Mobile Equipment Access via Asymmetric Digital Key Pairs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional access control systems for equipment rely on wireless connectivity, which can fail in areas with weak or no signal coverage, preventing operators from accessing rented equipment.
Innovation Solution
A mobile access control system using asymmetric cryptology encryption generates a digital key pair, where one key is stored on a mobile device and the other on the equipment's telematics device, allowing access via short-range communication like Bluetooth, independent of cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional access control systems use wireless connectivity for passcode verification, then centralized control and security management are improved, but access reliability deteriorates in areas with weak or no wireless signal coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the access control functionality into two independent parts: a key generation component in the backend server and a key verification component in the telematics device. The digital key pair is segmented between the mobile device (access key) and the telematics device (verification key), allowing local verification without continuous backend connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The digital key acts as an intermediary that bridges the mobile device and the telematics device, enabling authentication without requiring direct communication with the backend server. The key pair serves as a mediator that carries the authentication information locally.
2Adaptability or versatility
If digital key pairs are generated and stored on mobile devices and telematics devices, then access independence from wireless coverage is improved, but security risks from key management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The verification capability is extracted from the backend server and embedded directly into the telematics device through the stored verification key. This allows the telematics device to independently verify access keys without needing to contact the backend server, enabling operation in areas without wireless coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The verification key is pre-loaded into the telematics device during manufacturing or initial setup. This preliminary action ensures that the device has the necessary authentication capability before deployment, eliminating the need for real-time backend connectivity for verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling access to equipment. The system establishes that a user of a mobile device has authorization to access an equipment and generates an encrypted digital key. The system sends the encrypted digital key to the mobile device. The system also sends an encrypted corresponding digital key to a controlling unit of the equipment. When a distance between the mobile device and the controlling unit is within a threshold, and the encrypted digital key transmitted by the mobile device is authenticated by the encrypted corresponding key on the controlling unit, the controlling unit unlocks the equipment so that the user of the mobile device takes control of the equipment in accordance with terms and conditions as set forth in a contract for operating the equipment between the user and an owner of the system.