Car Key Remote Control for Secure E-Car Charging Authentication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing solutions for e-car charging, such as cash or credit card payments, pose safety risks and lack flexibility, and personal RFID identification devices are prone to loss and damage, while ID cards are inefficient and can be easily swapped, failing to ensure the correct user is accessing associated privileges.

Innovation Solution

A system using a modified car key remote control to transmit a user/vehicle identification code for authentication, combining personal and vehicle IDs to associate access rights and privileges, with encryption and verification through an authentication device, allowing secure and flexible charging and access control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cash or credit card payment methods are used for e-car charging, then payment functionality is provided, but safety risks increase and additional maintenance efforts are required

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidmaintenance effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the identification function from separate ID cards or RFID devices and integrates it into the existing car key remote control. This eliminates the need for separate payment and identification devices, reducing maintenance requirements and safety risks associated with multiple devices while maintaining reliable authentication for charging payments

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines multiple functions (vehicle locking/unlocking, identification, and payment authentication) into a single car key remote control device. This merging reduces the number of separate devices needed, thereby reducing maintenance efforts and safety risks while providing reliable integrated functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If personal RFID devices are used for identification, then individual tariffing is enabled, but the risk of loss and damage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveindividual tariffingVSAvoiddevice security
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the identification function with the existing car key remote control, eliminating the need for separate RFID devices. This integration maintains individual tariffing capability through unique identification codes while reducing the risk of loss and damage by eliminating separate portable identification devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the identification capability from separate RFID devices and embeds it within the car key remote control. This allows individual tariffing to be maintained through unique user/vehicle ID codes while removing the security vulnerability of carrying separate portable identification devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Quantity of substance

If ID cards are used for identification, then user information can be stored, but the identification procedure becomes inefficient and lacks flexibility

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation storageVSAvoididentification efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical card-swiping or card-insertion process with wireless communication between the car key remote control and the authentication device. This substitution maintains information storage capability while dramatically improving identification efficiency and flexibility by eliminating physical card handling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces wireless communication as an intermediary between the user and the authentication system. This allows information to be transmitted without physical card exchange, improving identification efficiency and flexibility while maintaining the ability to store and transmit user information

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Quantity of substance

If ID cards are used for identification, then user information can be encoded, but the cards can be easily swapped between users

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation encodingVSAvoiduser verification
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the user identification code with the vehicle identification code to create a unique user/vehicle ID pair stored in the car key remote control. This combination ensures that even if codes are copied, they cannot be transferred between different user-vehicle combinations, thereby maintaining user verification reliability while preserving information encoding capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates an asymmetric relationship between user identification and vehicle identification by binding them together in a specific combination. This ensures that the identification code is valid only for the specific user-vehicle pairing, preventing unauthorized swapping between users while maintaining the ability to encode and store identification information

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentEP2479731B1User/vehicle-ID associating access rights and privileges
Publication Date: 2015.09.23 ALCATEL LUCENT SA
  • EP2479731B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2479731B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present application relates to a user/vehicle-identification (ID) by which access rights privileges and or user settings can be associated to a specific user assigned to a specific vehicle (e.g. driver). In particular, the application relates to using a user/vehicle-ID stored in a car key remote control for associating access rights privileges and or user settings which have a relation to the vehicle, identified by the vehicle ID, to the user of the car key remote control. A system for authentication of a user of a vehicle (1400) is described. The system comprises an identification (ID) device (100) adapted to store an user/vehicle ID string, wherein the user/vehicle ID string identifies the user of the vehicle and the associated vehicle (1400); and an authentication device (1200) adapted to receive the user/vehicle ID string from the ID device (100), and to associate access rights, privileges and or user settings to the user of the ID device (100), when the user/vehicle ID has been verified.