ECU Calibration Tuning With Granular Adjustment Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
End users lack the expertise and awareness to properly adjust calibratable values of electronic control units (ECUs) for performance tuning, which can lead to unintended operational influences on host devices and dependent systems, and existing methods require cumbersome authenticity checks and digital signatures for changes.
Innovation Solution
A method for performance tuning ECUs that involves determining valid tunable values within specified limits using a granular security control adjustment authorization ticket (G-SCAAT), allowing application software to execute based on tunable calibration data if both values and G-SCAAT are valid, and bypassing authenticity checks under certain conditions to facilitate incremental adjustments without digital signatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users are allowed to adjust calibratable values of ECU for performance tuning, then adaptability and user customization are improved, but system reliability and operational safety may deteriorate due to lack of user expertise and potential for improper adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by providing different levels of access and adjustment capabilities to different users. Expert users can access and adjust a broader range of calibration parameters, while novice users are restricted to safer, pre-defined adjustment ranges. This ensures that each user operates within their competence level, maintaining system reliability while still providing adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism that verifies user expertise before allowing access to sensitive calibration parameters. The ECU acts as the intermediary, requiring authentication tokens or digital certificates that prove user competency. This mediator ensures that only qualified users can make potentially risky adjustments, protecting system reliability while enabling performance tuning for authorized users.
2Reliability
If traditional authenticity checks with digital signatures are used for ECU calibration changes, then security and reliability are improved, but device complexity and programming overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex digital signature verification process from the ECU itself and relocates it to an external authentication server or terminal. The ECU only needs to present its identity credentials and receive authenticated calibration data, rather than performing full cryptographic verification internally. This reduces the ECU's computational burden and complexity while maintaining strong security through the external authentication infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-authenticating calibration parameters and user credentials before they reach the ECU. The authentication and validation of calibration data occur in advance during the programming process, so that when the ECU receives the calibrated data, it has already been verified. This eliminates the need for complex real-time verification within the ECU, reducing its complexity while ensuring reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for performance tuning an electronic control unit (ECU). The performance tuning may include determining one or more tunable values stored on a tunable implementation memory of the ECU to specify tunable calibration data for one or more tunable calibration parameters selected for performance tuning and controlling an application software of the ECU to execute according to the tunable calibration data.