US-12619769-B2 - Data security in communications

Abstract

A computer includes a processor and a memory, the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to generate obscured received data from received data by applying at least one Boolean operation to the data and to transmit, via a first communications channel, the obscured received data to a second computer. The executable instructions are additionally to transmit, via a second communications channel, a key to the second computer.

Inventors

• John Moore
• Bradley Warren Smith
• Elizabeth Kanous
• Dajiang Suo
• Sanjay Emani Sarma

Assignees

• FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230321

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A system comprising: a computer including a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions including instructions executable by the processor to: generate obscured data from data received from a vehicle sensor by applying a plurality of Boolean operations to the received vehicle sensor data according to a balanced obscuration process that preserves information content of data words of the received vehicle sensor data responsive to successive ones of the Boolean operations that utilize the data words and a key as inputs to the successive Boolean operations; transmit, via a first communications channel, the obscured received data to a second computer; transmit, via a second communications channel, the key to the second computer with values to reverse obscuration of the obscured received data; and display the received vehicle sensor data at a second vehicle.
2. 2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising the second computer that includes a second processor coupled to a second memory, the second memory storing second instructions including instructions executable by the second processor to apply a Boolean operation to the key and the obscured received data to reverse obscuration of the obscured received data.
3. 3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to: insert an unused bit into the obscured received data after generating the obscured received data.
4. 4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to: insert an unused bit into a data word of the obscured received data according to a rule to indicate the position of the unused bit of the data word.
5. 5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to change a value of a portion of the obscured received data based on a relationship between the portion and a portion of the key.
6. 6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to change a value of a portion of a data word of the obscured received data based on a relationship between the value of the portion of the obscured received data word and the value of a corresponding portion of the key.
7. 7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to change a value of a portion of a data word based on whether the value of the portion of the data word is equal to a value at the corresponding location of the key.
8. 8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to apply an exclusive Boolean OR operator to the received vehicle sensor data.
9. 9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to apply a Boolean NOT operator to the received vehicle sensor data.
10. 10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received sensor data include instructions to apply a dynamically selectable number of successive exclusive Boolean OR operations to the received vehicle sensor data.
11. 11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to apply a dynamically selectable number of successive exclusive OR operators and a dynamically selectable number of successive NOT operators to the received vehicle sensor data.
12. 12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to generate the obscured received data include instructions to apply a dynamically selectable random number of exclusive OR operators and a dynamically selectable random number of NOT operators to the received vehicle sensor data.
13. 13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first communications channel and the second communications channel include wireless channels having addresses that differ from each other.
14. 14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the received vehicle sensor data is from a vehicle sensor of a first vehicle, the vehicle sensor having a field of view of an area external to the first vehicle and hidden from a sensor of the second vehicle.
15. 15 . A method comprising: generating obscured data from data received from a vehicle sensor by applying at least one Boolean operation to the received vehicle sensor data according to a balanced obscuration process that preserves information content of data words of the received vehicle sensor data responsive to successive ones of the Boolean operations that utilize the data words and a key as inputs to the successive Boolean operations; transmitting, via a first communications channel, the obscured received data to a second computer; transmitting, via a second communications channel, the key to the second computer with values to reverse obscuration of the obscured received data; and displaying the received vehicle sensor data at a second vehicle.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: inserting an unused bit into a data word of the obscured received data after generating the obscured received data according to a rule to indicate the position of the unused bit.
17. 17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: changing a value of a portion of a data word of the obscured received data based on whether the value of the portion of the data word is equal to a value at the corresponding location of the key.
18. 18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein generating the obscured received data comprises: applying, under direction of a computer, a dynamically selectable number of successive exclusive Boolean OR operators to the received vehicle sensor data.
19. 19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein generating obscured received data comprises: applying a dynamically selectable random number of successive exclusive OR operators and a dynamically selectable random number of successive NOT operators to the received vehicle sensor data.
20. 20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the received vehicle sensor data is from a vehicle sensor of a first vehicle, the vehicle sensor having a field of view of an area external to the first vehicle and hidden from a sensor of the second vehicle.

Description

BACKGROUND A wide variety of architectures and environments can utilize communications links to transmit sensitive and/or important data. For example, a communications link utilized to conduct communications among vehicles, as well as communications links utilized in the transmission of numerous other types of data, may benefit from securable so as to maintain the security of the communications channel. For example, vehicles can include a variety of sensors, such as sensors that can provide data to detect and classify objects located in a vehicle environment. It may be useful, for example, for a first vehicle to cooperatively transmit data to second vehicle, e.g., data about of the detected object can be received at a second vehicle so that the second vehicle can utilize the data detected obtained about the object in the first vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example first vehicle in communication with a second vehicle via an intervening network. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example first vehicle cooperatively communicating detected object parameters to a second vehicle. FIGS. 3-4 are diagrams of example systems for providing security of transmitted vehicle data. FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example technique for providing an additional layer of security to transmitted vehicle data. FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of an example process for providing security of transmitted vehicle data. FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example technique for providing security of transmitted vehicle data via virtual channels. DETAILED DESCRIPTION This disclosure provides techniques for providing security of data generated by an onboard vehicle sensor. Examples of data generated by an onboard vehicle sensor may include objects detected and/or classified via radar sensors, ultrasonic sensors, cameras, LIDAR devices, etc. Data generated by an onboard vehicle sensor may be useful to other vehicles in traffic, such as to provide notification of a detected object that may not yet be visible or may be shielded from other vehicles. For example, responsive to a first vehicle determining that a pedestrian is present and may encroach upon the vehicle's path, the first vehicle may cooperatively notify other vehicles, such as vehicles located to the sides or to the rear of the first vehicle, of the presence of the pedestrian. Such cooperative notification from a first vehicle to a second vehicle in a localized driving environment may be achieved through the use of a communications link between vehicles in the localized driving environment. Accordingly, other vehicles in the driving environment of the first vehicle may be made aware of the pedestrian's location and, if necessary, perform appropriate vehicle control functions. To preclude insertion of undesired or unwanted data into a communications link between vehicles in a localized driving environment, data may be obscured or encrypted prior to transmission by the first vehicle. A data obscuration or encryption process may be reversed at a second computer, e.g., a server located in the cloud, at a receiving vehicle, etc. Such obscuration of transmitted vehicle data may enhance confidence that data received at other vehicles in a localized driving environment faithfully and accurately reports objects detected and/or classified by onboard sensors of a first vehicle. A system can comprise a computer including a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions including instructions executable by the processor to generate obscured received data from received data by applying at least one Boolean operation to the data and a key, to transmit, via a first communications channel, the obscured data to a second computer and to transmit, via a second communications channel, the key to the second computer to reverse obscuration of the obscured data. The second computer that can include a second processor coupled to a second memory, the second memory to store second instructions to include instructions executable by the second processor to apply a Boolean operation to the key and the obscured data to reverse obscuration of the obscured data. The Boolean operation can be one of a plurality of Boolean operations and the data can be obscured by a balanced obscuration process that preserves information content of data words of the data responsive to successive ones of the Boolean operations that utilize the data words and the key as inputs to the successive Boolean operations. The instructions can further include instructions to insert an unused bit into the obscured data after generating the obscured data. The instructions can further include instructions to insert an unused bit into a data word of the obscured data according to a rule to indicate the position of the unused bit of the data word. The instructions to generate the obscured data can include instructions to change a value of a portion of the obscured data based on a relationship between the porti