FR2835951A1 - Vehicle zone access electronic authentication having transponder signal sent with secret/public security identification code. - Google Patents

Abstract

The electronic authentication system (2) allows access to a zone. A transponder signal is sent (B). The transponder signal contains a security identification code with a secret and public identification code.

Description

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Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an electronic authentication system for allowing controlled access to a zone, the system being designed to receive a transponder signal (B) and to authenticate this transponder signal (B).

Technological background of the invention
The efficiency and comfort of safe access to a vehicle is an important characteristic of expensive vehicles and very high quality safety systems. Vehicle security systems according to the prior art, activate or block a vehicle security system by transmitting a high frequency signal to the vehicle from the key signal transmitter in the possession of the driver. The transmitter operates, for example, by pressing an unlock button or a lock button on the key ring device.

Such a key installation does not transmit or record any information which specifically concerns one or more drivers, but instead transmits a vehicle-specific safety signal.

 The precise publications of systems according to the prior art also describe passive communication installations which do not require the actuation of a key on the ring of the key before transmitting a signal to the vehicle concerned. Patent US-1-5 519 260 (Washington) describes a ring worn on the foot by a person whose driver's license is limited. The ring acts as a transmitter transmitting a signal received by the vehicle control system. A microprocessor inside the vehicle control system recognizes the signal as the characteristic signal of the person wearing the ring and determines from a chronological plan recorded in another part of the vehicle whether the person is authorized to drive the vehicle. The ring can be used as a transmitter but it does not transmit a signal to access the vehicle; it only serves as an identification feature if the person is inside the vehicle.

 Australian patent application AU-17 904/95 describes a card serving as an electronic passport and containing the personal characteristics of the card holder for transmitting them at border crossings. The card transmits information by high frequency signals in response to the excitation of a card coil by an electric field. The personal biometric characteristics of the card holder are stored on the card, such as the three-dimensional geometry.

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 dimensional of the holder's hand or face; this information is then transmitted to a card reader to identify the card holder. This card is not offered to serve as a vehicle security system and does not transmit any secret security code to gain access to the vehicle or to another area.

Statement of the invention
The invention relates to an electronic authentication system allowing controlled access to a zone, this system being designed to receive a transponder signal and to authenticate this signal, the system being characterized in that the transponder signal contains an identification code. secret security and a public identification code.

 A preferred embodiment of the invention is integrated into a vehicle so that the zone concerned corresponds to the interior of the vehicle and the secret identification code is specific to the vehicle, while the public identification code is the number driver's license or the driver's passport number. The vehicle preferably includes a display unit integrated for example in the dashboard of the vehicle to present the photo of the person holding a driving license or passport, to allow verification that the photo and the driver correspond.

 A preferred embodiment of the electronic authentication system includes a transponder for transmitting the transponder signal in response to a transponder request signal from the vehicle. The vehicle may include a passive access system that detects the proximity of a person or the proximity of the transponder to send a request for response signal.

This transponder is a small item such as a passive card that can be placed in the user's wallet or wallet. In this form, the transponder can also constitute the driver's license or passport, and the corresponding identification information is presented graphically; it is designed so that the transponder and the driver's license or passport are inseparable. Alternatively, the transponder can put part of a wireless telecommunication unit, which is carried by hand such as for example a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant. Such a hand-held device is preferably designed to record the visual image of the driver or of a number of authorized drivers; it allows the holder of the device to select

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 among authorized drivers before transmitting the transponder signal. This allows the vehicle to automatically re-adjust certain vehicle settings to match the pre-recorded preferred settings of the affected driver. Neither the transponder nor the vehicle actually transmits the image of the driver who would request the transmission of too large a mass of data. Instead, the vehicle system contains the image in its memory with the relevant public identification code for the driver, and the hand-held unit similarly contains the image in memory. If the transponder is in the form of a card by means of display, the image will not be saved in the memory of the card.

 Another embodiment of the invention uses an external system to interrogate the vehicle and determine the identity of the driver. This may for example be a border control point or the intervention of the authorities to determine, depending on the case, travel or identity transit information. The external system contains a preferably hand-held interface and includes display means. This interface communicates with a public information medium so that if it receives the public identification code by the driver of the vehicle in response to a interrogation signal, transmitted, the interface is able to access a bank public information data and select the driver image to display as well as other characteristic information about the driver. The external system is preferably configured to display the reception of the public identification in a data entry means in communication with the interface.

 According to one embodiment of the invention, the system activates the ignition of the vehicle by the vehicle control system as soon as the authentication of the transponder signal has been carried out. The vehicle is also usually unlocked automatically after authentication. The transponder signal can be transmitted to the vehicle by parallel transmission of the secret security identification code and the public identification code, in parallel or in series. If the transponder signal is transmitted in parallel, the secret security identification code is authenticated before the public identification code to unlock or start the engine as soon as possible. For parallel transmission, the secret security identification code and the public identification code are transmitted simultaneously using frequency bands.

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 quite different. Thus the signal from the transponder is transmitted in the form of a serial signal, the secret security identification code is transmitted first to allow authentication to be carried out as quickly as possible, so that the transmission is complete. the public identification code can only be done after authentication of the secret security identification code.

 Preferably, the transponder signal is at least partly encrypted and the common security identification code is encrypted and the public identification code is selectively encrypted. Only the vehicle control system has the key to decrypt the common security identification code. This prevents third parties from fraudulently obtaining the security identification code by simulating the transmission of the transponder signal.

 The present invention also relates to an electronic authentication method making it possible to ensure controlled access to an area, including the steps consisting in asking a transponder to transmit a signal, in receiving the signal from the transponder and in authenticating it. method characterized in that the transponder signal contains a secret security identification code and a public identification code.

 The present invention provides a transponder applicable to the authentication system described and presented above.

 The present invention also provides a vehicle equipped with an authentication system as defined above.

 The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide security for the vehicle or the driver which is not necessarily automatic or protected since it may possibly happen that an incorrect adaptation of the identity of the actual driver and of the authorized driver is legitimate. However, the system provides the interested observer or the authorities with useful return information enabling a verification or an action to be triggered.

 Advantageously, the electronic authentication system according to the preferred embodiments offers practical and secure means of identifying and authenticating the driver of the vehicle.

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drawings
The present invention will be described below in more detail with the aid of exemplary embodiments represented in the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic authentication system according to a mode of embodiment of the invention, - Figure 2 shows another embodiment of an electronic authentication system represented by a block diagram, - Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a method for implementing the electronic authentication system according to the invention.

Description of embodiments of the invention
FIG. 1 shows an electronic authentication system 2. The system 2 comprises a vehicle 12 with a vehicle control system 10 which can communicate with a portable transponder 5 by frequency transmission by air transmission (air interface). The vehicle control system 10 communicates with a display unit 15 to display the image of a person presented by the system 2 as driver of the vehicle 12. When the person equipped with the portable transponder, approaches the vehicle 12, the vehicle controls this approach (using a precise type of input sensor system of known type) and emits an interrogation signal A for the transponder. The interrogation signal A of the transponder may have a form corresponding to the type of interrogation of the transponder for a series of vehicle access systems; it may also have a narrower target for a particular type of vehicle or system model. The portable transponder 5 receives the interrogation signal A when it is at a certain distance from the vehicle; this distance is for example of the order of a few meters. Then the transponder provides a transponder signal B. Depending on the security conditions, the transponder signal B can be partially or fully encrypted for transmission.

 After reception of the transponder signal B by the vehicle control system 10, the transponder signal B will be decrypted as appropriate and broken down into its components, namely a secret security identification code and a public identification code. The secret identification code is verified by the control system by comparison with a secret vehicle security code specific to the vehicle. If the secret security identification code matches the code

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 secret vehicle identification, it is considered confirmed (authenticated) and the control system continues to check and compares the public identification code with one or more such codes stored in the memory of the control system 10. The system command 10 records the same number of driver data in a memory as there are authorized drivers of the vehicle, thus programmed; each data set includes an image of the driver corresponding to the image of the driving license or passport as well as to the choice of additional information concerning the driver. If the public identification code supplied with the transponder signal B corresponds to the code stored in the control system 10, the authentication of the transponder signal B will be considered as complete. The image of the authorized driver corresponding to the relevant public identification code will be presented on the display device 15. The control system 10 also unlocks the vehicle and can also automatically activate the ignition of the vehicle engine.

 According to one embodiment, the portable transponder 5 is a passive unit with an antenna 8 for transmitting the RF frequency of the sign of transponder B in response to the interrogation signal A. In this embodiment, the portable transponder 5 is presented under the form of a card and can be used as a driving license; the appropriate indices and information are presented on this transponder. The card includes a battery, not shown, with a memory capacity suitable for signal processing and communications.

This embodiment of the portable transponder 5 makes it easy to place it in a wallet or the driver's pocket and it is not necessary to extract it when the latter approaches the vehicle or when he gets into the vehicle.

 The transponder functions of the portable transponder 5 are in one piece and inseparable from the driver's license and passport functions to ensure that the transponder 5 cannot be used in a misleading manner for the identification of a person.

 According to an alternative embodiment of the portable transponder 5, the functions of the card transponder can be included in the functions of another set such as for example a mobile telephone or a personal digital assistant, allowing the wireless transmission of frequency signals by antenna 8. In this embodiment, the interrogation signal A of the transponder is received in a

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 frequency band which differs from previous embodiments, described due to the highly developed telecommunication capacity of the portable transponder 5. Similarly, the transponder signal B can be transmitted to the vehicle 12 in another frequency band. The transponder signal B is received by an antenna 22 of the vehicle and is decrypted by a portable base station 18 of the vehicle 2. The control system 10 communicates with the portable base station 18 according to the description below with reference to FIG. 2. The portable transponder 5 of this embodiment comprises a transponder display 6 for the normal display functions of that -this as well as the ability to display the image of a person according to the public identification code transmitted by the transponder signal B. If several drivers are authorized to use the vehicle 12, the portable transponder 5 comprises in this embodiment preferably the data of the authorized conductors which correspond to that stored in the control system 10; it allows the holder of the portable transponder 5 to choose a different driver than the one identified as the usual driver.

 This choice can be made while the person is approaching the vehicle or after having requested access to the vehicle 12, after authentication, automatically, due to the public identification code of the usual driver, verification which has already been made. The implementation of the selection of the driver provided with the portable transponder 5 has the advantage that the preferential settings of the vehicle corresponding to a certain driver will be automatically made in the vehicle after receipt of the public identification code of the driver concerned.

The transponder display 6 also provides optical confirmation of the authenticated driver. The selection from among the different authorized drivers of the vehicle using the portable transponder 5 can be done using already known functions and key actuation in combination with a mobile phone, the personal digital assistant or other installations, depending on Requirement. As a variant, the portable transponder 5 can be designed to transmit the transponder signal B with manual entry of the relevant public identification code of the driver into the transponder 5.

 According to a preferred embodiment, the security identification code is encrypted before transmission by the transponder signal B; it can also be encrypted in the portable transponder 5. The control system 10 contains the

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 security identification code decryption key, secret. Encryption and decryption are carried out according to methods guaranteed from the known state of the art. You can also choose to encrypt the public identification code and for this you use either the same form of encryption as that used for the security identification code, or another encryption process using a public key (secret-d 'limited access') to allow authorities to decrypt the public identification code.

 After receiving the request signal A, the portable transponder 5 transmits according to one embodiment, the transponder signal B in parallel using two different frequency bands so as to simultaneously transmit the secret security identification code and the security code. public identification. In this case, the vehicle control system 10 receives the signals from the two frequency bands simultaneously and decrypts them. If necessary, the decoder and the decryptor of the secret security code will have priority over the public identification code.

This allows the control system 10 to initiate engine unlocking and ignition operations as quickly as possible after receiving the transponder signal B, the decoding and processing of the public identification code being delayed briefly, so provisional.

 According to another embodiment, the portable transponder 5 transmits the transponder signal B in serial mode using a single frequency band. In this embodiment, the secret, common identification code is transmitted before transmitting the public identification code to identify the driver in advance and this in an analogous manner and for a function analogous to that already described above in relation with parallel transmission.

 The control system 10 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 integrates the functions of the electronic authentication system of the vehicle including the transmission and reception of the signal (by the base station 18), the coding and decoding as well as the decryption of signals and authentication procedure. These functions are performed in addition to the other usual functions of the vehicle control system such as the unlocking and ignition functions of the engine performed by the global vehicle control system. As a variant, the control system 10 described here can have distributed control functions to have a dedicated regulator for processing electronic authentication.

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et le traitement du signal ainsi que les fonctions de transmission ; le régulateur reste en communication avec les autres parties du système global de commande par le réseau du véhicule (réseau CAN). Comme autre alternative on peut répartir les fonctions d'authentification, le traitement de signal et de transmission/réception entre des régulateurs séparés dans le système de commande 10.

and signal processing and transmission functions; the regulator remains in communication with the other parts of the global control system via the vehicle network (CAN network). As another alternative, the authentication functions, the signal processing and the transmission / reception functions can be distributed between separate regulators in the control system 10.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the process executed by the electronic authentication system 2 according to a preferred embodiment. According to FIG. 3, step 100 allows the vehicle 12 to note that a person is approaching while checking by a passive access control installation. In step 105, the control system 10 transmits the interrogation signal A from the transponder. In step 110, the control system 10 checks whether a transponder signal B has been received in response to the transmitted interrogation signal A; if no transponder B signal has been received, the vehicle remains locked in step 115. If a transponder B signal has been received, this signal will be processed in step 120. If the processed transponder signal B a been authenticated in step 125, the vehicle will be unlocked in step 130. If the signal has not been authenticated, the vehicle remains locked in step 115. If inside the vehicle there is a unit display 15 then as soon as the vehicle has been unlocked in step 130, the image of the public identification code received with the transponder signal B for the person concerned will be presented on the display unit 15 at l 'step 135.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the electronic authentication system 2. This embodiment presupposes the prior authentication of the driver who is mounted in the vehicle 12 and that the vehicle is traveling; the portable transponder 5 is in the vehicle 12. Indeed, a passenger in the vehicle can have a valid portable transponder 5 (if two people are in possession of valid transponders 5 and they approach the closed vehicle simultaneously, the vehicle identifies the transponder signals and the vehicle will normally be unlocked but the driver will have a selection function to indicate to the vehicle which of the two authenticated drivers will actually drive the vehicle). In this embodiment, the vehicle 12 includes a vehicle base station 18 with an antenna 22 for transmitting and receiving the various signals necessary for authentication. The base station 18 may be of a type suitable for activating wireless telecommunications

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 by a radio network. The base station must however at least be able to communicate with a wireless device located in the immediate vicinity such as for example the portable transponder 5 and the interface 20 (described later). The base station 18 communicates with the control system 10 to transmit the received transponder signal B and to transmit on request the transponder interrogation signal A.

 According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the electronic authentication system 2 comprises an external system (outside the vehicle 12). This external system comprises an interface unit 20 with a display 25 and a vehicle recognition unit 24. The interface 20 communicates with a public data information bank 30 with access to public identification information such as for example the personal information which appears on the driving license and passport as well as the photos corresponding to this information. The vehicle recognition unit 24 can be any installation suitable for recognizing the presence of a vehicle such as for example a camera or an inductive coil integrated in the road surface; this installation can be installed so as to communicate the recognition of the vehicle 12 to the interface 20.

In response to this information transmitted by the vehicle recognition unit, indicating that a vehicle has been recognized, the interface unit 20 sends an external trigger signal (interrogation signal) C to the vehicle 12. This signal will be received by the antenna 22. In response to the reception of the external trigger signal C, the control system 10 transmits a transponder request signal A to one or to the various portable transponders 5 located in the vehicle. The external system then monitors the transmission of the transponder signal B in response to the interrogation signal A from the side of the control system 10 to one or more portable transponders 5 inside the vehicle.

 The system of antennas installed in appropriate positions (these antennas are not shown) and they are tuned to receive the transponder signal B in this way from the side of the transponder unit 5. After reception, the signal is treated as a response signal to a request D (interrogation response signal); it is decoded by the external system to obtain the public identification code while the encrypted, secret security identification code is rejected. This embodiment makes it possible to obtain the transponder signal in response to any operation, according to the request of the

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 command 10 sent as interrogation signal A of transponder, in the case where the vehicle is driven by a person (for example a police officer) to activate the access recognition system, passive and to start the process described in relationship to FIG. 3. According to a preferred exemplary embodiment, the signal B of the transponder is received by an antenna (not copied) from the interface unit 30, chosen appropriately and this antenna then shows an image of a person corresponding to the public identification code to give the police officer the possibility of verifying the identity of the driver.

 If the interface 20 receives the response signal D to the interrogation from the vehicle 12 (this signal is effectively the transponder signal B on the side of the portable transponder 5 towards the edge of the vehicle 12), the code of public identification for each authenticated person in vehicle 12, to find the corresponding relative information for each person from the public database 30. Corresponding images (preferably photos of the driver's license or passport of the authenticated driver) appear on the external interface display 25. The external system then protocols the passage or control of the vehicle and authenticates the driver to monitor and / or control. This protocol phase is carried out by programs installed in the interface 20 or which are located at an external station, connected for example to the public information database 30. The protocol is done automatically and independently of the fact that whether a person's interface is monitored or not.

 According to an alternative embodiment, the control system reacts in response to the reception of the external trigger signal C by transmitting a response and request signal D by the antenna 22 which contains the public identification codes of the communication unit. authenticated transponder 5 in the vehicle. The control system 10 thus reacts directly in response to the external trigger signal C without transmitting the transponder signal B from the portable transponder 5 which is in the vehicle. As the control system 10 contains in its memory the public identification code of the authenticated driver, it is simple to transmit this information by its antenna 22 without requiring for this purpose an external system to control the transponder signal B (to list it) .

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 The external interface 20 can be a commercial device or other portable device used by the police for spontaneous traffic checks; it can also be fixed at a defined location, for example at a border crossing. If the interface 20 is held in the hand, there is no vehicle recognition unit 24. However if the interface 20 is for example fixed at a border crossing, there will be the vehicle recognition unit. vehicle 24 installed at a location upstream of the passage.

 According to a preferred embodiment, the portable transponder 5 can be programmed again. This can be done under the strictest security conditions, for example by having a car dealer re-program the security identification code, common each time a person purchases a vehicle or wishes to reprogram the transponder 5, for example. in addition for a second vehicle.

Reprogramming is preferably carried out by a public service or an authorized post and this under the strictest security conditions to avoid any unauthorized use of the authentication system 2.

The public identification code is stored in a memory part of the transponder 5, probably by the dealer when purchasing the vehicle and it can be programmed in response to a security code available to the dealer. The secret identification code can be recorded in another part of the transponder's memory 5 by the vehicle manufacturer and in response to another security code than that for which it was used to program the public identification code, will program it again. The control system 10 is preferably also reprogrammed to connect the various drivers or vehicles under safety conditions of the same severity. The portable transponder 5 can also be reprogrammed if it includes a display 6 to change the image recorded on it.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS 1) Electronic authentication system (2) to allow controlled access to an area, the system being designed to receive a transponder signal (B) and authenticate this transponder signal (B), characterized in that the signal of transponder contains a security, secret identification code and a public identification code. 2) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the zone is inside the vehicle (12), the security identification code is specific to the vehicle (12), and the public identification code is driver's license number or passport number of the person authorized to drive the vehicle. 3) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises at least one display unit (6, 15, 25) for presenting an image of a person linked to the public identification code after the authentication of the signal transponder (B). 4) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises a portable unit (5) with selection means for selecting a person from among several people, and transponders for supplying the transponder signal in response to the selection means, the public identification code of the transponder signal being linked to the selected person. 5) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the zone is inside the vehicle (12) and the system further comprises an external system which is external to the vehicle (12) and has an interface (20) communicating with a public information medium (30), the interface (20) having a display (25) designed to give in response to the reception on the interface side (20) of the question / answer signal (B, D) from a transponder (5.18) connected to the vehicle (12), an image of the person linked to the public identification code, <Desc / Clms Page number 14> the interrogation-response signal (B, D) including the person's public identification code. 6) System according to claim 5, characterized in that the external system comprises sensors (24) for recognizing the vehicle (12) and interrogation means for transmitting an external interrogation signal (C) in response to the detection of the vehicle (12), the question-answer signal (B, D) being received in response to the external interrogation signal (C). 70) Transponder (5), characterized in that it is intended to be applied to an electronic authentication system according to claim 1 and that it is designed to transmit the transponder signal (B) in response to a signal transponder request (A).  8) Transponder according to claim 7, characterized in that the transponder (5) serves as a driving license or passport and thus represents the public identification code.  9) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises a control system (10) of a vehicle (12) and in response to the authentication of the transponder system (B), the control system (10 ) is designed to activate the ignition of a vehicle engine (12). 10) System according to claim 2, characterized in that the system is designed to transmit an unlocking signal to a control system (10) of the vehicle (12) to unlock the vehicle (12), the security identification code secret and the public security identification code being received in parallel on different high frequency bands, and the system is designed to authenticate the secret security identification code before authentication of the public identity code, and the signal of unlock is transmitted to the system <Desc / CRUD Page number 15>  command (10) in response to authentication of the secret security identification code. 11) System according to claim 2, characterized in that the system is designed to transmit a locking signal to a control system (10) of the vehicle (12) to unlock the vehicle (12), the security identification code common being received via serial transmission of receipt of the public identification code, and the system is designed to authenticate the secret security identity code before complete reception of the public identity code and transmit the unlock signal to the control system (10) in response to authentication of the secret security identity code.  12) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises a transponder (5) for transmitting the transponder signal (B).  13) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the system is designed to transmit a transponder interrogation signal (A) to stimulate the transmission of the transponder signal (B).

 14) Vehicle equipped with the system according to claim 1. 15) The system of claim 1, further characterized in that the transponder signal (B) is encrypted.  16) Electronic authentication method for providing controlled access to a zone, including the steps which authorize the transponder (5) to transmit a transponder signal (B), to receive this signal (B) and to authenticate the signal transponder signal (B), characterized in that the transponder signal contains a secret security code and a public identification code. <Desc / Clms Page number 16>  17) The method of claim 16, further characterized in that the step of storing the public identification code is done in a first part of the transponder memory (5), after the registration of the code secret identity in a second part of the transponder's memory (5), and this before the authorization step.