System and method for dynamically authenticating map data using blockchains

• US 10,663,303 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2018
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Lawrenson, Matthew John, Nolan, Julian Charles, Kobayashi, Norihiko, Fukuda, Nobuhiro, Hinata, Makoto, Yano, Takanao
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US16/002,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20180356236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3848 Data obtained from both position sensors and additional sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A system and method for updating map data for updating map data for an autonomous vehicle (AV) is provided. The method includes collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a first AV, sensor data, and comparing the sensor data collected against map data for determining a presence of potential changed data. The method further includes generating a proof of work (PoW) block including the potential changed data, and collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a second AV, first verification sensor data. The potential changed data is then compared with the first verification sensor data for generating a first verified map block based on the first verification sensor data, and adding the first verified map block to a first verified map blockchain.

Claims

1. A method for updating map data for an autonomous vehicle (AV), the method comprising:

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a first AV, sensor data;

comparing the sensor data collected against map data;

when a difference between the sensor data and the map data is above a predetermined threshold, determining that potential changed data is present in the sensor data;

generating a proof of work (PoW) block including the potential changed data;

generating a set of verification blocks for verification of the PoW block;

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a second AV, first verification sensor data;

comparing the potential changed data with the first verification sensor data; and

when the first verification sensor data corresponds to the potential changed data, determining that first verification of the potential changed data is successful, generating a first verified map block based on the first verification sensor data, and adding the first verified map block to a first verified map blockchain.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the map data is stored in a memory of the first AV.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a third AV, second verification sensor data;

comparing the second verification sensor data against both the map data and the first verification sensor data; and

when a portion of the second verification sensor data corresponds to the first verification sensor data and a remaining portion of the second verification sensor data corresponds to the map data,

determining that second verification of the potential changed data is successful,

generating a second verified map block based on the second verification sensor data, and

adding the second verified map block to a map blockchain to provide a second verified map blockchain.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an amount of data of the second verification sensor data is larger than an amount of data of the first verification sensor data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second verification sensor data includes sensor data corresponding to an area of the potential changed data and one or more adjacent areas.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the second verified map blockchain is a distributed database.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein an AV is set to operate as only one of the first AV, second AV and third AV for verification of the potential changed data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount of data of the first verification sensor data is greater than or equal to an amount of data of the potential changed data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first verification sensor data includes sensor data corresponding to an area of the potential changed data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first verified map blockchain is a distributed database.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the distributed database is provided with several copies existing at any one time and with different versions of the data base.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to adopt, by an AV, the first verified map blockchain as its updated map data according to a confidence level set for the AV.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the confidence level set for the AV specifies that the first verification of the potential changed data is successfully performed at least a predetermined number of times before its adoption.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or plurality of AV sensors of the first AV and the second AV each includes at least one image sensor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or plurality of sensors of each of the first AV and the second AV include at least one LIDAR (actuators, a light detection and ranging) sensor.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or plurality of sensors of each of the first AV and the second AV include at least one radar sensor.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the PoW block expends data and processing resources of the first AV.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first AV and the second AV receives credit upon the first verification of the potential changed data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the credit is virtual currency.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of the verification blocks is determined based on at least one of:

a size of the potential changed data,

a number of second AVs available to perform the first verification, and

whether redundancy is required for the first verification.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification blocks include separate portions of the potential changed data.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is adjusted according to environmental conditions.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental conditions are at least one of weather, daytime/night, a time, a season, and a country.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one or more second AVs for performing the first verification based on proximity to an area corresponding to the potential changed data.

25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a computer program, the computer program, when executed by a processor, causing a computer apparatus to perform a process for updating map data for an autonomous vehicle (AV), the process comprising:

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a first AV, sensor data;

comparing the sensor data collected against;

when a difference between the sensor data and the map data is above a predetermined threshold, determining that potential changed data is present in the sensor data;

generating a proof of work (PoW) block including the potential changed data;

generating a set of verification blocks for verification of the PoW block;

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a second AV, first verification sensor data;

comparing the potential changed data with the first verification sensor data; and

when the first verification sensor data corresponds to the potential changed data, determining that first verification of the potential changed data is successful, generating a first verified map block based on the first verification sensor data, and

adding the first verified map block to a first verified map blockchain.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the map data is stored in a memory of the first AV.

27. A computer apparatus for updating map data for an autonomous vehicle (AV), the computer apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores instructions, and

a processor that executes the instructions,

wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a first AV, sensor data;

comparing the sensor data collected against map data;

when a difference between the sensor data and the map data is above a predetermined threshold, determining that potential changed data is present in the sensor data;

generating a proof of work (PoW) block including the potential changed data;

generating a set of verification blocks for verification of the PoW block;

collecting, using one or a plurality of AV sensors of a second AV, first verification sensor data;

comparing the potential changed data with the first verification sensor data; and

when the first verification sensor data corresponds to the potential changed data, determining that first verification of the potential changed data is successful, generating a first verified map block based on the first verification sensor data, and adding the first verified map block to a first verified map blockchain.