Autonomous Vehicle Remote Control With Blockchain Message Authentication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous vehicles lack the capability to securely recognize and respond to emergency vehicles, as they cannot process external stimuli like human drivers, leading to security issues such as rogue vehicles impersonating emergency vehicles with minimal effort.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a cryptographically secure authentication system using DICE-RIoT to verify messages from emergency vehicles, ensuring secure communication through a tamper-proof blockchain data structure, and executing commands securely.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If image recognition and audio recognition are used to identify emergency vehicles, then autonomous vehicles can detect emergency signals, but security issues arise where rogue vehicles can impersonate emergency vehicles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency vehicle identification reliabilityVSAvoidimpersonation attack vulnerability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a cryptographic intermediary system using digital certificates and blockchain technology. Instead of relying solely on perceptual signals (lights, sirens) that can be faked, the system uses a trusted intermediary (blockchain) to verify the identity of emergency vehicles through cryptographic proofs, making impersonation computationally infeasible

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical/optical identification system (visual lights, audible sirens) with a cryptographic identification system. The emergency vehicle's identity is proven through digital signatures and blockchain verification rather than physical signals, eliminating the vulnerability to visual/audio spoofing attacks

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If cryptographic authentication is implemented to prevent impersonation, then security against rogue vehicles is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpersonation attack resistanceVSAvoidauthentication system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal cryptographic infrastructure where the same blockchain and certificate verification system serves multiple functions: identity authentication, message integrity verification, and secure command transmission. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity compared to implementing separate mechanisms for each security function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses self-contained cryptographic credentials (digital certificates and signatures) that emergency vehicles carry and present automatically. The verification process is automated through blockchain smart contracts, eliminating the need for manual authentication or complex human-in-the-loop verification systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11456880B2Cryptographically secure mechanism for remotely controlling an autonomous vehicle

Publication Date: 2022.09.27 LODESTAR LICENSING GROUP LLC

AI summary

Disclosed are techniques for remotely controlling autonomous vehicles. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising receiving a message from a first autonomous vehicle, the message including a signed body portion and a triple including components selected from the group consisting of a public identifier of the first autonomous vehicle, a public key of the first autonomous vehicle, and a certificate of the first autonomous vehicle; authenticating the message by verifying the certificate of the first autonomous vehicle; logging the message into a blockchain storage structure, the blockchain storage structure storing a plurality of blocks, each blocking including the signed body portion; and executing one or more orders included within the signed body portion.