Vehicle Safety Function Control Using Digital Key Priority
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Solution Overview
Problem
In motor vehicles with multiple digital vehicle keys, the automatic control of safety functions becomes unpredictable and difficult to reproduce due to key competition, especially when not manually controlled, leading to uncertain vehicle behavior.
Innovation Solution
Assigning different priorities to digital vehicle keys within the vehicle's vicinity to determine a single key with the highest priority for controlling safety functions, ensuring predictable and controlled vehicle behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple digital vehicle keys are allowed to control safety functions simultaneously, then accessibility and convenience are improved, but vehicle behavior becomes unpredictable and control reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different priority levels to different digital vehicle keys, creating a hierarchical control structure. The control unit selectively activates safety functions based on the priority of the detected key, ensuring that only the highest priority key can activate critical safety functions like the immobilizer, while lower priority keys have restricted access. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of access for multiple users while ensuring reliable and predictable control through priority-based differentiation.
2Ease of operation
If automatic control of safety functions is enabled without manual intervention, then convenience is improved, but predictability and user orientation worsen due to key competition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes priority assignments for digital vehicle keys in advance, before actual use. The control unit is pre-programmed with the hierarchy of key priorities, allowing it to automatically and predictably determine which key should control safety functions without real-time manual intervention. This preliminary structuring ensures that automatic control remains convenient while maintaining predictability, as the system consistently follows the pre-established priority rules.
3Adaptability or versatility
If digital vehicle keys can be forwarded and used by different persons, then versatility and adaptability are improved, but control consistency deteriorates due to competing keys in the vehicle region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces priority levels as a parameter that differentiates between digital vehicle keys. Even though multiple keys can be forwarded to different persons for versatile access, each key carries a specific priority parameter that the control unit uses to maintain consistent control behavior. This parameter-based differentiation allows the system to adapt to multiple users while preserving control consistency through the stable priority hierarchy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a predetermined safety function of a motor vehicle may comprise steps of detecting a first digital key in a region of the motor vehicle, wherein a first priority is assigned to the first digital key; detecting a second digital key in the region of the motor vehicle, wherein a second priority is assigned to the second digital key and wherein the priorities have different levels; and controlling the safety function on the basis of the key with the higher priority.