System for vehicle component management, system for vehicle component management data update, and vehicle component management center

Abstract

Each of ECUs constituting a system of a vehicle is registered with authentication IDs of other ECUs. The each of ECUs determines whether the other ECUs are regular by comparing the registered IDs with authentication IDs newly obtained from the other ECUs when the system is started. When a certain ECU within the other ECUs is determined to be not regular, the certain ECU is prohibited from being used in this system. Further, when a new ECU is substituted or added, a terminal confirms whether the new ECU is unused in another vehicle and is thereby enabled to be usable by transmitting an authentication ID of the new ECU to a management center. When the new ECU is confirmed to be enabled to be usable, authentication IDs registered in the respective ECUs are updated.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-3205 filed on Jan. 18, 2004. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a method and system for vehicle component management, a method and system for vehicle component management data update, and a vehicle component management center. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] For instance, Patent Document 1 describes the following anti-theft system. A vehicle is equipped with an anti-theft device or an anti-theft component such as an immobilizer. For instance, the anti-theft device is for outputting an alarm by detecting a door opened and closed or the like by an unauthorized person. These anti-theft objects are periodically communicated with communications devices so that disassembling of these objects can be detected to thereby activate alarms. When the communications between the anti-theft objects and the communications...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to decrease thief's motivation to steal a vehicle or in-vehicle component, by disabling the thief from cannibalizing vehicle components for other vehicles. This additionally decreases an occurrence rate of vehicle theft.

[0009] In this structure, when an irregular component such as a stolen component is assembled in a vehicle, the irregular component cannot be used. Consequently, a thief cannot sell a component stolen from a vehicle, so that a vehicle theft occurrence rate can be decreased.

[0011] In this structure, in a case where a new component in an in-vehicle system is substituted or added, only when the new component is unused in another vehicle, component management data can be updated. That is, when a stolen component is assembled as the new component, the component management data cannot be updated. This securely prevents use of a stolen component. Further, when a component is changed, a vehicle database in the management center can be also updated. This enables the management center to accurately manage components in the in-vehicle systems in the vehicles that are shipped from an assembling factory.

Problems solved by technology

This additionally decreases an occurrence rate of vehicle theft.

In this structure, when an irregular component such as a stolen component is assembled in a vehicle, the irregular component cannot be used.

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