# US 11,077,727 B2 · Vehicle TPMS security strategy

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- Number: US 11,077,727 B2
- Document ID: US11077727B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/720,562
- Filed: 2019-12-19
- Published: 2020-07-02
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-27
- Assignees: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
- Applicants: Continental Automotive Systems Inc.
- Inventors: Jason Schwegler; Troy Bartz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077727B2

## CPC

- B60C 23/0416: {allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right}
- H04L 9/0869: {involving random numbers or seeds}
- B60C 23/0462: {Structure of transmission protocol}
- B60C 23/0479: {Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations}
- G01L 17/005: {using a sensor contacting the exterior surface, e.g. for measuring deformation}
- H04L 9/0819: {Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) (network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062)}
- H04L 2209/805: Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
- H04L 2209/84: Vehicles
- B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G)

## Abstract

An apparatus and method include, among other things, providing a plurality of sensors for a tire pressure monitoring system where each sensor is associated with tire parameter properties and has sensor parameters. Each sensor has a unique initial identification. A new unique identification is automatically generated for each sensor to replace the initial identification in response to a predetermined condition that is associated with at least one sensor parameter.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
providing a plurality of sensors for a tire pressure monitoring system, each sensor being associated with tire parameter properties and having sensor parameters, and wherein each sensor has a unique initial identification; and
automatically generating a new unique identification for each sensor to replace the initial identification in response to a predetermined condition that is associated with at least one sensor parameter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise transmit only sensors.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein each sensor automatically generates the new unique identification each time the predetermined condition is met and transmits the new unique identification to a vehicle controller and/or to a remote access smart device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined condition comprises initiation of a vehicle rolling event.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, including using the sensor parameters for each sensor such that the sensor can seed a randomization of the new unique identification to be transmitted to the vehicle controller for use during a subsequent drive cycle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the sensor parameters comprise one or more of sensor on time, sensor off time, sensor battery state of charge, sensor tire position.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, including providing each sensor with a random number generator function to automatically generate the new unique identification.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the random number generator function automatically resets the new unique identification after a defined interval.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise transmit and receive sensors that communicate with a vehicle controller, and wherein a vehicle access device is authenticated to a vehicle for access or start to provide an authentication exchange, and wherein the authentication exchange triggers a TPMS random number seeding with access device parameters or sends new access device generated ID values directly to the plurality of sensors via an associated bi-directional interface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise transmit and receive sensors that communicate with a vehicle controller, and wherein the vehicle controller automatically generates the new unique identification each time the predetermined condition is met and transmits the new unique identification to each respective sensor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined condition is an ignition on event.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle controller connects to each sensor through a wireless interface and automatically randomizes the new unique identification for each sensor to be communicated to each sensor for a given interval of the predetermined condition.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, wherein the given interval of the predetermined condition comprises once per drive cycle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, including deploying an encryption secret key via a bi-directional interface between a vehicle controller and each sensor that obscures a part of each new unique identification in a payload of a message and encrypts data reported to the vehicle controller and/or to a remote access smart device.

### Claim 15

An apparatus comprising:
a vehicle controller;
a tire pressure monitoring system in communication with the vehicle controller; and
a plurality of sensors for the tire pressure monitoring system, each sensor being associated with tire parameter properties and having sensor parameters, and wherein each sensor has a unique initial identification, and wherein a new unique identification for each sensor is automatically generated to replace the initial identification in response to a predetermined condition that is associated with at least one sensor parameter.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise transmit only sensors, and wherein each sensor automatically generates the new unique identification each time the predetermined condition is met and transmits the new unique identification to the vehicle controller and/or to a remote access smart device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the sensor parameters are used for each sensor such that each sensor can seed a randomization of the new unique identification to be transmitted to the vehicle controller for use during a subsequent drive cycle, and wherein the sensor parameters comprise one or more of sensor on time, sensor off time, sensor battery state of charge, sensor tire position.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise transmit and receive sensors that communicate with a vehicle controller, and wherein a vehicle access device is authenticated to a vehicle for access or start to provide an authentication exchange, and wherein the authentication exchange triggers a TPMS random number seeding with access device parameters or sends new access device generated ID values directly to the plurality of sensors via an associated bi-directional interface.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise transmit and receive sensors that communicate with a vehicle controller, and wherein the vehicle controller automatically generates the new unique identification each time the predetermined condition is met and transmits the new unique identification to each respective sensor.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle controller is configured to deploy an encryption secret key via a bi-directional interface between the vehicle controller and each sensor that obscures a part of each new unique identification in a payload of a message and encrypts data reported by each sensor to the vehicle controller.