Vehicle Message Filter for Network Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle networks face challenges in filtering out corrupt or malicious messages, which can lead to inaccurate or harmful effects on vehicle systems and their occupants, as existing technologies lack effective mechanisms to validate message authenticity and enforce filter policies across the network.
Innovation Solution
A message filtering system is implemented within the vehicle network, comprising electronic control units (ECUs) with protocol controllers and filters that enforce a filter policy to determine whether outgoing messages are sent onto the bus, and receive filters to validate incoming messages, ensuring only authorized and valid messages are transmitted and received.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If messages are transmitted freely across the vehicle network bus, then communication efficiency and system responsiveness are improved, but the risk of corrupt or malicious messages affecting vehicle systems and occupants increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by performing message filtering and validation before messages are transmitted onto the bus. The transmit filter checks outgoing messages against filter policies to prevent corrupt or malicious messages from entering the network, while receive filters validate incoming messages before they reach ECUs. This proactive approach blocks harmful messages before they can affect vehicle systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary filtering components (transmit filters and receive filters) that mediate between message sources and the vehicle network bus. These filters act as intermediaries that inspect, validate, and selectively block messages based on filter policies, allowing legitimate messages to pass through while preventing harmful messages from propagating across the network.
2Reliability
If filter policies are enforced to block corrupt messages, then network security and reliability are improved, but message transmission delays and network communication efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By performing filtering operations in advance (at the transmit side before messages enter the bus), the system prevents invalid messages from causing retransmissions or errors later in the communication process. This preliminary validation ensures that only reliable messages are transmitted, reducing the need for error handling and retransmission delays.
3Reliability
If transmit filters are implemented to validate outgoing messages, then the spread of corrupt messages is minimized, but the complexity of the ECU architecture increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the filtering functionality into separate, dedicated filter components (transmit filters and receive filters) that are distinct from the main ECU protocol controllers. This segmentation allows filtering to be implemented as a modular add-on function, isolating the complexity of message validation from the core ECU operations and enabling independent optimization of filter algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A message filtering system for a communications system in a vehicle enabling communication between various systems and subsystems via a vehicle bus. Electronic devices may be coupled to the bus. Electronic control units (ECUs) may be located therebetween. The ECU may regulate or control the flow of messages between the bus and the electronic devices. Message filters may apply a filter policy to incoming and outgoing messages. In addition, the message filtering system may have an alert policy for violations of the filter policy. In one embodiment, the source identity of outgoing messages may be overwritten by a message filter dedicated to outgoing messages; this message filter may be an application specific integrated circuit.