Autonomous Vehicle Identifier Registry for Secure Fleet Reconciliation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle networks face challenges in efficiently assigning and managing unique identifiers for autonomous vehicles, leading to difficulties in secure communication, data reconciliation, and fleet coordination across multiple servers and databases.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for automatically assigning vehicle identifiers using a registry server computing system that generates unique identifiers based on data from autonomous vehicles, allowing for secure communication and data management across multiple databases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vehicle identifiers are manually assigned and managed across multiple servers, then communication security can be maintained through human oversight, but system complexity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables autonomous vehicles to self-register and self-identify by automatically generating vehicle identifiers (VINs) through cryptographic hashing of their hardware identifiers. The vehicle computing system independently computes its own VIN using a hash function applied to hardware ID and salt value, eliminating the need for manual identifier assignment and reducing system complexity while maintaining security through cryptographic methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a registry server as an intermediary that stores the mapping between hardware identifiers and generated VINs, along with salt values. This intermediary component centralizes the identifier management function, allowing vehicles to autonomously generate identifiers while the registry maintains the authoritative mapping, thus reducing overall system complexity compared to manual management across multiple servers.
2Loss of information
If unique identifiers are generated for each autonomous vehicle, then data reconciliation between databases improves, but communication overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating cryptographic salt values and storing them in the registry server before vehicles need identifiers. When a vehicle registers, it immediately computes its VIN using the pre-stored salt and hardware ID, eliminating time-consuming identifier generation during operation. The salt values are prepared in advance, enabling rapid VIN computation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual or centralized mechanical identifier assignment with an automated cryptographic system. Vehicles independently compute their own VINs using hash functions applied to hardware identifiers and salt values, eliminating the need for sequential manual identifier assignment. This substitution of cryptographic computation for manual processes significantly reduces processing time while ensuring unique, reconcilable identifiers across all vehicles.
3Reliability
If vehicle identifiers are frequently updated and regenerated, then security against compromised identifiers improves, but system productivity and operational efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by incorporating cryptographic salt values that are stored securely in the registry server before vehicles operate. These pre-prepared salt values enable secure identifier generation without requiring frequent updates. The cryptographic design inherently protects against compromised identifiers through the use of unique salt values for each vehicle, providing security cushioning without impacting operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of frequently updating vehicle identifiers to maintain security, the system inverts the approach by using cryptographic hashing with unique salt values to ensure identifier security from the outset. The VINs are generated once using hardware identifiers and salt values, creating inherently secure identifiers that do not require frequent regeneration. This inversion transforms security from a dynamic update process to a static cryptographic guarantee, maintaining both security and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a system for automatically assigning vehicle identifiers for autonomous vehicles can include a registry server computing system configured to perform operations. The operations can include receiving, at the registry server computing system and from a vehicle computing system onboard an autonomous vehicle, data describing the autonomous vehicle and generating, at the registry server computing system, a vehicle identifier for the autonomous vehicle based on the data describing the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle identifier can be different than and distinct from the data describing the autonomous vehicle. The operations can include associating, at the registry server computing system, the data describing the autonomous vehicle with the vehicle identifier for the autonomous vehicle in a vehicle registry. The vehicle registry can include respective vehicle identifiers associated with a plurality of autonomous vehicles.