Tolling OBU Server Communication Protocol Multilevel Security
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current tolling systems face challenges in ensuring reliable and secure communication between on-board units and servers, particularly in maintaining data integrity, privacy, and authenticity, which affects the accuracy and security of transactions in open-road tolling systems.
Innovation Solution
A bi-directional communication protocol using TCP/IP with a predefined message format and multilevel security mechanisms, including CRC for integrity, encryption for privacy, and authentication to ensure secure and reliable data transfer between on-board units and servers, utilizing existing digital cellular networks for message transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a communication protocol is used for data transfer between OBU and Server, then data exchange is enabled, but data integrity and security cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining a structured message format with fixed and variable length parts before actual data transmission. This includes defining message types, status tables, and communication rules in advance, which ensures data integrity and security without adding complex real-time processing requirements during transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication message is segmented into a fixed length part containing common information and a variable length part containing specific data. This segmentation allows for systematic validation and processing of different message components, ensuring data integrity while maintaining protocol clarity and manageability.
2Reliability
If messages are transmitted without waiting for acknowledgment, then communication speed is improved, but message confirmation uncertainty occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the sender flags a pending state when transmitting a request and waits for an acknowledgment message from the receiver. This feedback loop ensures reliable message confirmation by verifying successful delivery and processing before proceeding with subsequent operations, preventing message loss or duplication.
3Reliability
If security mechanisms are added for data transfer, then data security is improved, but communication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining a structured message format with fixed and variable length parts before actual data transmission. This includes defining message types, status tables, and communication rules in advance, which ensures data integrity and security without adding complex real-time processing requirements during transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
Different security measures are applied to different parts of the communication system. The message format includes specific fields for security-related information, and the protocol applies validation and authentication rules selectively to relevant message components rather than uniformly across all data, reducing overall complexity while maintaining security.
4Reliability
If a predefined message format with fixed and variable parts is used, then communication reliability is improved, but message processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication message is segmented into a fixed length part containing common information and a variable length part containing specific data. This segmentation allows for systematic validation and processing of different message components, ensuring data integrity while maintaining protocol clarity and manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining a structured message format with fixed and variable length parts before actual data transmission. This includes defining message types, status tables, and communication rules in advance, which ensures data integrity and security without adding complex real-time processing requirements during transmission.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a communication method for a tolling system comprising a server and at least one on-board-unit, the method comprising the steps of: predefining (S1) a message communication protocol comprising a predefined set of messages to be transmitted between the server and the on-board-unit; initializing (S2) a message format for each of the messages, the message format comprising a fixed length part and a variable length part with at least one status table; and assigning (S3) a multilevel security using at least two security levels attached to the messages and granted to the server and/or the on-board-unit.