Vehicle Relative Location Masking for Secure Virtual Key Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle communication systems fail to provide privacy-enhanced relative location, allowing precise vehicle location to be exposed to third parties, which poses cybersecurity risks.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method to generate and transmit an imprecise location of the vehicle by adding noise to ranging data and introducing delays, ensuring the vehicle's precise location is not shared with user devices, thereby enabling a virtual key function securely.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If precise vehicle location is transmitted to user devices, then virtual key function can be enabled, but vehicle privacy and security are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle securityVSAvoidlocation privacy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing step where the precise vehicle location is transformed into an imprecise location representation before being transmitted to user devices. This intermediary form (imprecise location) maintains the functionality needed for virtual key operation while preventing exposure of the actual precise location data, thus protecting vehicle privacy and security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the precision parameter of the location data. The precise location (high precision parameter) is converted into an imprecise location (low precision parameter) through adding noise or reducing accuracy, allowing the system to maintain security requirements while protecting sensitive location information from being exposed to third parties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of information

If imprecise location is transmitted to protect privacy, then location accuracy for virtual key function may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocation privacyVSAvoidlocation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the quality of location information provided to different entities. The vehicle's processing system maintains access to precise location data for security-critical operations, while user devices receive only imprecise location data for non-critical functions. This localized quality differentiation ensures privacy protection without completely sacrificing the accuracy needed for virtual key functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20260032430A1Privacy-enhanced relative location of a vehicle

Publication Date: 2026.01.29 GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC

AI summary

Examples described herein provide a method for providing an imprecise location of a vehicle to a user device. The method includes receiving, at a processing system of the vehicle, a handshake request, the handshake request initiated by the user device associated with an operator of the vehicle. The method further includes determining, by the processing system of the vehicle, a precise location of the user device. The method further includes generating, by the processing system of the vehicle, the imprecise location of the vehicle. The method further includes transmitting the imprecise location of the vehicle from the processing system to the user device. The method further includes enabling a virtual key function of the user device based at least in part on the precise location of the user device and the imprecise location of the vehicle.