# US 12,110,034 B2 · Monitoring apparatus, monitoring program, and monitoring method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,034 B2 - Document ID: US12110034B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/295,758 - Filed: 2019-11-27 - Published: 2022-01-27 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-28 - Assignees: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: AutoNetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Inventors: Taro Itatsu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110034B2 ## CPC - B60W 50/045: {Monitoring control system parameters} - B60R 16/0231: {Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P)} - G06F 8/65: Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) - G06F 11/07: Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance - G06F 11/30: Monitoring - G06F 13/00: Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units (interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 {; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46}; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16 ) - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)} - B60W 2050/0083: {Setting, resetting, calibration} - B60W 2050/046: {involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle, e.g. via telemetry, satellite, Global Positioning System [GPS]} - B60W 2556/45: External transmission of data to or from the vehicle - G06F 3/14: Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract A monitoring apparatus that is for installation in a vehicle, is to be communicably connected to a vehicle-mounted update apparatus that stores configuration information of a vehicle-mounted ECU that is to apply an update program, and monitors the vehicle-mounted update apparatus. The monitoring apparatus includes: a control unit that obtains the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU from the vehicle-mounted update apparatus, and, if previously obtained first configuration information and most recently obtained second configuration information are different, the control unit determines that the vehicle-mounted update apparatus has been replaced and executes predetermined processing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A monitoring apparatus installed in a vehicle and communicably connected to a gateway, the gateway storing a configuration information of a vehicle-mounted ECU and transmitting an update program, the configuration information including a MAC address and an IP address, the monitoring apparatus monitors the gateway, the monitoring apparatus comprising: an Ethernet cable, the gateway and the monitoring apparatus are directly connected by the Ethernet cable; control unit configured to obtain a plurality of pieces of the configuration information of vehicle-mounted ECUs from the gateway; and a storage unit configured to store the obtained configuration information as a backup of configuration information stored when the gateway is in a normal state, wherein, if previously obtained first configuration information and most recently obtained second configuration information are different, the control unit determines that the gateway has been replaced and executes a predetermined processing, and the control unit obtains the first configuration information and the second configuration information in a period of time not including a point in time when the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECUs obtained by the gateway is stored, wherein when the first configuration information and the second configuration information are the same, the control unit determines the gateway was not replaced and when the first configuration information and the second configuration information are different, the control unit determines the gateway was replaced, wherein when the control unit determines that the gateway has been replaced the control unit transmits a signal to the gateway to prohibit program updating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on, the control unit obtains the second configuration information, and determines that the gateway has been replaced and executes predetermined processing if the first configuration information obtained prior to the turning-on and the second configuration information are different. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting information regarding the determination to an external server that provides the update program or a display device provided in the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an external communication apparatus for communicating with the external server that provides the update program, the gateway, and the monitoring apparatus are directly connected, and the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting the information regarding the determination to the external server that provides the update program via the external communication apparatus, not via the gateway. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting a signal that prohibits a program stored in the vehicle-mounted ECU from being updated by the update program, to the vehicle-mounted ECU. ### Claim 6 A monitoring method comprising: providing a monitoring apparatus and a gateway, the monitoring apparatus and the gateway connected to each other by an Ethernet cable; providing, from the gateway that stores configuration information of a vehicle-mounted ECU that is to apply an update program, a plurality of pieces of the configuration information of vehicle-mounted ECUs to the monitoring apparatus via the Ethernet cable, the configuration information including a MAC address and an IP address; storing the obtained configuration information as a backup of configuration information stored when the gateway is in a normal state; determining that the gateway has been replaced and executing predetermined processing if previously obtained first configuration information and most recently obtained second configuration information are different; and wherein the first configuration information and the second configuration information is obtained in a period of time not including a point in time when the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECUs obtained by the gateway is stored, wherein when the first configuration information and the second configuration information are the same, the control unit determines the gateway was not replaced and when the first configuration information and the second configuration information are different the control unit determines the gateway was replaced, wherein when the control unit determines that the gateway has been replaced the control unit transmits a signal to the gateway to prohibit program updating. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting information regarding the determination to an external server that provides the update program or a display device provided in the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting a signal that prohibits a program stored in the vehicle-mounted ECU from being updated by the update program, to the vehicle-mounted ECU. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting a signal that prohibits a program stored in the vehicle-mounted ECU from being updated by the update program, to the vehicle-mounted ECU. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined processing executed by the control unit is processing for transmitting a signal that prohibits a program stored in the vehicle-mounted ECU from being updated by the update program, to the vehicle-mounted ECU.