Temporary Key Management for Secure Vehicle Diagnostics

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Solution Overview

Problem

The use of long-term keys for vehicle diagnostics poses a security risk, as they can be misused by unauthorized individuals to access privacy data and control vehicle operations, compromising driving security.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle diagnostic system that generates temporary keys independent of long-term keys, managed by a key management system, to encrypt and decrypt diagnostic requests, ensuring secure and flexible diagnostics without exposing long-term keys.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If long-term keys are used for vehicle diagnostics, then diagnostic operations can be performed, but security risks increase as keys may be accessed by unauthorized individuals

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnostic operationVSAvoidsecurity risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the key into two parts: a long-term key stored in the vehicle's memory and a temporary key generated during diagnostics. The temporary key is used only for the diagnostic session and is deleted afterward, separating the permanent authentication mechanism from the temporary diagnostic access mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The temporary key acts as an intermediary between the diagnostic device and the vehicle's long-term key. It allows the diagnostic device to access vehicle data without directly obtaining or storing the long-term key, thus mediating the security risk while enabling diagnostic functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If temporary keys are generated for each diagnostic, then security is improved, but processing resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidprocessing resources
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically generates temporary keys only when diagnostic operations are needed, rather than using static long-term keys continuously. The temporary key is created, used for the specific diagnostic task, and then discarded, making the security mechanism adaptive to actual usage requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The temporary key is designed as a disposable security element that is generated for a specific purpose (diagnostic session) and then discarded. This avoids the need for permanent key storage and distribution, reducing the security burden while consuming minimal processing resources compared to continuous key management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Reliability

If long-term keys are stored in the vehicle, then authentication is maintained, but privacy data may be leaked if keys are obtained unauthorizedly

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveauthenticationVSAvoidprivacy data
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the diagnostic access function from the long-term key storage. By generating temporary keys on-demand for diagnostic purposes, the system separates the authentication function (long-term key) from the diagnostic access function (temporary key), preventing unauthorized access to privacy data even if the long-term key is compromised.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system prepares a security mechanism in advance by establishing a key management system that can generate temporary keys when needed. This preemptive arrangement ensures that even if the long-term key is exposed, the privacy data remains protected because the temporary keys are generated securely and discarded after use.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP4250631B1Vehicle diagnosis system, method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 YINWANG INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD
  • EP4250631B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4250631B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4250631B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle diagnostic system, method, and apparatus are provided, to address insecure effect caused by using a long-term key for a vehicle diagnostic. The vehicle diagnostic system includes a key management system and a to-be-diagnosed unit. The key management system receives a key authorization request sent by a diagnostic device, generates a temporary key based on the key authorization request, and sends a key authorization response to the diagnostic device. The key authorization response carries the temporary key. The key management system configures the temporary key for the to-be-diagnosed unit, so that the diagnostic device and the to-be-diagnosed unit complete a diagnostic based on the temporary key and obtain a diagnostic result. The temporary key is independent of a long-term key in a vehicle. The temporary key is configured to complete the vehicle diagnostic, so that the diagnostic device can be prevented from accessing the long-term key in the vehicle as much as possible. This not only helps protect privacy data of a vehicle owner, but also reduces a possibility that an unauthorized person uses the long-term key to control vehicle running, thereby improving driving security of the vehicle owner.