Vehicle ADS Feature Activation via Blockchain Smart Contracts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and transaction costs associated with subscription-based activation of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADS) features in vehicles are high due to the involvement of multiple actors and handovers, which complicates the process and raises concerns about data privacy and compliance with regulations like GDPR.
Innovation Solution
A distributed subscription-handling system using a peer-to-peer blockchain network with smart contracts to manage ADS feature subscriptions, allowing vehicles to connect directly with service providers and other nodes, enabling secure and transparent activation and deactivation of ADS features while reducing the need for intermediaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized subscription management system is used with multiple intermediaries (billing company, OEM, ADS feature provider), then the subscription process can be completed with comprehensive validation, but the process complexity and transaction costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the subscription management functionality from the centralized backend systems and embeds it directly into the vehicle's onboard system. The vehicle can now independently validate subscriptions, check feature availability, and manage activations without requiring continuous interaction with multiple external intermediaries, thereby reducing process complexity while maintaining validation reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle's onboard system performs self-validation of subscription status and feature compatibility by autonomously querying the blockchain for subscription data and comparing it against vehicle configuration requirements. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual intervention from multiple parties and reduces transaction complexity
2Productivity
If customer identity data is shared across multiple intermediaries for subscription validation, then the activation process can be completed, but data privacy security and GDPR compliance risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a blockchain-based identity verification mechanism that acts as a trusted intermediary. Instead of sharing raw customer identity data across multiple parties, the system uses cryptographic proofs and decentralized identity verification on the blockchain to validate customer eligibility, thereby maintaining activation efficiency while eliminating data privacy risks
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and stores cryptographic copies of subscription agreements and vehicle configuration data on the blockchain, which can be verified by any participant without revealing underlying personal information. This allows comprehensive validation while protecting customer privacy through immutable, verifiable copies rather than sharing sensitive original data
3Manufacturing precision
If comprehensive vehicle configuration validation is performed across multiple systems, then feature compatibility is ensured, but the number of communication handovers and transaction costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the vehicle's onboard system pre-load and store its configuration data (sensors, processors, software versions) locally before subscription activation. When a subscription is initiated, the system immediately compares the subscription requirements against the pre-stored configuration data, eliminating the need for time-consuming real-time validation queries to multiple external systems
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method performed by a distributed subscription-handling system (1) for supporting subscription-based activation of ADS features in a vehicle. The distributed subscription-handling system identifies (1001) at one or more ADS-equipped vehicles (2) connected via a peer-to-peer blockchain network (3) further comprising at least a first service provider node (4) dedicated to an ADS feature provider, data indicative of one or more subscription options (5) comprising indication of various ADS feature sets available for activation and indication of respective corresponding required ADS-related vehicle configuration, defined in at least a first blockchain-stored smart contract (6) deployed by the at least first service provider node (4); generates (1002) at a first vehicle (20) of the one or more vehicles, based on selecting one of the subscription options, a subscription request transaction (7) to be sent to the smart contract in which the selected subscription option (51) is defined, which subscription request transaction comprises data indicative of the selected subscription option and further vehicle identity - and/or status of ADS-related vehicle configuration - of the first vehicle; adds (1003) with support from the selection-related smart contract the subscription request transaction to a blockchain of said network, when consensus of the subscription request transaction is reached on the network; and enables (1004) at the first vehicle, based on identifying that the blockchain has been updated with the subscription request transaction, activation of at least a first ADS feature (210) corresponding to the ADS feature set of the selected subscription option. The disclosure also relates to a distributed subscription-handling system in accordance with the foregoing, at least a first node - for instance a network-connected ADS-equipped vehicle and/or a network-connected non-vehicle node - comprising such a distributed subscription-handling system, and a respective corresponding computer program product and non-volatile computer readable storage medium.