Vehicle Key Verification Before Disabling Control Functions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle control systems using digital keys can inadvertently disable vehicle functions if the user only possesses the smartphone, leading to inconvenience.

Innovation Solution

An information processing device that includes a reception section, confirmation section, and processing section to verify communication with a secondary key before allowing the disabling of vehicle control functions, ensuring the vehicle control function is not disabled when communication with the secondary key is confirmed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the vehicle control function is disabled by user operation on a smartphone, then the user can prevent unauthorized vehicle control, but the user may inadvertently lose vehicle control if only the smartphone is possessed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle control reliabilityVSAvoidease of disabling vehicle control function

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary verification by checking whether a second key (different from the smartphone key) can communicate with the vehicle before allowing the disabling operation. This advance check prevents the user from inadvertently disabling vehicle control when only the smartphone is available, as the system will detect the absence of alternative key access methods and block the disabling operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the system allows disabling of vehicle control function without verification, then the operation is simple and quick, but the risk of unintended disabling increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of disabling operationVSAvoidrisk of unintended disabling

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the disabling operation is conditional upon verification results. The system checks for the presence of a second key through communication attempts, and based on this feedback, either permits or blocks the disabling operation. This feedback loop ensures that users cannot inadvertently disable vehicle control when no alternative key is available, while still allowing the operation when backup key access is confirmed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12576811B2Information processing device, information processing device-equipped vehicle, information processing method, and recording medium recorded with program

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

An information processing device including a reception section 130 configured to receive user operation for disabling a vehicle control function by a first key configured to be used to control a vehicle, a confirmation section 132 configured to check whether a prescribed communication can be performed with a second key that is a key configured to be used to control the vehicle and that is different from the first key, and a processing section 134 configured to perform processing to suppress disabling of the vehicle control function by the first key according to the user operation in cases in which the prescribed communication with the second key has not been confirmed by the confirmation section.