impact data in response to determining that the impact data varies from previous impact data.

29. The device of claim 25, wherein the processing system comprises:

a microcontroller, coupled to receive the control event information, for attaching the identification number to the control event information to provide the first information and sending the first information to the memory; and

a microprocessor, separate from the microcontroller and coupled to the memory and the transducer, for combining the identification number to the impact data received from the transducer to form the second information.

27. A device for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

a processing system, coupled to receive control event information, for attaching an identification number to the control event information to provide first information and sending the first information to memory;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and second information;

the processing system, coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining the identification number to impact data received from the transducer to form the second information; and

an auto-lock unit coupled to the processing system for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

28. A device for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

a processing system, coupled to receive control event information, for attaching an identification number to the control event information to provide first information and sending the first information to memory;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and second information;

the processing system, coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining the identification number to impact data received from the transducer to form the second information; and

a manual lock for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

30. A method for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

attaching a first time stamp to control event information to provide first information; and

upon at least one transducer being impacted;

combining a second time stamp to impact data received from the at least one transducer to form second information; and

comparing the first information to the second information.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising preserving the first information and the second information at a particular time of impact.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the combining is executed in response to determining that the impact data varies with respect to previous impact data.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising, upon the at least one transducer being impacted, reporting unauthorized data tampering if the first information is nonsynchronous with the second information.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising, upon the at least one transducer being impacted, storing the first information and the second information if the first information is synchronous with the second information.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein at least one of the first information and the second information is stored in time overlap fashion.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the control event information is associated with a vehicle.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the attaching the first time stamp to the control event information comprises attaching an identification number of the vehicle to the control event information to provide the first information.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the combining the second time stamp to the impact data comprises combining an identification number of the vehicle to the impact data to form the second information.

39. A device for authenticating and securing information, comprising:

a processing system to provide first information and sending the first information to memory in time overlap fashion with respect to second information; and

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and the second information, wherein the processing system is coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining a time stamp to impact data received from the transducer to form the second information.

40. The device of claim 39, wherein the processing system combines the time stamp to the impact data in response to determining that the impact data varies from previous impact data.

41. The device of claim 39, further comprising an auto-lock unit coupled to the processing system and sends a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

42. The device of claim 39, further comprising a manual lock for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

43. The device of claim 39, wherein the first information comprises control event information associated with a vehicle.

45. A device for authenticating and securing information, comprising:

a processing system to provide information that is a combination of a time stamp and an identification number and sending the information to memory; and

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the information, wherein the processing system is coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining a time stamp to impact data received from the transducer to form second information and wherein the processing system compares the information with the second information.

44. The device of claim 45, wherein the processing system is coupled to the memory and a transducer, for combining a time stamp to impact data received from the transducer to form second information.

46. The device of claim 44, wherein the processing system combines the time stamp to the impact data in response to determining that the impact data varies from previous impact data.

49. The device of claim 45, wherein the information comprises control event information associated with a vehicle.

51. The device of claim 49, wherein the first information comprises control event information is associated with a vehicle.

47. A device for authenticating and securing information, comprising:

a processing system to provide information that is a combination of a time stamp and an identification number and sending the information to memory;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the information; and

an auto-lock unit coupled to the processing system and sends a signal to the memory to lock the information in unchangeable form.

48. A device for authenticating and securing information, comprising:

a processing system to provide information that is a combination of a time stamp and an identification number and sending the information to memory;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the information; and

a manual lock for sending a signal to the memory to lock the information in unchangeable form.

50. A device for authenticating and securing information, comprising:

a processing system to provide first information and sending the first information to memory;

the memory, coupled to the processing system, for storing the first information and second information; and

a lock unit coupled to the processing system for sending a signal to the memory to lock the first information and the second information in unchangeable form.

52. A method for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

attaching a first time stamp and an identification number to control event information to provide information; and

storing the information, wherein said storing comprises storing the information in time overlap fashion with second information.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the control event information is associated with a vehicle.

54. A method of transmitting information from a vehicle to a remote location, the method comprising:

contacting from a vehicle a remote location;

providing a certifiable key from the remote location to the vehicle; and

sending event data from the vehicle in a secure manner to the remote location provided the certifiable key is authenticated as being genuine.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein said remote location is an insurance agency.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein said remote location is a police agency.

61. The method of claim 56, wherein the second information is stored in time overlap fashion.

59. A method for authenticating and securing control event information, comprising:

attaching a first time stamp to a first control event information to provide first information;

attaching a second time stamp to a second control event information to provide second information, wherein the second control event occurs subsequent to the first control event;

storing the first information;

storing the second information; and

attaching a third time stamp to impact data that is generated subsequent to the second control event.

60. The method of claim 59 wherein the first information is stored in time overlap fashion.