Autonomous Vehicle Guidance Authentication for Valid Remote Commands

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Solution Overview

Problem

Remote-controlled autonomous vehicles face challenges in authenticating and validating guidance inputs to prevent unintended or unauthorized commands, which can lead to confusion and safety issues.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a dual authentication and validation system on both the teleoperation system and the autonomous vehicle, using cryptographic signatures, designated communication channels, and configuration data to ensure that only authorized and valid guidance messages are executed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If remote-controlled autonomous vehicles receive inputs from a remote system to navigate, then the vehicles can be controlled by a teleoperator, but unauthorized entities may also send messages to the devices causing safety issues

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveremote control capabilityVSAvoidauthentication security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary authentication of the teleoperator's identity and authority before allowing control commands to be sent. The teleoperator must be authenticated and have authority established in advance, and this authentication information is included with each control message, preventing unauthorized entities from sending commands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism that verifies the teleoperator's identity and authority. The authentication system acts as a mediator between the teleoperator and the autonomous vehicle, validating control messages before they are executed, thus preventing unauthorized control while maintaining ease of operation for authorized users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the teleoperator generates commands to control the autonomous vehicle, then navigation control is achieved, but meaningless instructions may be generated by accidentally operating user input devices

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol responsivenessVSAvoidcommand validity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the autonomous vehicle or intermediary system validates received commands before execution. Commands are checked for合理性 (reasonableness) and validity, providing feedback to prevent accidental or meaningless instructions from being executed while maintaining responsive control for valid commands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary validation of commands before they are executed by the autonomous vehicle. Control messages are authenticated and validated in advance to ensure they are meaningful and intentional, preventing accidental operations from causing unintended actions while maintaining responsive control for valid commands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If authentication and validation systems are implemented on both teleoperation system and autonomous vehicle, then safety and reliability are enhanced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational safetyVSAvoiddual authentication system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges authentication and validation functions into integrated components that operate on both the teleoperation system and autonomous vehicle. By combining multiple security functions into unified authentication modules, the system enhances operational safety while managing complexity through integration rather than separate redundant systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The authentication and validation system is designed with multi-functionality, serving multiple purposes: authenticating teleoperator identity, verifying authority, validating control messages, and ensuring command合理性. This universal approach enhances safety across multiple operational aspects while avoiding the need for separate specialized systems for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4055575B1Guidance authentication with vehicles
Publication Date: 2025.06.25 ZOOX INC
  • EP4055575B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4055575B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4055575B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Aspects of validating information sent to and/or received by a computing device, such as a vehicle computing device, are discussed herein. A vehicle may receive information associated with a computing device, the information indicating that the computing device is authorized to provide guidance information to an autonomous vehicle. Further, the vehicle can receive a message comprising the guidance information associated with the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle can determine that the message is associated with the computing device and can evaluate the message based at least in part on configuration data associated with maneuvering the autonomous vehicle or state information associated with the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle can be controlled based at least in part on evaluating the message.