Vehicle with mobile to vehicle automated network provisioning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10798079-B2
Application number	US-201715806130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2017
Priority date	Nov 7, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle that includes one or more controllers coupled to at least one and/or one or more wireless transceivers and antennas. The controllers are configured to enable enhanced, automated provisioning of network hardware of the vehicle with the settings and parameters of required wireless network credentials, by requesting, retrieving, receiving, and utilizing such credentials received from a mobile device. The mobile device includes one or more sets of credentials that are compatible for use with the network hardware configuration or configurations of the controllers, and communications, and network hardware of vehicle. The controller(s) are further configured to store such credentials locally in the vehicle, to request updates, to detect and identify wireless networks identified by such credentials when the wireless networks are in-range of the vehicle network hardware, and to automatically provision and connect the network hardware of vehicle to the detected and identified wireless networks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a controller coupled to a wireless transceiver, and configured to:
in response to receiving a network hardware query from a mobile device in communication with the transceiver via a first wireless link,
communicate a configuration for in-vehicle network hardware to the mobile device via the first wireless link,
receive a wireless network credential from the mobile device via the first wireless link based on a user of the mobile device consenting to transfer the wireless network credential,
detect a wireless network identified by the wireless network credential that is stored in the vehicle,
adjust the wireless network credential to enable compatibility between the received wireless network credential and the in-vehicle network hardware by at least one of: inserting a time delay, redacting predefined parameters, supplementing predefined parameters, or converting a network address format,
authenticate and enable an automated connection between the in-vehicle network hardware and respective wireless network and provision the in-vehicle network hardware with wireless network credential as adjusted to prepare to connect to the mobile device via the respective wireless network, and
communicate a provisioning and connection status including a message that describes in-vehicle success and/or error to the mobile device in response to the hardware provisioning via the first wireless link.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller further is configured to generate the provisioning status to include a credential retransmit request in response to an error condition arising during the provisioning.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
receive from the mobile device and store a plurality of wireless network credentials for different wireless networks, and

in response to detecting a one of the different wireless networks,
provision the in-vehicle network hardware with a respective wireless network credential for the detected one of the different wireless networks.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
receive from the mobile device and store a plurality of wireless network credentials and permissions for different wireless networks, and
delete the stored credentials in response to at least one of an expiration time and one-time use restrictions included in the permissions, and
unprovision the in-vehicle network hardware to remove wireless network credentials deleted according to the permissions.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
in response to detecting a wireless network identified by the wireless network credential,
authenticate and enable an automated connection between the in-vehicle network hardware and the wireless network, and
communicate to a connection status for the wireless network to the controller.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
in response to detecting a wireless network identified by the wireless network credential, and
in response to an error condition occurring during an attempt to authenticate and enable an automated connection between the in-vehicle network hardware and the wireless network,
communicate the error to at least one of the controller and the mobile device.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
in response to detecting a wireless network identified by the wireless network credential, and
in response to an error condition occurring during an attempt to authenticate and enable an automated connection between the in-vehicle network hardware and the wireless network,
communicate a request to the mobile device for wireless network credential for the detected wireless network.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
in response to detecting the mobile device in communication with the transceiver,
communicate a request for updated wireless network credentials from the mobile device, which request includes a list of stored wireless network credentials that include a time stamp.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising:
the mobile device including a controller configured to detect a communication link with the wireless transceiver, and
in response to a permission granted signal,
to generate a vehicle network profile that includes permissions that are correlated to each of a plurality of wireless network credentials.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further coupled to and in communication with at least one of additional transceivers that include one or more of near field, Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular communications transceivers, the controller further configured to:
communicate the configuration for vehicle WiFi network hardware to the mobile device, in response to receiving a vehicle WiFi network hardware query from the device,
provision the vehicle WiFi network hardware with at least one WiFi wireless network credential of a plurality of WiFi wireless network credentials received from the mobile device, which are adjusted to enable the WiFi network hardware provisioning, and
communicate a WiFi network hardware provisioning status to the mobile device in response to the provisioning.

11. A vehicle, comprising:
a transceiver configured to connect to a mobile device via a data link; and
a controller coupled to the transceiver, and configured to:
in response to receiving a WiFi hardware query from the mobile device in communication with the transceiver,
communicate a configuration for vehicle WiFi hardware to the mobile device via the data link,
receive a WiFi network credential from the mobile device via the data link based on a user of the mobile device consenting to transfer the WiFi network credential,
detect a WiFi network identified by the WiFi network credential that is stored in the vehicle,
adjust the WiFi network credential to enable compatibility between the received WiFi network credential and the WiFi hardware by at least one of: inserting a time delay, redacting predefined parameters, supplementing predefined parameters, or converting a network address format,
authenticate and enable an automated connection between WiFi hardware and respective WiFi network and provision the WiFi hardware with WiFi network credential as adjusted to prepare to connect to the mobile device via the respective WiFi network, and
communicate a provisioning and connection status including a message that describes in-vehicle success or error to the mobile device in response to the WiFi provisioning via the data link.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
receive from the mobile device and store a plurality of WiFi network credentials for different WiFi networks, and

in response to detecting a one of the different WiFi networks,
provision the vehicle WiFi hardware with a respective WiFi network credential for the detected one of the different WiFi networks.

13. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the controller is further configured to:
receive from the mobile device and store a plurality of WiFi network credentials and permissions for different WiFi networks, and
delete the stored credentials in response to at least one of an expiration time and one-time use restrictions included in the permissions, and
unprovision the vehicle WiFi hardware to remove WiFi network credentials deleted according to the permi

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• MIRAMONTI Allan
• Makkiya Aziz
• Vijayan Rajesh Balaji
• Tonshal Basavaraj
• Kondoju Panduranga

Classifications

• H04W12/04 Primary

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04L63/08 Primary

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04L41/0806

  for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play · CPC title

• H04L63/061

  for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838) · CPC title