US-20260129408-A1 - MUTUAL AUTHENTICATION FOR VEHICULAR COMMUNICATIONS USING A PROXY DEVICE

US20260129408A1US 20260129408 A1US20260129408 A1US 20260129408A1US-20260129408-A1

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for authenticating vehicle communications. The system can identify, by a roadway device, a vehicle traveling on a roadway and authenticate a proxy device associated with the vehicle. Sensor data can be transmitted to the vehicle based on the authentication of the proxy device, wherein the vehicle is operated to navigate the roadway based on the sensor data.

Inventors

MICHAEL A. CLIFFORD
Rohit Gupta
Hideki Hada
John B. Kenney

Assignees

TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241104

Claims (20)

1 . A method comprising: identifying, by a roadway device, a vehicle traveling on a roadway; authenticating, by the roadway device, a proxy device associated with the vehicle; and transmitting sensor data to the vehicle based on the authentication of the proxy device, wherein the vehicle is operated to navigate the roadway based on the sensor data.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: obtaining a geographic location of the proxy device; obtaining a geographic location of the vehicle; and authenticating the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein authenticating the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle comprises: determining a geographic area of the vehicle based on the geographic location of the vehicle; and determining that the geographic location of the proxy device is within the geographic area.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising rejecting communications between the vehicle and the roadway device in a case where the geographic location of the proxy device is outside the geographic area.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the proxy device is contained in a cabin of the vehicle.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein authenticating the proxy device uses a public key infrastructure.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the proxy device is one of a: mobile phone, wearable smart device, a tablet computer, or laptop computer.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the vehicle traveling on the roadway comprises: identifying one or more vehicles affected by a condition based on the sensor data, wherein the one or more vehicles are identified from a plurality of vehicles traveling on the roadway; and transmitting the sensor data to the only the identified vehicles based on authenticating one or more proxy devices associated with the identified vehicles, wherein the sensor data is not transmitted to the remaining vehicles of the plurality of vehicles.
9 . A vehicle, comprising: a communication circuit configured to exchange communications with a roadway device; a memory storing instructions; and one or more processors communicably coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to: identify that the vehicle is traveling on a roadway; receive, by the roadway device, authentication for a proxy device associated with the vehicle that is located in the vehicle's cabin; and receive sensor data based on the authentication of the proxy device, wherein the vehicle is operated to navigate the roadway based on the sensor data.
10 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: obtain a geographic location of the proxy device; obtain a geographic location of the vehicle; and receive the authentication for the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle.
11 . The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a geographic area of the vehicle based on the geographic location of the vehicle; and determine that the geographic location of the proxy device is within the geographic area.
12 . The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to reject communications between the vehicle and the roadway device in a case where the geographic location of the proxy device is outside the geographic area.
13 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein authenticating the proxy device uses a public key infrastructure.
14 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the proxy device is one of a: mobile phone, wearable smart device, a tablet computer, or laptop computer.
15 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: identify one or more vehicles affected by a condition based on the sensor data, wherein the one or more vehicles are identified from a plurality of vehicles traveling on the roadway; and transmit the sensor data to only the identified vehicles based on authentication of one or more proxy devices associated with the identified vehicles, wherein the sensor data is not transmitted to the remaining vehicles of the plurality of vehicles.
16 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: identify, by a roadway device, a vehicle traveling on a roadway; authenticate, by the roadway device, a proxy device associated with the vehicle; and transmit sensor data to the vehicle based on the authentication of the proxy device, wherein the vehicle is operated to navigate the roadway based on the sensor data.
17 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain a geographic location of the proxy device; obtain a geographic location of the vehicle; and authenticate the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle using a public key infrastructure.
18 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a geographic area of the vehicle based on the geographic location of the vehicle; and determine that the geographic location of the proxy device is within the geographic area.
19 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to reject communications between the vehicle and the roadway device in a case where the geographic location of the proxy device is outside the geographic area.
20 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to: identify one or more vehicles affected by a condition based on the sensor data, wherein the one or more vehicles are identified from a plurality of vehicles traveling on the roadway; and transmit the sensor data to the only the identified vehicles based on authenticating one or more proxy devices associated with the identified vehicles, wherein the sensor data is not transmitted to the remaining vehicles of the plurality of vehicles.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for authenticating vehicle communications, and, more particularly, some embodiments relate to authenticating vehicle communications using proxy devices carried by a vehicle involved in the communications. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Vehicles are equipped with various sensors, including cameras, radar, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and ultrasound. These sensors are used to detect environment about a vehicle, including other vehicles, obstacles, and roadway users (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, etc.), among others. The detections can be used to inform vehicle operation and make operational decisions for the vehicle. For example, detections can be presented to a driver of the vehicle to inform the driver on the environmental conditions. As another example, autonomous vehicles can utilize detections to operate the vehicle autonomously. Furthermore, information can be obtained from roadway devices, such as other vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and the like, to inform the vehicle on environmental conditions, such as occluded obstacles or road conditions that the vehicle is unable to detect. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE According to various embodiments of the disclosed technology, a method can comprise identifying, by a roadway device, a vehicle traveling on a roadway; authenticating, by the roadway device, a proxy device associated with the vehicle; and transmitting sensor data to the vehicle based on the authentication of the proxy device, wherein the vehicle is operated to navigate the roadway based on the sensor data. In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining a geographic location of the proxy device; obtaining a geographic location of the vehicle; and authenticating the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle. In some embodiments authenticating the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle comprises: determining a geographic area of the vehicle based on the geographic location of the vehicle; and determining that the geographic location of the proxy device is within the geographic area. In some embodiments, the method further comprises rejecting communications between the vehicle and the roadway device in a case where the geographic location of the proxy device is outside the geographic area. In some embodiments, the proxy device is contained in a cabin of the vehicle. In some embodiments, authenticating the proxy device uses a public key infrastructure. In some embodiments, the proxy device is one of a: mobile phone, wearable smart device, a tablet computer, or laptop computer. In some embodiments, identifying the vehicle traveling on the roadway comprises: identifying one or more vehicles affected by a condition based on the sensor data, wherein the one or more vehicles are identified from a plurality of vehicles traveling on the roadway; and transmitting the sensor data to the only the identified vehicles based on authenticating one or more proxy devices associated with the identified vehicles, wherein the sensor data is not transmitted to the remaining vehicles of the plurality of vehicles. According to various embodiments of the disclosed technology, a vehicle can comprise a communication circuit configured to exchange communications with a roadway device; a memory storing instructions; and one or more processors communicably coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to: identify that the vehicle is traveling on a roadway; receive, by the roadway device, authentication for a proxy device associated with the vehicle that is located in the vehicle's cabin; and receive sensor data based on the authentication of the proxy device, wherein the vehicle is operated to navigate the roadway based on the sensor data. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to: obtain a geographic location of the proxy device; obtain a geographic location of the vehicle; and receive the authentication for the vehicle based on the geographic location of the proxy device matching the geographic location of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to determine a geographic area of the vehicle based on the geographic location of the vehicle; and determine that the geographic location of the proxy device is within the geographic area. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to reject communications between the vehicle and the roadway device in a case where the geographic location of the proxy device is outside the geographic area. In some embodiments, authenticating the proxy device uses a public key infrastructure. In some embodiments, the proxy device is one of a: mobile phone, wearable smart device, a tablet computer, or laptop computer. In some embodiments, the one or m