U.S. patent application number 16/507157 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-31 for system and method for detecting attack when sensor and traffic information are inconsistent.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA. The applicant listed for this patent is National University Corporation YOKOHAMA National University, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Hideki GOTOH, Tsutomu MATSUMOTO, Tomokazu MORIYA, Hisashi OGUMA, Tsuyoshi TOYAMA.
Application Number | 20190334924 16/507157 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57882929 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-31 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190334924 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TOYAMA; Tsuyoshi ; et
al. |
October 31, 2019 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING ATTACK WHEN SENSOR AND TRAFFIC
INFORMATION ARE INCONSISTENT
Abstract
Disclosed is a system for detecting an attack, which includes a
server and a plurality of vehicles capable of wirelessly
communicating with each other. Each of the vehicles has a sensor, a
sensor information acquisition unit, a traffic information
reception unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the sensor
information and the traffic information to the server. The server
has a reception unit that receives the sensor information and the
traffic information from the vehicles, a verification unit that
verifies whether the sensor information and the traffic information
are inconsistent with each other, and a notification unit that
notifies, when the sensor information and the traffic information
are inconsistent with each other, the vehicles of the
inconsistency.
Inventors: |
TOYAMA; Tsuyoshi;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) ; OGUMA; Hisashi;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; MATSUMOTO; Tsutomu;
(Yokohama, JP) ; GOTOH; Hideki; (Tokyo, JP)
; MORIYA; Tomokazu; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
National University Corporation YOKOHAMA National
University |
Toyota-shi
Yokohama |
|
JP
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI
KAISHA
Toyota-shi
JP
National University Corporation YOKOHAMA National
University
Yokohama
JP
|
Family ID: |
57882929 |
Appl. No.: |
16/507157 |
Filed: |
July 10, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15210392 |
Jul 14, 2016 |
10397244 |
|
|
16507157 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08G 1/0129 20130101;
H04W 4/40 20180201; G07C 5/008 20130101; G08G 1/096741 20130101;
H04W 84/18 20130101; B60W 40/00 20130101; G06F 21/00 20130101; H04L
63/123 20130101; G08G 1/205 20130101; G08G 1/096775 20130101; G08G
1/0112 20130101; G08G 1/096791 20130101; G06F 21/645 20130101; H04L
67/12 20130101; H04L 63/1483 20130101; H04W 12/1006 20190101; B60W
10/00 20130101; G06K 9/00791 20130101; G08G 1/017 20130101; G06F
21/577 20130101; G08G 1/096716 20130101; G06F 21/64 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06; H04W 4/40 20060101 H04W004/40; G08G 1/0967 20060101
G08G001/0967; B60W 10/00 20060101 B60W010/00; B60W 40/00 20060101
B60W040/00; G06F 21/64 20060101 G06F021/64; G06F 21/57 20060101
G06F021/57; H04W 12/10 20060101 H04W012/10; G07C 5/00 20060101
G07C005/00; G08G 1/00 20060101 G08G001/00; G08G 1/017 20060101
G08G001/017; G08G 1/01 20060101 G08G001/01; G06F 21/00 20060101
G06F021/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 30, 2015 |
JP |
2015-151086 |
Claims
1. A vehicle comprising: a sensor; and a processor configured to
act as: a sensor information acquisition unit adapted acquire
sensor information from the sensor; a traffic information reception
unit adapted to receive traffic information through wireless
communication; and a verification unit adapted to verify whether
the sensor information and the traffic information are inconsistent
with each other, wherein the traffic information is information
that describes a road condition around the vehicle and is sent from
an outside of the vehicle; and the sensor information and the
traffic information are determined to be inconsistent with each
other when the road condition indicated by the traffic information
and a road condition derived from the sensor information do not
match.
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor further
acts as a notification unit adapted to transmit signature
information indicating a characteristic of the traffic information
determined by the verification unit to be inconsistent with the
sensor information, to one of a circumjacent vehicle and a
server.
3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising: a storage
unit adapted to store the signature information received from
another vehicle or the server, wherein the vehicle does not rely on
the traffic information consistent with the received signature
information.
4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the signature
information on the traffic information is the identifier of the
transmitter of the traffic information.
5. The vehicle according claim 1, wherein the road condition
includes data indicating at least one of presence or absence of
traffic jams, presence or absence of road constructions, traffic
lane limitations, and icing of roads.
6. A method for detecting an attack, executed by a vehicle, the
method comprising: acquiring sensor information from the sensor;
receiving traffic information through wireless communication; and
verifying whether the sensor information and the traffic
information are inconsistent with each other, wherein the traffic
information is information that describes a road condition around
the vehicle and is sent from an outside of the vehicle; and the
sensor information and the traffic information are determined to be
inconsistent with each other when the road condition indicated by
the traffic information and a road condition derived from the
sensor information do not
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 15/210,392, filed on Jul. 14, 2016, which
claims priority to JP 2015-151086, filed on Jul. 30, 2015. The
disclosures of each of these applications are hereby incorporated
by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a system and method for
detecting an attack, and more specifically to a system and method
for using traffic information transmitted to vehicles to detects an
attack.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] In recent years, research and development have been promoted
for systems in which vehicles are equipped with communication
functions and driving assistance and automatic driving are
performed for the vehicles based on information transmitted from
other vehicles and roadside machines. Herein, control performed
based on invalid information transmitted from an outside may lead
to traffic snarls. For example, an attack is assumed in which
information indicating the existence of a vehicle that does not
actually exist is transmitted to circumjacent objects, thereby
hindering normal traffic. To cope with this, it is desired to
verify the validity of information transmitted from an outside.
[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-138380
discloses a method for detecting an attack on an in-vehicle system,
the method including: receiving verification messages from both a
transmission electronic control unit (ECU) and a reception ECU in
the in-vehicle system; and determining whether these verification
messages are consistent with each other.
[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-168219
discloses placing limitations on access to vehicle-network
information that is generated when running a program, based on an
access right level for each program and an access permission level
for each information.
[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-250607
discloses an invalid access analysis system in which an
unregistered attack pattern is registered and a program is updated
when the unregistered attack pattern is acquired through the
analysis of a network attack log. In the technology of Japanese
Patent Application Laid-open. No. 2010-250607, it is possible to
analyze an attack pattern using the methods of Japanese Patent
Application Laid-open Nos. 2014-138380 and 2014-168219 and register
the analyzed attack pattern to detect an attack on a vehicle.
[0007] However, what is disclosed by Japanese Patent Application
Laid-open No. 2014-138380 is an attack detecting technology
considering communications inside a vehicle system, and what is
disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-168219
is an attack detecting technology for an external apparatus
accessing the internal units of a vehicle; none of the above
technologies is capable of determining whether information
transmitted from an outside is valid.
[0008] As a technology to verify the validity of transmitted
information, electronic signatures are available. With electronic
signatures, however, it is only possible to verify the
falsification of transmitted information and the spoofing of
transmitters; verifying the validity of the transmitted information
itself is not passible.
[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.
2014-138380
[0010] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.
2014-168219
[0011] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.
2020-250607
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an
object of providing a technology by which it is possible to detect
an attack by communication in a system in which vehicles receive
information from an outside through the communication.
[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
compares traffic information received by vehicles through wireless
communication with sensor information acquired by the vehicles
through their own sensors and determines that the traffic
information is invalid when the traffic information and the sensor
information are inconsistent with each other.
[0014] Traffic information is any information associated with
traffic and includes information on vehicles such as positions,
movement speeds and movement directions of vehicles, information on
traffic signals, information on obstacles on roads, information on
traffic jams, information on road-surface conditions, etc.
[0015] For example, there is a case in which sensor information
indicates that nothing exists at a position but traffic information
indicates that a vehicle exists at the position. In this case,
there is a high possibility that the traffic information and the
sensor information are inconsistent with each other and the traffic
information is invalid. Here, the position of the vehicle is just
an example. The verification of the validity of traffic information
using sensor information is possible so long as the traffic
information can be generated based on the sensor information,
[0016] A first aspect of the present invention provides a system
for detecting attack having a server and a plurality of vehicles
capable of wirelessly communicating with each other. Each of the
plurality of vehicles has a sensor, a sensor information
acquisition unit adapted to acquire sensor information from the
sensor, a traffic information reception unit adapted to receive
traffic information through wireless communication, and a
transmission unit adapted to transmit the sensor information and
the traffic information to the server. The server has a reception
unit adapted to receive the sensor information and the traffic
information from at least any of the plurality of vehicles, a
verification unit adapted to verify whether the sensor information
and the traffic information are inconsistent with each other, and a
notification unit adapted to notify, when the sensor information
and the traffic information are inconsistent with each other, at
least any of the plurality of vehicles of the inconsistency between
the sensor information and the traffic information. Here, traffic
information and sensor information compared with each other may be
information acquired by the same vehicle or information acquired by
different vehicles.
[0017] As described above, a vehicle transmits acquired traffic
information and sensor information to a server, and the server
performs the analysis of the information. Thus, an attack by the
traffic information may be detected.
[0018] In the first aspect, the notification unit may be adapted to
notify at least any of the plurality of vehicles of signature
information indicating characteristics of the traffic information
inconsistent with the sensor information, and each of the plurality
of vehicles may have a storage unit adapted to store the signature
information received from the server and may not rely on the
traffic information consistent with the signature information
notified from the notification unit.
[0019] According to this configuration, each vehicle is allowed to
detect an attack detected by a server.
[0020] Signature information is information indicating the
characteristics of traffic information. For example, when traffic
information includes the identifier of the transmitter of the
traffic information, the identifier of the transmitter of the
traffic information may be employed as signature information.
[0021] In addition, in the first aspect, the traffic information
preferably includes a position of an object existing on a road, and
the verification unit is preferably adapted to determine the
inconsistency between the sensor information and the traffic
information when being able to estimate from the sensor information
that the object does not exist at the position of the object
indicated by the traffic information. Here, an object existing on a
road includes a vehicle, an obstacle, or the like. When the
transmitter of traffic information is a vehicle, information
indicating the position of the transmitter's vehicle corresponds to
the traffic information and the transmitter's vehicle itself
corresponds to an object existing on a road.
[0022] It is possible to sense the presence or absence and the
position of an object existing on a road with, for example, cameras
(a visible light camera and an infrared camera), radars (a
millimeter-wave radar, a quasi-millimeter-wave radar, and a
near-infrared laser radar), and ultrasonic sonar equipment.
Accordingly, the inconsistency between traffic information and
sensor information may be determined when the existence of an
object at a position indicated by traffic information is not
confirmed by the sensor information. In addition, the inconsistency
between traffic information and sensor information may be
determined when it is understandable from the sensor information
that an object different from an object (for example, a vehicle) of
a type indicated by the traffic information exists even in a case
in which any object exists at a position indicated by the traffic
information.
[0023] In the first aspect, the traffic information may further
include at least any of a movement speed and a movement direction
of the object, and the verification unit may be adapted to
determine the inconsistency between the sensor information and the
traffic information when being able to estimate from the sensor
information that one of a movement speed and a movement direction
of the object existing at the position of the object indicated by
the traffic information is inconsistent with one of the movement
speed and the movement direction indicated by the traffic
information.
[0024] In the first aspect, the traffic information may include
information on a road condition, and the verification unit may be
adapted to determine the inconsistency between the sensor
information and the traffic information when the road condition
indicated by the traffic information is inconsistent with a road
condition acquired from the sensor information. A road condition
includes road-surface conditions such as the presence or absence of
traffic jams, the presence or absence of road constructions,
traffic lane limitations, and the icing of roads.
[0025] A second aspect of the present invention provides a system
for detecting an attack including: a first acquisition unit adapted
to acquire sensor information acquired from a sensor of a vehicle;
a second acquisition unit adapted to acquire traffic information
received by the vehicle through wireless communication; and a
verification unit adapted to verify whether the sensor information
and the traffic information are inconsistent with each other.
[0026] The system according to the second aspect does not limits
its configurations and acquisition method so long as it is capable
of acquiring sensor information and traffic information. For
example, each of the above units of the system may be provided in
an apparatus different from a vehicle, and sensor information and
traffic information may be acquired from the vehicle through
wireless communication. Alternatively, each of the units of the
system may be provided in a vehicle, and sensor information and
traffic information may be acquired from a sensor and a wireless
communication unit installed in the vehicle.
[0027] A third aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle
including: a sensor; a sensor information acquisition unit adapted
to acquire sensor information from the sensor; a traffic
information reception unit adapted to receive traffic information
through wireless communication; a transmission unit adapted to
transmit the sensor information and the traffic information to a
server; and a verification unit adapted to verify whether the
sensor information and the traffic information are inconsistent
with each other.
[0028] According to the third aspect, a vehicle determines whether
traffic information is valid based on its own sensor
information.
[0029] in the third aspect, the vehicle preferably further includes
a notification unit adapted to transmit signature information
indicating characteristics of the traffic information determined by
the verification unit to be inconsistent with the sensor
information to one of the circumjacent vehicle and the server.
[0030] According to this configuration, circumjacent vehicles may
be notified of the existence of invalid traffic information
directly or via a server.
[0031] Note that the present invention may be regarded as a system
for detecting an attack, a vehicle, or a server having at least
some of the above units. In addition, the present invention may be
regarded as a method in which at least some of processing by the
above units is performed. Moreover, the present invention may be
regarded as a computer program for causing a computer to perform
the method or may be regarded as a computer-readable storage medium
storing the computer program permanently. Each of the above units
and the processing may be combined with each other to a maximum
extent to constitute the present invention.
[0032] According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is
possible to detect an attack by communication in a system in which
vehicles receive information from an outside.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the outline of the system of a
first embodiment;
[0034] FIGS. 2A and 2B are a function block diagram of a vehicle
and a function block diagram of a server, respectively;
[0035] FIGS. 3A and 3B are a diagram showing the message format of
traffic information and the message format of sensor information,
respectively;
[0036] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operations of the vehicle
in the first embodiment;
[0037] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing traffic information
verification processing by the vehicle in the first embodiment;
[0038] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing traffic information
verification processing by the server in the first embodiment;
[0039] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the outline of the system of a
second embodiment;
[0040] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing traffic information
verification processing by a vehicle in the second embodiment;
[0041] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the outline of the system of a
third embodiment; and
[0042] FIGS. 10A and 10B are a diagram for describing an attack on
the communication system between vehicles and a diagram for
describing a method for detecting the attack, respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Outline of System
[0043] Automatic driving vehicles control themselves using sensor
information acquired from their own sensors and traffic information
acquired from circumjacent vehicles or roadside machines through
communication. Attacks on such automatic driving vehicles by the
transmission of invalid traffic information to cause traffic snarls
are assumed.
[0044] As shown in, for example, FIG. 10A, it is assumed that a
roadside machine X transmits traffic information on the existence
of a vehicle Y that does not actually exist to a vehicle A entering
an intersection (1001). When the vehicle A is not allowed to sense
the existence of the vehicle Y by its own sensor due to the poor
view of the intersection (1002), the vehicle A is forced to remain
waiting to enter the intersection.
[0045] In such a circumstance, as shown in FIG. 10B, a vehicle B
approaching the intersection from another direction is allowed to
sense the fact that the vehicle Y whose existence is notified by
the traffic information from the roadside machine X does not
actually exist by its own sensor (1003). That is, the vehicle B is
allowed to determine that the traffic information transmitted from
the roadside machine X is invalid. Therefore, when the vehicle B
notifies the vehicle A of the fact that the vehicle Y does not
actually exist, the vehicle A is allowed to perform automatic
driving without relying on the traffic information from the
roadside machine X.
[0046] The above example assumes a case in which a roadside machine
transmits invalid traffic information, but vehicles or other
wireless communication machines may transmit invalid traffic
information. In addition, control using traffic information
transmitted from circumjacent objects is not limited to automatic
driving but may include driving assistance and any other
control.
First Embodiment
Configuration
[0047] This embodiment describes a system for detecting an attack
that detects invalid traffic information transmitted to vehicles.
As shown in FIG. 1, the system is constituted by a plurality of
vehicles 100 and a server 200 capable of wirelessly communicating
with each other.
[0048] In the first embodiment, each of the plurality of vehicles
100 transmits traffic information received from circumjacent
objects and sensor information acquired by its own sensor to the
server 200. The server 200 accumulates the traffic information and
the sensor information collected from the vehicles 100 and
specifies traffic information inconsistent with the sensor
information (hereinafter called invalid traffic information). The
server 200 specifies signature information indicating the
characteristics of to e invalid traffic information and notifies
the vehicles 100 of the same. The vehicles 100 have an intrusion
detection system (IDS) or an intrusion prevention system (IPS) and
detect the invalid traffic information using the signature
information notified from the server 200.
Vehicle
[0049] FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the configurations of the
vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. 2A, the vehicle 100 has a sensor
group 102, a wireless communication unit 104, a vehicle control
unit 106, a memory 108, a sub-storage unit 110, and a calculation
processing unit 112.
[0050] The sensor group 102 includes a plurality of sensors used to
acquire the inner statuses of the vehicle and environmental
conditions around the vehicle. The sensors used to acquire the
inner statuses of the vehicle include a position information
sensor, a direction sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor,
a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, an accelerator opening
sensor, a braking pressure sensor, an engine rotational speed
sensor, or the like. The sensors used to acquire environmental
conditions around the vehicle include cameras (a visible light
camera and an infrared camera), radars (a millimeter-wave radar, a
quasi-millimeter-wave radar, and a near-infrared laser radar),
ultrasonic sonar equipment, illumination sensors, or the like.
[0051] The wireless communication unit 104 is a unit used to
wirelessly communicate with other vehicles 100 and the server 200.
The standard of wireless communication is not limited to a specific
system, and wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac), Mobile WiMAX
(IEEE 802.16e), iBurst, WAVE (IEEE 802.20), DSRC (Dedicated Short
Range Communication), mobile telephone communication (3G and LTE),
or the like is available as such. The wireless communication unit
may be used alone to communicate with other vehicles 100 and the
server 200, or different wireless communication units may be used
to separately communicate with other vehicles 100 and the server
200.
[0052] The vehicle control unit 106 is constituted by one or a
plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) that performs control
to drive an engine (a driving force), steering, braking, or the
like.
[0053] The memory 108 is a main storage unit such as a random
access memory (RAM). The sub-storage unit 110 is a magnetic disc, a
semi-conductor memory, or the like. The vehicle 100 preferably
includes, besides these units, input units such as a touch panel
and a button and output units such as a display and a speaker.
[0054] The calculation processing unit 112 is a processor such as a
central processing unit (CPU) and a micro processing unit (MPU) and
realizes various functions by reading a program stored in the
sub-storage unit 110 into the memory 108 and running the same. The
calculation processing unit 112 realizes, for example, the
respective functions of a sensor information acquisition unit 114,
a traffic information transmission unit 115, a traffic information
reception unit 116, an information upload unit 118, a signature
information reception unit 120, an attack detecting unit 122, and a
cryptographic processing unit 124. However, some or all of these
functions may be realized by an application specific integrated
circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital
signal processor (DSP), or the like. In addition, the calculation
processing unit 112 is not necessarily constituted by a single
processor but may be constituted by a plurality of processors. For
example, the cryptographic processing unit 124 is preferably
mounted by a dedicated security chip.
[0055] The sensor information acquisition unit 114 acquires sensor
information from the sensor group 102 periodically or as occasion
demands. The acquired sensor information is stored in the memory
108 and the sub-storage unit 110 (hereinafter collectively called a
storage unit).
[0056] The traffic information transmission unit 115 transmits
traffic information generated based on sensor information acquired
by the sensor information acquisition unit 114. The traffic
information may be any information on traffic. An example of the
traffic information is information on the vehicle such as a
position, a movement speed, and a movement direction of the
vehicle, information on traffic signals, information on obstacles
on roads, information on traffic jams, and information on
road-surface conditions. In the first embodiment, the traffic
information transmission unit 115 periodically transmits traffic
information 30 in a format shown in FIG. 3A.
[0057] The transmitted traffic information 30 includes a
transmission source ID 31, a destination ID 32, a transmission time
33, position information 34, a movement speed 35, a movement
direction 36, and a vehicle status 37, and also includes an
electronic signature 38 for these information. The transmission
source ID 31 is an identifier used to identify a vehicle that
transmits the traffic information 30. The destination ID 32 is an
identifier used to identify a destination vehicle of the traffic
information 30. When the traffic information 30 is to be
broadcasted, a value indicating that the traffic information 30 is
broadcasting information is stored in the destination ID 32. The
transmission. time 33 is a time at which the traffic information 30
is generated. The position information 34 is, for example,
information acquired from a position information sensor such as a
global positioning system (GPS) and expressed in a format using a
latitude, a longitude, and an altitude or a format using a map
code. The movement speed 35 is a movement speed of the vehicle 100
acquired from a speed sensor. The movement direction 36 is a
movement direction of the vehicle 100 acquired from a direction
sensor. The vehicle status 37 is information indicating any other
statuses of the vehicle 100. The electronic signature 38 is added
to detect spoofing and falsification. As the electronic signature
38, a digital signature based on a public encryption system is, for
example, available.
[0058] The traffic information reception unit 116 receives traffic
information from circumjacent vehicles and roadside machines via
the wireless communication unit 104. When an electronic signature
is added to the traffic information, the cryptographic processing
unit 124 verifies the electronic signature. In addition, the attack
detecting unit 122 verifies whether the received traffic
information is valid. The traffic information determined to be
valid is stored in the storage unit and used for vehicle control
such as automatic driving.
[0059] The information upload unit 118 transmits (uploads) sensor
information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit 114
and traffic information received by the traffic information
reception unit 116 to the server 200 via the wireless communication
unit 104. The traffic information may be uploaded in a format the
same as or different from a format with which the traffic
information is transmitted to the vehicle (FIG. 3A).
[0060] The format of the uploaded sensor information is shown in
FIG. 3B. Uploaded sensor information 40 includes a transmission
source ID 41, a destination ID 42, a transmission time 43, position
information 44, a sensing time 45, a sensing position 46, and
sensor information 47, and also includes an electronic signature 46
for these information. The transmission source ID 41, the
destination ID 42, the transmission time 43, the position
information 44, and the electronic signature 48 are the same as
those included in the traffic information 30. The sensing time 45
is a time at which the sensor information 47 is acquired. The
sensing position 46 is a position of the vehicle 100 at a time at
which the sensor information 47 is acquired. The sensor information
47 is sensor information acquired from the sensor group 102. Here,
the embodiment describes an example in which only one sensor
information is stored in one message and transmitted, but a
plurality of sensor information may be stored in one message and
transmitted. In this case, a plurality of sensor information having
almost the same sensing time and the same sensing position may be
collectively transmitted, or a sensing time and a sensing position
may be stored for each sensor information to collectively transmit
any sensor information.
[0061] The signature information reception unit 120 receives
signature information (different from an electronic signature)
indicating the characteristics of invalid traffic information from
the server 200. The received signature information is stored in the
storage unit and used when the attack detecting unit 122 detects
invalid information.
[0062] The attack detecting unit 122 detects invalid information
from information received through wireless communication.
Specifically, the attack detecting unit 122 determines that
information consistent with signature information stored in the
storage unit is invalid information.
[0063] The cryptographic processing unit 124 performs the addition
and verification of electronic signatures, encryption processing,
decryption processing, or the like. Since electronic signatures
based on a public encryption system are used in the first
embodiment, the cryptographic processing unit 124 performs the
addition and verification of the electronic signatures. By the
cryptographic processing unit 124, the vehicle is allowed to verify
whether traffic information transmitted from circumjacent vehicles
100 and signature information transmitted from the server 200 are
valid. In addition, the cryptographic processing unit 124 adds
electronic signatures to traffic information that is to be
transmitted to circumjacent vehicles 100 and sensor information and
traffic information that are to be transmitted to the server
200.
Server
[0064] FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing the configurations of the
server 200. As shown in FIG. 2B, the server 200 is a
general-purpose computer and has a wireless communication unit 204,
a memory 208, an auxiliary storage unit 210, and a calculation
processing unit 212. Since the configurations of the server 200 are
the same as those of the vehicle 100, their descriptions will be
omitted.
[0065] The calculation processing unit 212 realizes the functions
of a sensor information collection unit 214, a traffic information
collection unit 216, a traffic information verification unit 218, a
signature information determination unit 220, a signature
information transmission unit 222, and an cryptographic processing
unit 224.
[0066] The sensor information collection unit 214 receives sensor
information transmitted from the vehicle 100 via the wireless
communication unit 204 and stores the same in a storage unit. The
traffic information collection unit 216 receives traffic
information transmitted from the vehicle 100 via the wireless
communication unit 204 and stores the same in the storage unit.
[0067] The traffic information verification unit 218 verifies
whether traffic information collected by the traffic information
collection unit 216 is inconsistent with sensor information
collected by the sensor information collection unit 214. The
inconsistency between traffic information and sensor information
corresponds to, for example, a case in which the traffic
information indicates the existence of a vehicle at a certain
position but the sensor information indicates nothing or the
existence of any object other than the vehicle at the position. In
addition, the inconsistency between traffic information and sensor
information also corresponds co a case in which a vehicle exists at
a position indicated by the traffic information but a movement
speed or a movement direction of the vehicle indicated by the
traffic information is different from a movement speed or a
movement direction of the vehicle indicated by the sensor
information.
[0068] Verification processing by the traffic information
verification unit 218 is briefly described here since it will be
described in detail with a flowchart later. The traffic information
verification unit 218 verifies whether associated sensor
information is consistent with traffic information for each of the
traffic information collected by the traffic information collection
unit 216. The traffic information verification unit 218 determines
that traffic information is invalid when there is a lot of sensor
information inconsistent with the traffic information.
[0069] The signature information determination unit 220 determines
signature information indicating the characteristics of traffic
information determined to be invalid by the traffic information
verification unit 218. In other words, it can be said that the
signature information is information in which the pattern of
invalid information is defined. For example, when a certain vehicle
transmits invalid traffic information, the signature information
determination unit 220 determines as the signature information a
pattern in which the transmission source ID 31 equals the ID of the
vehicle. In addition, when a plurality of vehicles having different
IDs transmits, for example, traffic information in which the
position information 34, the movement speed 35, and the movement
direction 36 have specific values, the signature information
determination unit 220 may determine as the signature information a
pattern in which these fields have the specific values. The
signature information may be of any type so long as it is capable
of specifying invalid traffic information.
[0070] The signature information transmission unit 222 transmits
signature information on invalid traffic information determined by
the signature information determination unit 220 to the vehicle 100
via the wireless communication unit 204. Thus, the attack detecting
unit 122 of the vehicle 100 is allowed to detect an attack based on
the latest signature information.
[0071] The cryptographic processing unit 224 performs the addition
and verification of electronic signatures, encryption processing,
decryption processing, or the like. By the cryptographic processing
unit 224, the server 200 is allowed to verify whether traffic
information and sensor information transmitted from the vehicle 100
are valid. In addition, the cryptographic processing unit 224 adds
electronic signatures to signature information that is to be
transmitted to the vehicle 100.
Processing
Operations of Vehicle
[0072] A description will be given of processing by the vehicle 100
with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5. Note that
although each of the processing is successively performed in the
flowcharts, the processing may not be necessarily performed in this
order but may be performed in different orders or in parallel.
[0073] First, the sensor information acquisition unit 114 acquires
sensor information from the sensor group 102 (S101). Note that the
acquisition of sensor information is periodically performed. The
time interval of the acquisition may be different for each sensor
or may be the same for all sensors. The sensor information
acquisition unit 114 stores the acquired sensor information in the
storage unit.
[0074] Then, the traffic information reception unit 116 receives
traffic information from other vehicles via the wireless
communication unit 104 (S102). The vehicle 100 performs the
verification processing of the received traffic information (S103).
A description will be given in detail of the verification
processing S103 of the traffic information with reference to the
flowchart of FIG. 5. First, the vehicle 100 verifies the electronic
signature 38 of the traffic information using the cryptographic
processing unit 124 (S201) When the verification fails (NO in
S202), the content of the information is falsified and thus the
vehicle 100 is allowed to determine that the received traffic
information is invalid (S206). On the other hand, when the
verification of the signature is successful (YES in S202), it turns
out that the content of the information is neither falsified nor
spoofed. However, even in this case, there is a possibility that
the content of the traffic information is invalid. Therefore, the
attack detecting unit 122 verifies the traffic information using
signature information (S203). The attack detecting unit 122 finds
out whether the traffic information is consistent with the
signature information. When the traffic information matches with
the signature information (YES in S204), the attack detecting unit
122 determines that the traffic information is invalid (S206). On
the other hand, when the received traffic information does not
match with the signature information (NO in S204), the attack
detecting unit 122 is allowed to determine that the received
traffic information is valid (S205).
[0075] Reference is again made to the flowchart of FIG. 4. When it,
is determined by the traffic information verification processing
S103 that the traffic information is invalid (NO in S104), the
vehicle 100 discards the received traffic information (S105). When
it is determined that the traffic information is valid (YES in
S104), the vehicle 100 receives the traffic information as it
is.
[0076] The vehicle control unit 106 performs the automatic driving
control of the vehicle 100 using the sensor information acquired
from the sensor group 102 and the traffic information whose
validity has been verified. Note that in the processing of the
flowchart of FIG. 4, the vehicle 100 determines whether the traffic
information is valid. When it is determined that the traffic
information is invalid, the vehicle 100 discards the traffic
information and does not use the same for the control. However,
rather than discarding the traffic information, the vehicle 100 may
use the traffic information for the control with the recognition
that the traffic information is unreliable. For example, when
unreliable traffic information is acquired, the vehicle 100 may
confirm whether the traffic information is valid based on sensor
information acquired from the sensor group 102 or may perform
sensing again with the sensor group 102. In addition, the vehicle
100 may decelerate or take avoidance action in advance for safety
with the recognition that the traffic information is invalid.
Moreover, in the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 4, the vehicle
100 makes an alternative decision as to whether the traffic
information is valid or invalid. However, the vehicle 100 may
evaluate the possibility of the validity of traffic information at
three or more levels and use the traffic information for the
automatic driving control in consideration of its evaluation value
(reliability).
[0077] The vehicle 100 determines whether now is the time to upload
the information to the server 200 (S107). When now is the time to
upload the information (YES in S107), the information upload unit
118 transmits the sensor information acquired by the sensor
information acquisition unit 114 and the traffic information
received by the traffic information reception unit 116 to the
server 200 (S108). The time to upload the information to the server
200 is not particularly limited. For example, the information
upload unit 118 may transmit the information at any time at which
the vehicle 100 is capable of communicating with the server 200, or
may transmit the information on the condition that the vehicle 100
stops. In addition, the information upload unit 118 may
collectively upload the sensor information and the traffic
information when the engine of the vehicle 100 stops.
Operations of Server
[0078] A description will be given of processing by the server 200
with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. Note that although each
of the processing is successively performed in the flowchart, the
processing may not be necessarily performed in this order but may
be performed in different orders or in parallel.
[0079] The sensor information collection unit 214 receives sensor
information from the vehicle 100 via the wireless communication
unit 204 (S301) and stores the same in the storage unit. Then, the
traffic information collection unit 216 receives traffic
information from the vehicle 100 via the wireless communication
unit 204 (S302) and stores the same in the storage unit. Although
not shown in the flowchart, the server 200 preferably verifies the
electronic signatures 38 and 48 of the traffic information and the
sensor information by the cryptographic processing unit 224 and
discards the traffic information and sensor information when the
verification of the electronic signatures fails.
[0080] The traffic information verification unit 218 selects
traffic information that has not been verified from among the
received traffic information (S303). When there is a plurality of
unverified traffic information, selection of the information may be
made on any basis. The traffic information verification unit 218
finds out whether the selected traffic information is inconsistent
with the sensor information to verify the validity of the traffic
information.
[0081] Specifically, the traffic information verification unit 218
first selects sensor information having an acquisition time and an
acquisition position (the sensing time 45 and the sensing
information 46) close to the transmission time and the transmission
position (the transmission time 33 and the transmission information
34) of the selected traffic information (S304). This processing
aims to narrow down sensor information capable of verifying the
validity of information indicated by traffic information.
Accordingly, sensor information having a position and a time
"close" to the position and the time of traffic information
indicates sensor information by which the validity of information
indicated by the traffic information may be determined with a high
possibility. For example, when traffic information notifying the
existence of a vehicle is verified, sensor information acquired
from the vehicle running on the same road at almost the same time
is selected.
[0082] The traffic information verification unit 218 determines
whether each of the sensor information selected in step S304 is
inconsistent with the traffic information selected in step S303
(S305). For example, for the existence of a vehicle, when the
existence of the vehicle at a position indicated by traffic
information is estimated from sensor information, the traffic
information verification unit 218 may determine that the traffic
information is consistent with the sensor information. On the other
hand, when nothing exists at a position indicated by, traffic
information or when the existence of any object other than a
vehicle is estimated, the traffic information verification unit 218
may determine that the traffic information is inconsistent with
sensor information. In addition, when the existence of a vehicle at
a position indicated by traffic information is not clear from
sensor information, the traffic information verification unit 218
determines in the embodiment that the traffic information is
consistent with the sensor information.
[0083] Here, the embodiment describes the verification of position
information on a vehicle, but the traffic information verification
unit 218 also determines whether a speed or a movement direction of
the vehicle is consistent with sensor information. When a movement
speed or a movement direction of a vehicle existing at a position
in by traffic information is different from a movement speed or a
movement direction of the vehicle acquired from sensor information,
the traffic information verification unit 218 determines that the
traffic information is inconsistent with the sensor information.
That is, when any of traffic information is inconsistent with
sensor information, the traffic information verification unit 218
determines that the traffic information is inconsistent with the
sensor information.
[0084] When the comparison between all the sensor information
selected in step S304 and the traffic information is completed, the
traffic information verification unit 218 determines whether the
number of the sensor information inconsistent with the traffic
information is a prescribed number or more (S306). Here, the
prescribed number may be a fixed value set in advance. However, the
prescribed number may be a value corresponding to the number of the
sensor information acquired in step S304 or may be a value
corresponding to the number of the sensor information consistent
with the traffic information among the sensor information acquired
in step S304.
[0085] When it is determined in step S306 that there is a lot of
sensor information inconsistent with the traffic information (YES
in S306), the traffic information verification unit 218 determines
that the traffic information is invalid. This determination may be
made based on whether the number of inconsistent sensor information
(simple sum) is a prescribed number or more. However, it is more
preferable to put weight on each of sensor information according to
its information quality to make a determination based on whether
the sum of the weight of inconsistent sensor information is a
prescribed number or more. The signature information determination
unit 220 determines signature information indicating the
characteristics of the invalid traffic information (S307). For
example, the signature information determination unit 220 may
determine the transmission source ID 31 of the invalid traffic
information as the signature information. The signature information
transmission unit 222 transmits the determined signature
information to the vehicle 100 via the wireless communication unit
204 (S308). Thus, the vehicle 100 is allowed to detect the invalid
traffic information using the transmitted signature
information.
[0086] When it is determined in step S306 that there is small
number of sensor information inconsistent with the traffic
information (NO in S306), the traffic information verification unit
218 determines that the traffic information is valid. Therefore,
the determination and transmission processing of signature
information is not performed.
[0087] In the way described above, the processing on the traffic
information selected in step S303 is completed. When any unverified
traffic information exists (YES in S309), the processing returns to
step S303 to perform the same processing as the above on the
unverified traffic information. When the verification processing on
all the traffic information is completed (NO in S309), the
processing is completed.
Advantageous Effects of Embodiment
[0088] According to the first embodiment, a vehicle is allowed to
determine that traffic information inconsistent with information
(sensor information) acquired by its sensor is invalid traffic
information, i.e., an attack. Even in a case in which a vehicle is
not allowed to detect invalid traffic information with its own
sensor information, the vehicle is allowed to detect an attack
based on the inconsistency between the traffic information and
sensor information on other vehicles via a server.
[0089] Since electronic signatures are added to traffic
information, a vehicle is allowed to detect an attack by spoofing
or falsification. However, a vehicle is not allowed to detect an
attack using the mechanism of electronic signatures when any
reasonable person intentionally or unintentionally transmits
invalid traffic information. However, as in the first embodiment, a
vehicle is allowed to detect such an attack using signature
information on invalid traffic information.
[0090] In the first embodiment, a server verifies traffic
information using sensor information. Such verification requires
relatively high calculation ability. However, since a server has
higher calculation ability than that of an in-vehicle unit, the
server is capable of performing a complicated analysis.
Modified Example
[0091] In the above description, a vehicle makes an alternative
decision as to whether traffic information is valid or invalid in
the verification processing of the traffic information. However,
the reliability of traffic information may be evaluated at three or
more levels. For example, the traffic information verification unit
218 may determine the reliability of traffic information according
to the number of sensor information inconsistent with the traffic
information. In addition, when it is not possible to determine
whether traffic information and sensor information are definitely
inconsistent with each other or definitely consistent with each
other, the reliability of the traffic information may be determined
using the accuracy. For a vehicle, it is preferable to determine to
what extent a vehicle relies on traffic information to control the
vehicle according to the reliability of the traffic information.
For example, a vehicle performs control while ignoring traffic
information whose reliability is the lowest. On the other hand, a
vehicle may perform control on the assumption that traffic
information with intermediate reliability is possibly valid or
invalid.
[0092] The above embodiment describes a case in which traffic
information transmitted from a vehicle includes a position, a
movement speed, and a movement direction of the vehicle. However,
information included in traffic information is not limited so long
as it is associated with traffic. For example, information on
traffic signals, information on obstacles existing on roads,
information on traffic jams, information on road-surface
conditions, or the like may be transmitted. Any traffic information
transmitted from a vehicle is one capable of being generated based
on sensor information the vehicle. Accordingly, the validity of
such traffic information may be verified in such a way that the
traffic information is compared with sensor information on a
vehicle.
[0093] The above embodiment describes a case in which a vehicle
performs automatic driving control using traffic information
transmitted from circumjacent objects. However, a vehicle may
perform any control based on traffic information. For example, a
vehicle may perform driving assistance control, information
providing control for the passengers of the vehicle, or the like
based on traffic information.
Second Embodiment
[0094] A second embodiment of the present invention describes a
case in which invalid traffic information is detect only by a
vehicle without a server. The configurations of a vehicle according
to the second embodiment are the same as those shown in FIG. 2A
except that the vehicle has the same function as that of the
traffic information verification unit 218 that verifies traffic
information based on sensor information and the vehicle does not
have a function to perform transmission/reception with a
server.
[0095] FIG. 7 shows the outline of the system of the second
embodiment. When receiving traffic information from a circumjacent
vehicle 72, a vehicle 71 compares the received traffic information
with sensor information acquired by its own sensor to verify
whether the received traffic information is invalid. When the
received traffic information is invalid, the vehicle 71 notifies
circumjacent vehicles of the fact that the traffic information is
invalid. A vehicle 73 having received the notification is allowed
to know the fact that the traffic information is invalid. The
system is effective particularly when the vehicle 71 is allowed to
verify the validity of traffic information transmitted from the
vehicle 72 but the vehicle 73 is not allowed to verify the traffic
information with its own sensor information.
[0096] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of traffic
information verification processing by a vehicle in the second
embodiment. The vehicle 71 verifies an electronic signature 38 of
received traffic information with a cryptographic processing unit
124 (S401). When the verification fails (NO in S402), the content
of the information is falsified or spoofed and thus the vehicle 71
is allowed to determine that the received traffic information is
invalid (S407). On the other hand, when the verification of the
signature is successful (YES in S402), it turns out that the
content of the information is neither falsified nor spoofed. Even
in this case, there is a possibility that the content of the
traffic information is invalid. Therefore, an attack detecting unit
122 determines whether the received traffic information is
consistent with invalid traffic information notified by a
circumjacent vehicle (S403). Here, when the vehicle 71 has been
already notified of the fact that the received traffic information
is invalid (YES in S403), the vehicle 71 is allowed to determine
that the received traffic information is invalid (S407). On the
other hand, when the vehicle 71 has not been notified of the Fact
that the received traffic information is invalid (NO in S403), the
vehicle 71 verifies whether the content of the received traffic
information is inconsistent with sensor information acquired by its
own sensor (S404). When the content of the received traffic
information is inconsistent with the sensor information (YES in
S404), the vehicle 71 is allowed to determine that the received
traffic information is invalid. Then, the vehicle 71 notifies
circumjacent vehicles of the fact that the traffic information is
invalid (S405). Here, the vehicle 71 may notify the circumjacent
vehicles of the transmission source ID of the invalid traffic
information, the message ID of the invalid traffic information, or
signature information as in the first embodiment. When the received
traffic information is consistent with the sensor information (NO
in S404), the vehicle 71 is allowed to determine that the traffic
information is valid (S406).
[0097] According to the second embodiment, a vehicle is allowed to
detect invalid traffic information and notify circumjacent vehicles
of the invalid traffic information by itself without a server.
Since the validity of traffic information is verified in real time
by a vehicle without a server, the second embodiment is
advantageous in that invalid traffic information is promptly
notified.
[0098] Note that in the above processing, a vehicle notifies
circumjacent vehicles of the fact that traffic information is
invalid only when the traffic information is inconsistent with
sensor information acquired by itself (NO in S404). However, a
vehicle preferably transmits the above notification at any time
when it is determined that traffic information is invalid.
Third Embodiment
[0099] A third embodiment of the present invention is almost the
same as the second embodiment but is different in that the
notification of invalid traffic information is transmitted not only
from a vehicle but also from a server.
[0100] FIG. 9 shows the outline of the system of the third
embodiment. When receiving traffic information from a. circumjacent
vehicle 92, a vehicle 91 compares the received traffic information
with sensor information acquired by its own sensor to verify
whether the received traffic information is invalid. When the
received traffic information is invalid, the vehicle 91 notifies
circumjacent vehicles of the fact that the traffic information is
invalid. A vehicle 93 having received the notification is allowed
to know the fact that the traffic information is invalid. The
system is effective particularly when the vehicle 91 is allowed to
verify the validity of traffic information transmitted from the
vehicle 92 by its own sensor but the vehicle 93 is not allowed to
verify traffic information with its own sensor information. The
above point is the same as that of the second embodiment.
[0101] In the third embodiment, the vehicle transmits the existence
of the invalid traffic information not only to the circumjacent
vehicle 93 but also to a server 94. Then, the server 94 transmits
the notification of the invalid traffic information to other
vehicles 95
[0102] In the second embodiment, only a vehicle 71 having detected
the inconsistency between traffic information and sensor
information is allowed to notify circumjacent vehicles of the
invalid traffic information. However, since the server 94 transmits
information on invalid traffic information (signature information
or the like) in the third embodiment, vehicles in a wide range are
allowed to be notified of the invalid traffic information.
[0103] Note that in the third embodiment, a server preferably
verifies whether the notification of traffic information from a
vehicle indicating the invalidity of the traffic information is
valid. For example, when only some of vehicles receiving the same
traffic information notifies that the traffic information is
invalid traffic information, the sever may determine that this
notification is invalid.
Fourth Embodiment
[0104] It is also preferable to provide a system in which the first
embodiment ice, combined with the second or the third embodiment.
That is, it is also preferable to provide a system in which traffic
information and sensor information are transmitted to a server so
that the server detects invalid traffic information while a vehicle
compares the traffic information with its own sensor information to
detect the invalid traffic information.
[0105] Verification by a server has the advantage that the server
is allowed to perform a higher analysis based on a lot of sensor
information but also has the disadvantage that a vehicle requires a
long time to be capable of detecting an attack using a verification
result. On the other hand, verification by a vehicle has the
advantage that the vehicle is allowed to promptly notify
circumjacent vehicles of invalid traffic information although the
vehicle performs an analysis based on only information acquired by
its own sensor. According to the fourth embodiment, it is possible
to provide a more effective system in which a vehicle and a server
are complementary to each other.
Other Embodiments
[0106] The present invention is constituted by a general-purpose
processor such as a micro processor and a central processing unit
(CPU) and a computer having a program stored in a memory, and may
be realized when the general-purpose processor runs the program. In
addition, the present invention may be realized by a dedicated
processor such as an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and a digital
signal processor (DSP). It can be said that each of a dedicated
processor and a general-purpose processor running a program is a
processor configured to provide a specific function or a processor
configured to function as a specific function unit. In addition,
some functions of the present invention may be provided by a
general-purpose processor (and a program), and other functions may
be realized by a dedicated processor. Moreover, one of the
functions of the present invention may be realized by both a
general-purpose processor (and a program) and a dedicated
processor.
[0107] The above embodiments and the modified example are given
only for illustration purpose in the present invention and do not
intend to limit the present invention to their disclosed ranges. In
addition, the constituent technologies described in the above
embodiments and the modified example may be combined with each
other to perform the present invention unless they are
technologically contradictory to each other.
* * * * *