Secure Proximity Key GPS Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Proximity keys are vulnerable to theft through signal relaying, where thieves use wireless transmitters to deceive vehicles into unlocking and starting, as they rely on simple radio signal range without secure geographic verification.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a secure proximity key system that uses a built-in GPS receiver to provide current GPS coordinates, which are encrypted and compared with the vehicle's GPS coordinates to ensure the key fob is within a valid distance for authentication, combining with a traditional rotating code for primary authentication and optional biometric data for secondary authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional radio signal range verification is used for proximity key authentication, then the system is simple to operate, but the vehicle becomes vulnerable to signal relaying theft attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from verifying proximity based solely on radio signal range (one-dimensional) to incorporating GPS coordinates for geographic location verification (adding spatial dimension). This dimensional enhancement allows the system to authenticate not just signal presence but actual physical proximity through coordinate comparison, preventing signal relaying attacks while maintaining operational simplicity for users.
2Reliability
If GPS coordinates are encrypted and compared for proximity verification, then security against signal relaying is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces GPS coordinates as an intermediary verification element between the proximity key and the vehicle authentication system. Instead of directly verifying radio signal authenticity, the system uses GPS coordinate data (encrypted and transmitted with the authentication request) as a mediator to prove physical proximity. This intermediary approach enhances security against signal relaying while keeping the user interaction simple, as the complexity is handled automatically by the authentication system.
3Reliability
If the key fob must be within a specific GPS distance range, then theft prevention is enhanced, but the ease of operation may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system performs self-service by automatically calculating the distance between the vehicle and key fob using their respective GPS coordinates. The system retrieves coordinates, computes the distance, and determines authentication validity without requiring user intervention. This automated process maintains ease of operation for users while enforcing security requirements, as the complexity of coordinate verification is handled autonomously by the system.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach is disclosed that receives a wireless request from a proximity key that is used to access a vehicle. The wireless request includes a key-GPS that is a set of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates that correspond to the proximity key. A vehicle-GPS is retrieved at the vehicle with the vehicle-GPS being a set of GPS coordinates that correspond to the vehicle. A distance between the proximity key and the vehicle based is calculated on a difference between the key-GPS and the vehicle-GPS. The approach then determines whether to perform the request based on the calculated distance.