Digital Key Consent Protocol for Cross-Brand Vehicle Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle digital key systems do not adequately address user consent management and privacy compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA, leading to potential violations and insufficient interoperability across different vehicle brands and services.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a digital key with a user consent protocol using the Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS) to manage user consent and ensure compliance, enabling seamless operation across multiple vehicle brands and services.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a digital key system is implemented for remote vehicle control, then ease of operation is improved, but user consent management and privacy compliance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremote vehicle controlVSAvoidprivacy compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by obtaining user consent before any data processing or remote control operation. The consent manager component secures explicit user authorization in advance, ensuring that all subsequent operations comply with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA while maintaining ease of use through automated consent verification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A consent manager component acts as an intermediary between the digital key system and the vehicle's data processing functions. This mediator component handles consent verification and privacy compliance, allowing remote control operations to proceed smoothly while ensuring regulatory compliance through structured consent management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a digital key system with consent management is implemented, then privacy compliance is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy complianceVSAvoidconsent management system

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The consent management functionality is segmented into a dedicated consent manager component that operates independently from the remote control and vehicle systems. This modular segmentation allows the consent management logic to be isolated, simplified, and maintained separately, reducing the overall complexity burden on the digital key system while ensuring comprehensive privacy compliance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If a proprietary digital key protocol is used for each vehicle brand, then reliability for specific brand is improved, but adaptability across multiple brands deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle control functionVSAvoidinteroperability across brands

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The digital key system is designed with universal functionality that can operate across multiple vehicle brands and service providers. The consent manager component uses standardized data structures and communication protocols that enable the same digital key to manage consent and control operations for different brands, eliminating the need for brand-specific proprietary protocols while maintaining reliable control functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250350599A1Methods for user consent management using open vehicle signal standards and personal digital keys

Publication Date: 2025.11.13 VOLVO CAR CORP

AI summary

Techniques are described that facilitate remote control of vehicle functions by the employment of a private digital key that enables a user to remotely control one or more functions of the vehicle and store information; and a digital key component that adds a new protocol to the private digital key to regulate consent management for a vehicle and support multiple brands.