IP Library Granted Patent US 12,367,093
Granted Patent B2
US 12,367,093 · App. 18/482,279 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Vehicle software security using Gödel numbering

Inventor: William R Mayhew (Ann Arbor, MI)
Assignee: FCA US LLC
G06F11/0772B60W10/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,367,093
App. No.
18/482,279
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Software security techniques for a vehicle include defining a plurality of waypoints within the plurality of operations of a software executed by a control system of the vehicle and defining a plurality of operations, applying Gödel numbering to the software by (i) assigning a unique integer to each of the plurality of waypoints and (ii) assigning a unique prime number to each sequential operation of the plurality of operations, calculating a Gödel number for an executed sequence of the plurality of operations, comparing the calculated Gödel number to a set of acceptable Gödel numbers corresponding to a set of acceptable sequences for executing the plurality of operations, and when the calculated Gödel number does not match any of the set of acceptable Gödel numbers, controlling, by the control system, a vehicle sub-system according to a remedial or corrective action.

Claims (33)

1. A software security system for a vehicle, the software security system comprising:

a control system configured to control operation of the vehicle;

a vehicle sub-system configured to be electronically controlled by the control system via software executed by the control system, wherein the software defines a plurality of operations; and

wherein the control system is further configured to:

define a plurality of waypoints within the plurality of operations of the software;

apply Gödel numbering to the software by (i) assigning a unique integer to each of the plurality of waypoints and (ii) assigning a unique prime number to each sequential operation of the plurality of operations;

calculate a Gödel number for an executed sequence of the plurality of operations;

compare the calculated Gödel number to a set of acceptable Gödel numbers corresponding to a set of acceptable sequences for executing the plurality of operations; and

when the calculated Gödel number does not match any of the set of acceptable Gödel numbers, control the vehicle sub-system according to a remedial or corrective action.

2. The software security system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle sub-system is a drive-by-wire system in which the vehicle sub-system is configured to electromechanically control a corresponding vehicle actuator in response to electronic control signals from the control system.

3. The software security system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle sub-system includes at least one of an electric motor system, a brake system, and a transmission system.

4. The software security system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle sub-system includes a plurality of independent and interconnected drive-by-wire systems.

5. The software security system of claim 1 , wherein the software is executed asynchronously by the control system.

6. The software security system of claim 5 , wherein the software is partially executed by at least two independent controllers of the control system or by at least two independent cores of a single processor of the control system.

7. The software security system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to control the vehicle sub-system according to the remedial or corrective action without resetting the control system and is further configured to generate or maintain an error log detailing any executed sequences of operations having unmatched calculated Gödel numbers.

8. The software security system of claim 7 , wherein the control system is configured to intelligently analyze a particular error in the error log by decomposing the calculated Gödel number value via prime number factoring to identify where in the executed sequence of the plurality of operations the error occurred.

9. The software security system of claim 8 , wherein the control system is configured to perform self-learning based on the logged/stored and analyzed errors.

10. A software security method for a vehicle, the software security method comprising:

providing a control system configured to control operation of the vehicle;

providing a vehicle sub-system configured to be electronically controlled by the control system via software executed by the control system, wherein the software defines a plurality of operations;

defining, by the control system, a plurality of waypoints within the plurality of operations of the software;

applying, by the control system, Gödel numbering to the software by (i) assigning a unique integer to each of the plurality of waypoints and (ii) assigning a unique prime number to each sequential operation of the plurality of operations;

calculating, by the control system, a Gödel number for an executed sequence of the plurality of operations;

comparing, by the control system, the calculated Gödel number to a set of acceptable Gödel numbers corresponding to a set of acceptable sequences for executing the plurality of operations; and

controlling, by the control system, the vehicle sub-system according to a remedial or corrective action when the calculated Gödel number does not match any of the set of acceptable Gödel numbers.

11. The software security method of claim 10 , wherein the vehicle sub-system is a drive-by-wire system in which the vehicle sub-system is configured to electromechanically control a corresponding vehicle actuator in response to electronic control signals from the control system.

12. The software security method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle sub-system includes at least one of an electric motor system, a brake system, and a transmission system.

13. The software security method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle sub-system includes a plurality of independent and interconnected drive-by-wire systems.

14. The software security method of claim 10 , wherein the software is executed asynchronously by the control system.

15. The software security method of claim 14 , wherein the software is partially executed by at least two independent controllers of the control system or by at least two independent cores of a single processor of the control system.

16. The software security method of claim 10 , wherein the control system is configured to control the vehicle sub-system according to the remedial or corrective action without resetting the control system, and wherein the method further comprises generating or maintaining, by the control system, an error log detailing any executed sequences of operations having unmatched calculated Gödel numbers.

17. The software security method of claim 16 , further comprising intelligently analyzing, by the control system, a particular error in the error log by decomposing the calculated Gödel number value via prime number factoring to identify where in the executed sequence of the plurality of operations the error occurred.

18. The software security method of claim 17 , further comprising performing, by the control system, self-learning based on the logged/stored and analyzed errors.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 6, 2023
From: MAYHEW, WILLIAM
To: FCA US LLC
Reel/Frame 065466/0643 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250117278A1 · Apr 10, 2025
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