Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – System access control based on user identification by...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-18
2002-06-04
Barron, Jr., Gilberto (Department: 2132)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
System access control based on user identification by...
C713S152000, C380S262000, C380S264000, C380S268000, C705S013000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06401207
ABSTRACT:
The contents of Japanese Application No. 9-255099 to Kuganhei, filed Sep. 19, 1997, are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a security device for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a security device for a vehicle that releases the security of a vehicle control unit such as a power train control unit loaded on the vehicle with respect only to an authorized user such as an owner of the vehicle by the use of the vehicle control unit and the user side key unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a security device for a vehicle, there can be cited the one that is concerned with a theft prevention device (immobilizer) for a vehicle that has a construction of releasing the security of the vehicle control unit with respect only to an authorized user such as an owner of the vehicle and permitting the use of the vehicle, the one that is concerned with a diagnosis device for a vehicle that has a construction of releasing the security of the vehicle control unit with respect only to an authorized user such as a manufacturer of the vehicle and permitting the read-in of vehicle control data of the vehicle that is secret data, and the one that is concerned with a reprogramming tool for a vehicle control microcomputer of the vehicle that releases the security of the vehicle control unit with respect only to an authorized user such as a manufacturer of the vehicle and a supplier who has made a contract with such a manufacturer so as to permits the supplier to rewrite a vehicle control program of the vehicle.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-309208 discloses a technique of constructing a security device for a vehicle by the use of a vehicle control unit having an encoding algorithm and a user side key unit having the same encoding algorithm.
Specifically, such vehicle control unit generates a seed that is a kind of random number, transmits the seed to the user side key unit, and encodes the seed by the use of a predetermined encoding algorithm to thereafter generate an authentication key.
On the other hand, the user side key unit receives the seed transmitted from the vehicle control unit, encode the seed by the use of the same encoding algorithm as that used by the vehicle control unit to thereby generate a key, and transmit the thus-generated key to the vehicle control unit.
Further, in the vehicle control unit comparison is made between an authentication key generated thereby and the key transmitted from the user side key unit. When the both key coincide with each other, the security of the vehicle control unit is released.
By such a constructing, the security of the vehicle control unit is released with respect only to a proper owner of the user side key unit.
However, in the above-described security device for the vehicle, in spite of the fact that both the authentication key generated by the vehicle control unit and the key generated by the user side key unit are generated by being encoded using the seed, no concrete disclosure is made of a method of generating such a seed that is an object to be encoded.
For example, if the seed that is generated has a level of regularity, it is considered that the possibility that the authentication key and the key will coincide with each other becomes high even if such a seed is fully encoded. This becomes an obstacle to realizing a high level of security performance in the security device for the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a security device for a vehicle that has a high level of security performance by reliably generating the regularity-decreased seed in a simple and convenient manner so that this seed can be suitably used in order to generate a key by encoding this seed.
Namely, the security device for the vehicle according to the present invention is so constructed as to generate the seed used for generating the authentication key (for example, the key becoming a reference for deciding the justness of a person trying to access the vehicle) and the key (for example, the key reflecting the information on the justness of the key) by this seed being encoded, from the vehicle control data each of that has a value that is different each time when the vehicle control data is read-in at an appropriate timing during operation of the constituent elements of the vehicle.
By such a construction, the seed is reliably generated from the vehicle control data concerning the constituent elements of the vehicle that during the operation of the vehicle are always kept in some or other state of operation.
Further, since such a vehicle control data itself changes momentarily in correspondence with the state of operation of the constituent elements of the vehicle, the seed that is generated exhibits no regularity and has also a very good nature regarded as like a random number.
More concretely, the security device for the vehicle according to the present invention has a first unit that generates an authentication key by encoding the seed in accordance with a predetermined algorithm and a second unit that generates a key by encoding the seed in accordance with the same algorithm as the above-described predetermined algorithm that is used when the first unit generates the authentication key.
Here, the seed is generated according to the vehicle control data.
It is to be noted that even when the vehicle is out of operation, it is possible that the seed is stored in each of the first unit and second unit on needs.
Then, when trying to operate the vehicle, comparison is made between the key generated by the second unit held by the user and the authentication key generated by the first unit that is loaded on the vehicle and, when these two keys coincides with each other, the security on the vehicle is released to thereby operate the vehicle and enable the running thereof.
Accordingly, by making collation between the authentication key and key that is encoded by the use of the seed exhibiting a very good level of random number nature, a high level of security of the vehicle is exhibited.
Further, specifically, the first unit is a vehicle control unit and this first unit comprises a reading portion that reads in a vehicle control data, a seed generating portion that generates a seed according to the vehicle control data read in by the reading portion, a transmitting portion that transmits the seed to a second unit, an authentication key generating portion that generates an authentication key by encoding the seed in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, a key receiving portion that receives a key from the second unit, and a correspondence deciding portion that compares the key received by the key receiving portion and the authentication key generated in the authentication key generating portion and, when these key coincides with each other, releases the security on the vehicle.
In this way, by an integrated construction of from the reading portion to the correspondence deciding portion, it is possible to generate a seed and thereby determine the coincidence between the key and authentication key by a compact construction simple to use.
Here, the second unit is a user side key unit and this second unit comprises a seed receiving portion that receives the seed transmitted from the transmitting portion of the vehicle control unit, a key generating portion that generates the key by encoding the seed received by the seed receiving portion in accordance with the same algorithm as the predetermined algorithm that is used in the authentication key generating portion of the vehicle control unit, and a key transmitting portion that transmits the key generated in the key generating portion to the key receiving portion of the vehicle control unit.
In this way, through an integrated construction of from the receiving portion to the key transmitting portion, it is possible to generate the key by the compact construction simple to use and transmit it to the vehicle control unit.
Also, it is preferable that the reading portion of the veh
Funakoshi Hiroshi
Yoneyama Shuichi
Barron Jr. Gilberto
Callahan Paul
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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