Vehicle Occupant Authentication via Remote Server Mediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Car rental companies face challenges in ensuring compliance with driver authorization for rental vehicles, as they lack effective methods to verify who operates the vehicles, which is crucial for insurance and surcharge purposes.
Innovation Solution
A computing device in the vehicle obtains identifying information from the occupant and communicates with a remote authentication server to determine authorization, enabling or disabling vehicle operation based on the response, using various types of identifying information such as authentication codes, biometrics, or document photographs, and temporarily allowing operation if connectivity is initially lacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a remote authentication server is used to verify driver authorization, then insurance compliance and theft prevention are improved, but system complexity and dependency on external connectivity increase
Solution Approach 1:
A remote authentication server acts as an intermediary between the vehicle computing device and the driver authorization database. The server receives identifying information from the vehicle, performs background verification against rental company records, and returns authentication results. This mediator approach centralizes complex verification logic externally, improving local system reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized communication protocols.
2Reliability
If the vehicle disables operation when authentication fails, then theft prevention is improved, but user convenience and operational flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring positive proof of authorization before enabling vehicle operation, the system inverts the approach by temporarily enabling operation and then verifying authentication. The vehicle computing device allows the occupant to start and operate the vehicle initially, then performs background authentication. If authentication fails, the system revokes access by disabling vehicle operation. This inversion improves ease of operation by eliminating upfront authentication barriers while maintaining theft prevention through subsequent verification.
3Ease of operation
If multiple types of identifying information are accepted (biometrics, codes, documents), then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision and authentication security may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the authentication parameter being verified based on the type of identifying information provided. For biometric data like facial recognition or fingerprint scans, the system adjusts verification thresholds and comparison algorithms accordingly. For authentication codes, it validates format and cross-references with rental records. For document photographs, it employs OCR and security feature verification. The remote authentication server adapts its verification precision to match the specific parameter type, maintaining both ease of operation and authentication accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed that is implemented by a computing device in a vehicle. Identifying information is obtained from an occupant of the vehicle via an input device operatively connected to the computing device. If the computing device has connectivity to a remote authentication server, the computing device transmits a request to the authentication server, and controls whether full operation of the vehicle is enabled or disabled based on a response from the remote authentication server. The request includes the identifying information and a vehicle identifier of the vehicle, and requests that the authentication server determine, based on the identifying information and the vehicle identifier, whether the occupant is authorized to operate the vehicle. If the computing device lacks connectivity to the remote authentication server, full operation of the vehicle is temporarily enabled until the computing device has connectivity to the remote authentication server.