Patents by Inventor Bradley Warren Smith

Bradley Warren Smith has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11791999
    Abstract: A vehicle communication network is monitored to detect a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs). Upon identifying a new ECU in the plurality of ECUs, a highest ECU trip counter is determined from the plurality of ECUs. A global trip counter stored in the memory is updated based on the highest ECU trip counter. The updated trip global trip counter is greater than the highest ECU trip counter. Then a replacement synchronization message is provided to the plurality of ECUs on the vehicle communication network. The replacement synchronization message includes the updated global trip counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Patent number: 11792007
    Abstract: An onboard communication network of a vehicle is monitored to detect a plurality of available messages that include respective cipher-based message authentication codes (CMAC) and that were identified as eligible messages based on having an information entropy greater than a specified threshold. A first message is selected from the plurality of available messages. The CMAC of the selected message is input into a random number generator that outputs a random number seeded by the CMAC of the selected message. Then the random number is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith, Jacob David Nelson
  • Patent number: 11743033
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a computer, a first electronic control module, and a wired vehicle communications network coupling the computer and the first electronic control module. The computer is programmed to transmit authentication keys to the first electronic control module and a plurality of second electronic control modules via the wired vehicle communications network, encrypt a table of the authentication keys using a first key, store the encrypted table, transmit the encrypted table to the first electronic control module via the wired vehicle communications network, and transmit the encrypted table and the first key to a remote server spaced from the wired vehicle communications network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Patent number: 11658828
    Abstract: A system includes a control module and a local server. The server is programmed to transmit a command to perform an operation to a plurality of vehicles including a vehicle including the control module. The command including a digital signature that is common across the vehicles. The control module is programmed to receive a temporary value; receive the command; decrypt the digital signature in the command with the temporary value; upon verifying the decrypted digital signature, perform the operation; and upon a metric incrementing to a threshold value, prevent decryption of the digital signature with the temporary value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith, Venkata Kishore Kajuluri
  • Patent number: 11528162
    Abstract: Techniques for using a trip flag to detect desynchronization of trip counter values in a vehicle system. Techniques include a first electronic control unit (ECU) receiving a synchronization message including a trip counter and receiving a message from a second ECU including a trip flag. The trip flag includes a single bit of data generated by the second ECU. The first ECU compares the trip flag to a last bit of the trip counter stored at the first electronic control unit and processes the message in response to the trip flag matching the trip counter. The first ECU compares the trip counter to a previous trip counter based on the trip flag differing from the trip counter. The first ECU processes the message using the previous trip counter or increments the trip counter to process the message based on the comparison with the previous trip counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Patent number: 11509466
    Abstract: A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to, upon receiving an authorization message, transmit a plurality of new authentication keys to a respective plurality of control modules, the memory including an expiration time for the authorization message; update a listing of the control modules with respective statuses of the transmissions of the respective new authentication keys to the respective control modules, wherein each status is one of successful or unsuccessful; upon at least one status being unsuccessful, prevent the authorization message from expiring at the expiration time; after preventing the authorization message from expiring, retransmit the respective new authentication keys to each control module for which the respective status is unsuccessful; and then expire the authorization message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Publication number: 20220303134
    Abstract: An onboard communication network of a vehicle is monitored to detect a plurality of available messages that include respective cipher-based message authentication codes (CMAC) and that were identified as eligible messages based on having an information entropy greater than a specified threshold. A first message is selected from the plurality of available messages. The CMAC of the selected message is input into a random number generator that outputs a random number seeded by the CMAC of the selected message. Then the random number is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith, Jacob David Nelson
  • Publication number: 20220263649
    Abstract: A vehicle communication network is monitored to detect a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs). Upon identifying a new ECU in the plurality of ECUs, a highest ECU trip counter is determined from the plurality of ECUs. A global trip counter stored in the memory is updated based on the highest ECU trip counter. The updated trip global trip counter is greater than the highest ECU trip counter. Then a replacement synchronization message is provided to the plurality of ECUs on the vehicle communication network. The replacement synchronization message includes the updated global trip counter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Publication number: 20220255729
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a computer, a first electronic control module, and a wired vehicle communications network coupling the computer and the first electronic control module. The computer is programmed to transmit authentication keys to the first electronic control module and a plurality of second electronic control modules via the wired vehicle communications network, encrypt a table of the authentication keys using a first key, store the encrypted table, transmit the encrypted table to the first electronic control module via the wired vehicle communications network, and transmit the encrypted table and the first key to a remote server spaced from the wired vehicle communications network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Publication number: 20220247567
    Abstract: A system includes a control module and a local server. The server is programmed to transmit a command to perform an operation to a plurality of vehicles including a vehicle including the control module. The command including a digital signature that is common across the vehicles. The control module is programmed to receive a temporary value; receive the command; decrypt the digital signature in the command with the temporary value; upon verifying the decrypted digital signature, perform the operation; and upon a metric incrementing to a threshold value, prevent decryption of the digital signature with the temporary value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith, Venkata Kishore Kajuluri
  • Publication number: 20220224528
    Abstract: A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to, upon receiving an authorization message, transmit a plurality of new authentication keys to a respective plurality of control modules, the memory including an expiration time for the authorization message; update a listing of the control modules with respective statuses of the transmissions of the respective new authentication keys to the respective control modules, wherein each status is one of successful or unsuccessful; upon at least one status being unsuccessful, prevent the authorization message from expiring at the expiration time; after preventing the authorization message from expiring, retransmit the respective new authentication keys to each control module for which the respective status is unsuccessful; and then expire the authorization message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith
  • Publication number: 20220006665
    Abstract: Techniques for using a trip flag to detect desynchronization of trip counter values in a vehicle system. Techniques include a first electronic control unit (ECU) receiving a synchronization message including a trip counter and receiving a message from a second ECU including a trip flag. The trip flag includes a single bit of data generated by the second ECU. The first ECU compares the trip flag to a last bit of the trip counter stored at the first electronic control unit and processes the message in response to the trip flag matching the trip counter. The first ECU compares the trip counter to a previous trip counter based on the trip flag differing from the trip counter. The first ECU processes the message using the previous trip counter or increments the trip counter to process the message based on the comparison with the previous trip counter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Kishore Kajuluri, Xin Ye, Bradley Warren Smith