Vehicle Digital Key Deactivation Based on Registration Device Attributes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing digital key management systems lack the ability to set a target digital key to an unusable state based on the user attributes of the devices involved in its registration, leading to potential misuse or unauthorized access.

Innovation Solution

A management server determines whether to apply a prescribed condition for deleting a target digital key based on the user attributes of the devices involved in its registration, and sets the key to an unusable state accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the management server applies the prescribed condition for deletion to the target digital key, then the key management follows standardized procedures, but the key may remain usable when it should be deactivated for security reasons

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidkey management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different deletion conditions to different digital keys based on their registration context. Specifically, keys registered through certain devices (with specific user attributes) are subject to immediate deletion upon condition fulfillment, while other keys follow standardized prescribed conditions. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by enhancing security for high-risk keys without unnecessarily complicating the management of all keys.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the deletion parameter (condition application) based on the user attributes of the involved device. When the involved device has specific user attributes, the system applies a different deletion condition (immediate deactivation) compared to the standard prescribed condition. This parameter change allows the system to adapt security measures to the specific registration context, improving reliability without uniform complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the management server sets the target digital key to unusable state immediately upon deletion condition fulfillment, then security is enhanced, but the flexibility to maintain key usability when appropriate is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidkey usage flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the deletion condition dynamic based on the user attributes of the involved device. The system continuously evaluates whether the involved device's user attributes match the criteria for enhanced security measures. This dynamic approach allows the system to switch between immediate deactivation and standardized deletion processes, maintaining both security and flexibility adaptively rather than applying a fixed rule to all cases.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Different deletion behaviors are applied to different digital keys based on their specific registration context. Keys registered through devices with specific user attributes are subject to immediate deactivation, while other keys maintain the flexibility of standardized prescribed conditions. This local quality approach ensures security enhancement only where necessary, preserving flexibility for other scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the management server checks user attributes of all involved devices, then unauthorized use is prevented, but the processing time and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunauthorized access preventionVSAvoiddeletion processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary checks of user attributes during the key registration process, storing this information for future reference. When deletion conditions are fulfilled, the system can quickly retrieve and evaluate the stored user attribute information without performing complex real-time analysis. This preliminary action reduces the processing time required during actual deletion operations while maintaining comprehensive security checks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and stores specific user attribute information from the involved devices during registration, separating this security-critical data from the general key management process. This extraction allows the system to efficiently evaluate deletion conditions by referencing pre-stored attribute information rather than re-evaluating all device characteristics during deletion, reducing processing time while maintaining unauthorized access prevention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4687126A1Management server, management method, and program
Publication Date: 2026.02.04 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP4687126A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4687126A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4687126A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A management server manages multiple digital keys available for a vehicle. The multiple digital keys include a target digital key and one or more registration-involved digital keys that have been involved in registration of the target digital key. The multiple digital keys are respectively registered in multiple devices. The multiple devices include an involved device to which a predetermined one of the registration-involved digital keys is registered. The management server performs determining whether to apply a prescribed condition to deletion of the target digital key based on a user attribute of the involved device, and setting the target digital key to an unusable state in accordance with a result of the determination.