Vehicle Data Transmission Encryption Level Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for transmitting information between a data processing system external to a vehicle and vehicle systems often result in inadequate security and excessive resource consumption due to uniform encryption and integrity protection levels, leading to potential security risks and inefficient data transmission.

Innovation Solution

A method that dynamically adjusts integrity protection and encryption levels based on the importance of the information, its intended use, the vehicle's state, surroundings, and origin, using categorizations of low, medium, and high levels of protection to ensure secure communication while minimizing resource usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If uniform high-level encryption and integrity protection are applied to all transmitted information, then security is improved, but data consumption and resource usage increase excessively

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoiddata consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different protection levels to different information types based on their classification. Critical information (e.g., control commands, safety-relevant data) receives high-level encryption and integrity protection, while non-critical information (e.g., entertainment content, non-safety-relevant telemetry) receives lower protection or no protection. This local differentiation of protection quality resolves the contradiction by ensuring security where needed while minimizing resource consumption elsewhere.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically adjusts protection parameters (encryption strength, integrity protection level) based on the classification of each information item. The system changes protection parameters according to predefined classification criteria, applying higher protection only when necessary. This parameter adaptation allows the system to maintain security for critical data while reducing overhead for non-critical data, resolving the contradiction between security and resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If high-level protection is applied to all information, then security is improved, but transmission resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidtransmission efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality by applying high-level protection only to specific critical information types that require it for security, while applying lower or no protection to non-critical information. This selective approach maintains transmission efficiency by reducing the overall protection overhead while ensuring security for essential data streams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by providing protection only to the extent necessary for each information type. Instead of uniformly applying maximum protection to all data, the system provides exactly the right amount of protection needed for each classification category, avoiding excessive protection overhead and maintaining optimal transmission efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Quantity of substance

If classification-based differential protection is implemented, then resource consumption is optimized, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata consumptionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments information into distinct classification categories (e.g., critical, non-critical, safety-relevant, non-safety-relevant) and applies appropriate protection levels to each segment. This segmentation simplifies the complexity management by providing clear classification rules and corresponding protection mappings, making the differential protection system manageable despite the multiple protection levels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent manages complexity by establishing predefined parameter sets for different protection levels and automatically selecting appropriate parameters based on information classification. The system changes protection parameters according to classification results, using predetermined configurations that reduce the complexity of real-time decision-making while optimizing resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11989312B2Method for transmitting information
Publication Date: 2024.05.21 MERCEDES BENZ GROUP AG
  • US11989312B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for transmitting information between a data processing system external to the vehicle and systems using the information in a vehicle employs integrity protection and/or encryption mechanisms. The integrity and/or encryption mechanisms are used with different levels of protection, wherein the level of protection is selected and/or adjusted based on the information or a classification of the information, the provided use of the information, the state of the vehicle, the surroundings of the vehicle, the origin of the information, the protection goal, and/or the resource consumption.