Vehicle Component Identification and Configuration Registry Reporting System

Abstract

A method and system for utilizing a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECU Critical Information (ECI) associated with the ECUs in the vehicle, which may include their serial numbers, configurations, software images, and other data includes the telematics unit querying ECUs within the telematics-equipped vehicle such as, for example, when the vehicle is started. The ECUs may then provide the telematics unit with the ECI associated with each ECU. The ECI may be encrypted, and the telematics unit may provide each module that it queries with a nonce used in the encryption process. The telematics unit may then decrypt the ECI received from each of the ECUs and compare the received ECI to previously stored ECI. If the received ECI is different from the previously stored ECI, the telematics unit may send the new ECI to a TSP call center. Both the telematics unit and the call center may replace the previously stored ECI with the new ECI and may maintain records of previously stored ECI and updates to the ECI.

1 . A method for using a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for electronic control unit (ECU) critical information (ECI), the method comprising:
 receiving, at the telematics unit, ECI from at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle;   determining whether the ECI received from the at least one ECU is different from previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU;   recording differences between the ECI received from the at least one ECU and the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU; and   transmitting, from the telematics unit to a call center, ECI received from the at least one ECU that is different from previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the ECI received from the at least one ECU includes at least one of the following: a serial number associated with the at least one ECU; configuration data associated with the at least one ECU; and a software image associated with the at least one ECU. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , the method further comprising:
 before the ECI is received from the at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle, sending, from the telematics unit to the at least one ECU, a query that requests the ECI associated with the at least one ECU.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the query is sent each time the telematics-equipped vehicle is started. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the ECI received from the at least one ECU is encrypted and the method further comprises:
 after receiving the ECI from at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle, decrypting the ECI.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the query includes a nonce. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the nonce is one of the group consisting of: GPS (Global Positioning System) time and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) time. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein a micro-certificate and a digital signature are further received at the telematics unit. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the digital signature is an encrypted SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm-1) hash based on the ECI and the nonce. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the micro-certificate includes a public key for decrypting the ECI. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the call center maintains records of ECI transmitted to the call center from the telematics unit. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the transmission of ECI from the telematics unit to the call center is cryptographically protected. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the cryptographic protection utilizes micro-certificates. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , the method further comprising:
 updating, at the telematics unit, the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU with the ECI received from the at least one ECU if the previously stored ECI and the received ECI are determined to be different.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transient computer readable medium, part of a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle, having thereon computer executable instructions for detecting changes in electronic control unit (ECU) critical information (ECI) and maintaining records of ECI, the computer executable instructions comprising:
 instructions for querying at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle for ECI;   instructions for comparing ECI received from the at least one ECU with previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU;   instructions for recording differences in the ECI received from the at least one ECU and the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU; and   instructions for transmitting ECI received from the at least one ECU that is different from previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU to a call center.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transient computer readable medium according to  claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:
 instructions for updating the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU with the ECI received from the at least one ECU if the previously stored ECI and the received ECI are different.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transient computer readable medium according to  claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:
 instructions for decrypting the ECI received from the at least one ECU.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transient computer readable medium according to  claim 17 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:
 instructions for verifying and extracting a key from a received micro-certificate.   
     
     
         19 . A method for using a telematics unit associated with a telematics-equipped vehicle to determine whether an electronic control unit (ECU) on the telematics-equipped vehicle came from a stolen vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a call center, ECU critical information (ECI) associated with ECUs on a plurality of telematics-equipped vehicles, wherein the ECI includes one or more serial numbers associated with the ECUs;   maintaining, at the call center, records of the ECI associated with the ECUs including information corresponding the one or more serial numbers of ECUs to particular vehicles; and   receiving, at the call center from a telematics unit, new information indicating that an ECU with a serial number corresponding to one particular vehicle is installed on a different vehicle, wherein the one particular vehicle is known to be stolen.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the communications between the call center and the telematics unit are cryptographically protected using micro-certificates.