In-Vehicle Biometric Authentication With Seat Presence Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication methods for motor vehicle access control, such as those using portable systems or contactless keys, fail to establish a strong link between the possession of the device and the identity of the legitimate driver, allowing for potential misuse and limiting the deployment of services that require driver-specific identification throughout the driving session.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a biometric sensor in the vehicle to authenticate the user through contact, combined with a verification of the user's seated state via a transmission channel formed by the human body, eliminating the need for a portable system and ensuring the identity of the driver is validated throughout the driving session by detecting the start and end of the session through seat belt fastening and unfastening events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a portable system (e.g., watch) is used for authentication, then the user can authenticate by skin contact, but the portable system can be lent or stolen allowing unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the authentication capability from the portable device and relocates it to the vehicle itself. The biometric sensor and HBC communication components are integrated into the vehicle, eliminating the need for external portable authentication devices. This ensures that authentication is inherently tied to the vehicle and cannot be separated or transferred to unauthorized users.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple functions into the vehicle structure: the biometric sensor for identification, the HBC transmitting and receiving devices for communication, and the seat belt system for session verification all work together as an integrated authentication system. This combination ensures that no single component can be removed or transferred, maintaining both convenience and security.
2Adaptability or versatility
If contactless RFID keys are used, then access control can be implemented, but the same limitation of portable device portability applies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the electromagnetic field-based RFID communication with a mechanical/electrical contact-based HBC system. By requiring physical skin contact with both the biometric sensor and the seat belt integrated circuit, the system creates a more secure connection that cannot be replicated remotely or by portable devices. This substitution enhances reliability while maintaining access control versatility.
3Reliability
If authentication is only performed at vehicle access, then portable device limitations are avoided, but driver identity cannot be guaranteed throughout the driving session
Solution Approach 1:
The invention establishes continuous authentication throughout the driving session by using the seat belt as a persistent verification mechanism. The HBC communication between the seat belt integrated circuit and the vehicle maintains ongoing verification that the authenticated driver remains in the driver's seat, ensuring continuous driver identification rather than a single-point authentication.
4Reliability
If a biometric sensor with HBC communication is used, then continuous authentication is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the seat belt serve multiple functions: it provides the mechanical restraint function, contains an integrated circuit for HBC communication, and acts as a verification mechanism for continuous authentication. By making the seat belt multi-functional, the system achieves continuous driver verification without adding separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution uniquely associates a driving session with a single user, ensuring continuous authentication and integrity by eliminating the need for a portable system, thereby preventing unauthorized access and ensuring only the authorized driver can use the vehicle during the entire driving session.
Implementation Method 1
The identification signal is transmitted by establishing electrical contact between the transmitting device and the receiving device through the human body of the user
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a system for authenticating a user (U) for a driving session in a motor vehicle, said system comprising a biometric contact sensor (3) mounted in the vehicle, and a transmission device (4) which is associated with said sensor and can transmit an electrical identification signal to a receiving device (5) mounted in the driver's seat (2), via a transmission channel formed by the human body (10) of the user, a vehicle control unit (BCM, ECU) being suitable for detecting an event that represents the beginning of said driving session, and then running a phase of authenticating the user by means of said biometric sensor and, in parallel, running a phase of verifying the seated presence of the user being authenticated on the driver's seat, by means of said transmission channel, and allowing said driving session when said authentication and verification phases have been validated.