Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – With indicator or control of power plant
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-06
2001-09-04
Wolfe, Willis R. (Department: 3747)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
With indicator or control of power plant
C307S010500, C340S005230
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285948
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application relates to and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 11-146646 filed on May 26, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic control apparatuses and methods, and more particularly to a program rewriting control and devices therefor which disables unauthorized rewriting of programs.
Many electronic control apparatuses are proposed for preventing intrusion into automotive vehicles and burglary of the same. In some apparatuses, an identification code (ID) of a key which a vehicle user uses is compared with a key ID which is stored in a non-volatile electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) of an electronic control unit (ECU) for engine control. Engine operations such as fuel injection and ignition are prohibited, if the compared key Ids do not agree or coincide.
It is a recent trend to design ECUs to be capable of rewriting or updating engine control programs stored in respective EEPROMs by using program rewriting tools. Thus, any defects in the control program of the ECU can be rectified without entirely replacing the ECU with a new one.
The program rewriting tool may be used to illegally rewrite the control program. That is, it may be used to rewrite control programs having an anti-burglary function (key ID check program) to control programs having no anti-burglary function by erasing the key ID check program. Thus, it is likely that vehicles will be intruded and stolen by using a key which does not have the same ID as stored in the EEPROM.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a program rewriting control and devices therefor for preventing unauthorized intrusion and burglary.
According to the present invention, an electronic control unit has a non-volatile rewritable memory storing a program therein. An external rewriting device is connected to the electronic control unit when the program is to be rewritten. A first code such as a key identification code is transmitted from a transponder to the control unit. The control unit checks for an agreement between the first code and a second code stored in the control unit for attestation. A third code such as a program identification code is transmitted from the rewriting tool to the control unit. The control unit checks for an agreement between the third code and a fourth code stored in the electronic control unit for attestation. A new program is transmitted from the rewriting tool to the electronic control unit, preferably when check results are in predetermined relations, respectively. The stored program in the rewritable memory is rewritten by the transmitted new program.
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Nomura Hajime
Takagi Noboru
Denso Corporation
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Wolfe Willis R.
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