Secured vehicle for user use only

• US 10,074,223 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (Shanghai Anbin Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nio Usa Inc.
• Inventors: Newman, Austin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, K.
• Application Number:
  US15/406,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20180204399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2900/00 Indexing codes relating to the purpose of, or problem solved of road vehicle drive control systems not otherwise provided for in groups B60W30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00507 keyless data carrier having more than one function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00873 by code input from the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/14 With a sequence of inputs of different identification information
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/21 having a variable access code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/25 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/082 applying multi-factor authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 : using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security

Abstract

Systems of an electrical vehicle and the operations thereof are provided. Within an autonomous vehicle fleet that can be optionally primarily used for ridesharing, how does an owner or first user of one of the vehicles prevent another customer or second user from approaching a vehicle and using it for their own purposes/trips? How does the first customer lock down the vehicle for their use exclusively? How does a user secure any personal data that they may have stored in the vehicle? As one example, software locking, portable device authentication, human identification, biometric, rolling code and/or a physical identification card can be utilized to secure and/or reserve the vehicle for the first user.

Claims

1. A vehicle security system, comprising:

a security license system to lock one or more vehicle systems using encryption;

one or more sensors to detect that an authorized user of the vehicle is no longer proximate to the vehicle;

a communications system to provide, in response to the one or more sensors detecting that the authorized user of the vehicle is no longer proximate to the vehicle, a decryption key to a communication device associated with the authorized user, wherein the decryption key is configured to decrypt the encryption used for locking the one or more vehicle systems;

the communications system further configured to receive a plurality of factors for authentication in response to a request for authentication, wherein the plurality of factors includes the decryption key;

a multi-factor authentication system in communication with the communication system to determine whether access to the vehicle should be provided based on the received plurality of factors;

a low-level controller that allows access to the one or more vehicle systems upon authentication confirmation from the multi-factor authentication system; and

the multi-factor authentication system further allowing access to user profile information associated with the authorized user of the vehicle based on the authentication and only when the decryption key is received by the communications system.

2. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, wherein the low-level controller encrypts a component to prevent use of the component by an unauthenticated user, wherein the component is one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s navigation, communication, control, and/or sensor, wherein the decryption key must be provided by the first user to decrypt and enable the component, and wherein the plurality of factors includes one or more of user identity information, biometric information, license information, rolling code information, password information, time information, location information, reservation information, secure code information, and/or an authorization code.

3. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operates in a high or full automation level, wherein when operating in the high automation level a human driver is separated from controlling all vehicle operations, wherein when operating in the full automation level the vehicle controls all driving operations, wherein, in the high or full automation levels, the vehicle receives sensor information describing a condition of a target in an environment surrounding the vehicle, and autonomously changes to a driving operation of the vehicle in response to the sensor information, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, wherein the communications system receives the plurality of factors for authentication one or more of wirelessly, through direct electrical contact, via a user interface, from a smartphone, from an electronic device, audibly, and/or from a reader, and wherein the low-level controller authenticates the user using one or more of a rolling RSA security license, biometric information, public key/private key encryption technique, and an encryption technique.

4. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the vehicle being shared by at least the user and a second user, and one of the plurality of factors for authentication is a reservation for the vehicle at a date and a time, wherein the low-level controller encrypts a component to prevent use of the component by an unauthenticated user, wherein the component is one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s navigation, communication, control, and/or sensor, wherein the decryption key must be provided by an authenticated user to decrypt and enable the component, wherein the user, but not the second user, is provided with the decryption key at a first time and the second user, but not the user, is provided with the decryption key at a different second time, and wherein the decryption key is provided wirelessly to smartphones of the user and the second user.

5. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein the authentication provides access to only some of the vehicle systems, wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the vehicle being shared by at least the user and a second user, and one of the plurality of factors for authentication is a reservation for the vehicle at a date and a time, wherein different first and second tokens are provided to the user and the second user, respectively at different times, wherein the tokens are generated by an RSA SecurID authentication mechanism, and wherein the low-level controller determines that the first token, but not the second token, is valid at a first time and that the second token, but not the first token, is valid at a different second time.

6. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein a license associated with the authentication specifies which vehicle systems a particular user can access, wherein a trusted platform module authenticates a key received from the user, wherein the trusted platform module is embedded in a motherboard of an on board vehicle system, and wherein the key is a hardware key.

7. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein after authentication the vehicle is subsequently locked and one or more of the one or more vehicle systems are encrypted, wherein a trusted platform module authenticates a key received from the user, wherein the trusted platform module is embedded in a motherboard of an on board vehicle system, wherein the key is the decryption key, and wherein the decryption is wrapped using the trusted platform module, thereby binding a storage device comprising encrypted information that is decrypted by the decryption key to a device comprising the motherboard.

8. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, wherein the low-level controller encrypts a component to prevent use of the component by an unauthenticated user, wherein the component is one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s navigation, communication, control, and/or sensor, and wherein the vehicle communicates the decryption key to decrypt the encrypted component to a computational component in a cloud.

9. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein successful authentication of the user triggers downloading by the vehicle of the user'"'"'s information from a remote location.

10. The vehicle security system of claim 1, wherein the user has reserved the vehicle over a specified time period and/or for pickup at a specific location, wherein the request for authentication is triggered by a vehicle sensor detecting a presence of the user, and wherein the low-level controller considers the time and/or location of the user'"'"'s presence in determining whether to authenticate successfully the user.

11. A method to operate a vehicle security system comprising:

determining, via one or more sensors, that an authorized user of a vehicle is no longer proximate to the vehicle;

communicating, in response to the one or more sensors determining that the authorized user of the vehicle is no longer proximate to the vehicle, a decryption key to a communication device associated with the authorized user, wherein the decryption key is configured to decrypt an encryption used for locking one or more vehicle systems;

receiving, by a low-level controller, a plurality of factors for authentication in response to a communicated request for authentication, wherein the plurality of factors includes the decryption key;

determining, by the low-level controller, whether access to the vehicle should be provided based on the received plurality of factors;

allowing access, using a low-level controller, to the one or more vehicle systems upon authentication confirmation from the multi-factor authentication system; and

allowing, by the low-level controller, access to user profile information associated with the authorized user of the vehicle based on the authentication and only when the decryption key is received by the communications system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, wherein the low-level controller encrypts a component to prevent use of the component by an unauthenticated user, wherein the component is one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s navigation, communication, control, and/or sensor, wherein the decryption key must be provided by the user to decrypt and enable the component, and wherein the plurality of factors include one or more of user identity information, biometric information, license information, rolling code information, password information, time information, location information, reservation information, secure code information, and/or an authorization code.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle operates in a high or full automation level, wherein when operating in the high automation level a human driver is separated from controlling all vehicle operations, wherein when operating in the full automation level the vehicle controls all driving operations, wherein, in the high or full automation levels, the vehicle receives sensor information describing a condition of a target in an environment surrounding the vehicle, and autonomously changes to a driving operation of the vehicle in response to the sensor information, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, wherein a communications system receives the plurality of factors for authentication one or more of wirelessly, through direct electrical contact, via a user interface, from a smartphone, from an electronic device, audibly, and/or from a reader, and wherein the low-level controller authenticates the first user using one or more of a rolling RSA security license, biometric information, public key/private key encryption technique, and an encryption technique.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the vehicle being shared by at least the user and a second user, and one of the plurality of factors for authentication is a reservation for the vehicle at a date and a time, wherein the low-level controller encrypts a component to prevent use of the component by an unauthenticated user, wherein the component is one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s navigation, communication, control, and/or sensor, wherein the decryption key must be provided by an authenticated user to decrypt and enable the component, wherein the user, but not the second user, is provided with the decryption key at a first time and the second user, but not the user, is provided with the decryption key at a different second time, and wherein the decryption key is provided wirelessly to smartphones of the user and the second user.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the authentication provides access to only some of the vehicle systems, wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the vehicle being shared by at least the user and a second user, and one of the plurality of factors for authentication is a reservation for the vehicle at a date and a time, wherein different first and second tokens are provided to the user and the second user, respectively at different times, wherein the tokens are generated by an RSA SecurID authentication mechanism, and wherein the low-level controller determines that the first token, but not the second token, is valid at a first time and that the second token, but not the first token, is valid at a different second time.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein a license associated with the authentication specifies which vehicle systems a user can access, wherein a trusted platform module authenticates a key received from the user, wherein the trusted platform module is embedded in a motherboard of an on board vehicle system, and wherein the key is a hardware key.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein after authentication the vehicle is subsequently locked and one or more of the one or more vehicle systems are encrypted, wherein a trusted platform module authenticates a key received from the user, wherein the trusted platform module is embedded in a motherboard of an on board vehicle system, wherein the key is the decryption key, and wherein the decryption is wrapped using the trusted platform module, thereby binding a storage device comprising encrypted information that is decrypted by the decryption key to a device comprising the motherboard.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, wherein the low-level controller encrypts a component to prevent use of the component by an unauthenticated user, wherein the component is one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s navigation, communication, control, and/or sensor, and wherein the vehicle communicates the decryption key to decrypt the encrypted component to a computational component in a distributed network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the user has reserved the vehicle over a specified time period and/or for pickup at a specific location, wherein the request for authentication is triggered by a vehicle sensor detecting a presence of the user, and wherein the low-level controller considers the time and/or location of the first user presence in determining whether to authenticate successfully the user.

20. A vehicle, comprising:

a sensor system having one or more sensors configured to determine that an authorized user of a vehicle is no longer proximate to the vehicle;

a communications system configured to send a decryption key to a communication device associated with the authorized user in response to the one or more sensors determining that the authorized user of the vehicle is no longer proximate to the vehicle, wherein the decryption key is configured to decrypt an encryption used for locking one or more vehicle systems and receive a plurality of factors for authentication of a user in response to a request for authentication;

a multi-factor authentication system in communication with the communication system to determine whether access to the vehicle should be provided to the user based on the received plurality of factors wherein the plurality of factors includes the decryption key; and

a low-level controller that allows the user access to one or more vehicle systems upon authentication confirmation from the multi-factor authentication system, wherein the low-level controller operates at a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) level, and wherein the low-level controller allows access to user profile information associated with the authorized user of the vehicle based on the authentication and only when the decryption key is received by the communications system.