METHOD FOR ACCESSING A DEVICE BELONGING TO A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK IN AN AUTOMOBILE THROUGH AN EXTERNAL DEVICE, AND GATEWAY

摘要

The invention relates to a method to accessing a device belonging to a communications network in a automobile, through an external device, or a gateway. When authorized access is gained to a device belonging to the communications network, a software element is transmitted to the external device, enabling the device in the communications network to be controlled through said external device. A gateway checks whether access has been given, either directly by the requested device or by the system manager. The communications between the external device and the device to be controlled are made secure by additional encryption and/or a predetermined period of validity for the software element transmitted to the external device. If no software element is available for a device to be controlled, an appropriate software element is produced by means of a control module and data stored in the device. A bus system, preferably according to IEEE 1394, is used as a communications network. The inventive method increases security, while the gateway is less complex.