Automotive Sensor Cleaning-Based Data Verification Against Hacking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The integrity of automotive sensor data in vehicles is compromised by potential hacking and sensor malfunctions, necessitating a method to ensure data integrity with reduced manipulation potential.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning mechanism within automotive sensors captures cleaning sensor data, which is compared with expected data to verify the authenticity of captured sensor data, leveraging features already present in the vehicle to detect manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automotive sensors are used to capture sensor data for driving features, then environmental awareness and driving automation are enabled, but data integrity is compromised due to potential hacking and sensor malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by capturing reference sensor data during factory calibration before the vehicle is delivered to the customer. This reference data is stored securely and used later to verify the authenticity of sensor data during operation. By performing the data capture action in advance under controlled conditions, the system establishes a baseline for detecting potential hacking or malfunction without requiring continuous external verification mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a verification process that compares current sensor data against the pre-stored reference data. This intermediary verification layer acts as a mediator between the sensor data capture function and the driving feature execution, allowing the system to detect anomalies caused by hacking or malfunctions without directly modifying the sensor hardware or communication protocols.
2Reliability
If verification mechanisms are added to ensure sensor data integrity, then manipulation potential is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by utilizing existing sensor components and their inherent cleaning mechanisms for dual purposes: both maintaining sensor optical quality and providing a verification opportunity. When the cleaning mechanism activates, it creates a known state change that should produce predictable sensor data patterns. This allows the system to use the same hardware infrastructure for both cleaning and verification functions, avoiding the need for separate dedicated verification hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies self-service by using the sensor's own cleaning mechanism and its associated operational states as the basis for verification. Rather than requiring external verification equipment or complex additional systems, the sensor assembly itself provides the verification opportunity through its periodic cleaning cycles. The control unit simply needs to monitor whether the sensor data patterns match expectations during these known cleaning events.
3Reliability
If cleaning mechanism activation is used for verification, then data authenticity is confirmed, but additional energy consumption occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by utilizing the existing periodic cleaning cycles of the sensor as verification opportunities. Rather than continuously activating the cleaning mechanism or running separate verification procedures, the system leverages the naturally occurring periodic cleaning events. During these predetermined intervals, the control unit captures and verifies sensor data against expected patterns, then returns to normal operation. This approach converts an energy-consuming cleaning function into a dual-purpose verification mechanism without requiring additional energy input.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to verifying automotive sensor data captured by at least one automotive sensor of a vehicle, which is configured to provide environmental awareness enabling one or more driving features of the vehicle. To verify the automotive sensor data, a cleaning mechanism included in the automotive sensor is activated, which is configured to cause the at least one automotive sensor to capture cleaning sensor data. The automotive sensor data captured during activation of the cleaning mechanism are then compared with the cleaning sensor data. Finally, the automotive sensor data captured by the at least one automotive sensor are verified if the automotive sensor data captured during activation of the cleaning mechanism correspond to the cleaning sensor data.