Digital Key Pairing for Offline Vehicle Access and Settings Transfer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle systems lack efficient methods for transferring personalized settings between vehicles and secure digital key programming, especially in offline scenarios, and do not allow for user-specific access control.

Innovation Solution

A communication system that includes a network transceiver and controller for pre-provisioning vehicles with pairing password verifiers, enabling secure digital key programming offline and managing personalized user settings through secure servers, ensuring end-to-end communication using timestamps, unique vehicle IDs, and random numbers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital key programming is performed using standard security protocols requiring online connection, then security is improved, but the system cannot operate in offline scenarios (remote areas, underground structures)

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidoffline operation capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-provisioning the vehicle with pairing password verifiers and cryptographic keys before offline operation is needed. The controller stores authentication credentials and cryptographic material in advance, enabling the vehicle to securely program digital keys offline without requiring real-time connection to remote servers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If personalized vehicle settings are stored locally in one vehicle, then settings are easily maintained, but they cannot be easily transferred to another vehicle

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesettings maintenanceVSAvoidsettings transferability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a universal personalization profile associated with the user account that can be transferred across multiple vehicles. The controller receives personalized settings from the user device and stores them locally, enabling the same user profile to be applied to different vehicles while maintaining local storage benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If there is no user-specific access control for vehicle settings, then the system is simpler to operate, but users cannot limit certain settings during operation by particular drivers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem operation simplicityVSAvoidaccess control structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by assigning different access rights and setting limitations to different user profiles. The controller receives personalized settings that include user-specific permissions and restrictions, allowing each driver to have customized access levels to vehicle functions while maintaining overall system simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4222990B1Systems and methods for managing and transferring personalized vehicle settings and digital vehicle keys
Publication Date: 2026.04.22 FCA US LLC
  • EP4222990B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4222990B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4222990B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A communication system for digital key pairing of a vehicle includes a network transceiver configured for communication via one or more networks with at least one secure server, and a controller. The controller is configured to pre-provision the vehicle with pairing password verifiers for digital key programming to support digital key programming when the vehicle is offline with the at least one secure server, and/or provide end-to-end secure communication between the controller and the at least one secure server by generating and utilizing (i) at least one timestamp, (ii) at least one unique vehicle ID, and (iii) at least one random number in messages communicated between the controller and the at least one secure server.