I-Corps: A Battery-enabled Vehicle Immobilizer

更广泛的影响/商业是基于车辆固定装置的开发，以防止车辆被没有钥匙转动发动机的人偷走。目前，汽车盗窃主要是由于基于钥匙/钥匙扣的车辆防盗装置的局限性造成的，如无线钥匙扣、物理锁、售后汽车报警器等，这些装置往往依赖于脆弱的外部无线通信和车载网络。提出的技术旨在通过提供与这些常见网络攻击向量物理隔离的防盗保护来解决这一问题。与其他系统不同，这项技术不需要车主携带任何额外的令牌，使其更方便使用。此外，这项技术可以安装在所有现有的和新的汽油、混合动力和电动汽车上，提供一个通用的解决方案。这一提议的设备可能会解决汽车安全的关键问题，并使汽车行业生态系统中的所有利益相关者受益。这个I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种用于车辆盗窃保护的防盗装置。该技术旨在利用汽车电池对驾驶员进行身份验证，并利用身份验证结果使车辆无法移动。这项技术的颠覆性在于，它利用电池作为传感和控制通道，有效地保护车辆免受外部无线通信和内部车载网络等常见网络攻击载体的攻击。该装置由三个关键部件组成：两个认证系统，以电池电压/电流作为身份载体，对每个合法驾驶员进行授权；一个自适应和热鲁棒的功率控制模块，用于减少/恢复电池的功率容量，以禁止/允许车辆进入；四个重要功能，使端到端车辆防盗系统符合当前标准，包括车辆状态估计、检测车辆电池薄弱/故障、检测非法车辆进入、并配有自动充电电源，减轻驾驶员的维修负担。这项技术具有广泛应用于各种电池/交流供电系统的潜力，在日益互联的世界中提供物理安全。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial is based on the development of a vehicle immobilization device to prevent a vehicle from being stolen by someone who does not have the key to turn the engine. Currently, auto thefts primarily are caused by the limitations of key/keyfob-based vehicle immobilizers, such as wireless keyfobs, physical locks, after-market vehicle alarms, which often rely on vulnerable external wireless communications and in-vehicle networks. The proposed technology aims to address this problem by providing anti-theft protection that is physically isolated from these common cyber-attack vectors. Unlike other systems, this technology does not require car owners to carry any additional token, making it more convenient to use. In addition, this technology may be installed in all existing and new gasoline, hybrid, and electric vehicles, providing a universal solution. This proposed device potentially may address the critical issue of vehicle security and benefit all stakeholders within the auto industry ecosystem.This I-Corps project is based on the development of an anti-theft device for vehicle theft protection. The proposed technology is designed to leverage automotive batteries to authenticate drivers and immobilize vehicles using the authentication results. The disruptive nature of technology lies in its utilization of the battery as a sensing and control channel, effectively safeguarding vehicles against common cyber-attack vectors such as external wireless communication and internal in-vehicle networks. The proposed device consists of three key components: two authentication systems to authorize each legitimate driver using battery voltage/current as the identity carrier, an adaptive and thermally-robust power control module to reduce/restore the battery’s power capacity to dis/enable vehicle access, and four important functions to enable an end-to-end vehicle immobilizer that is compliant with current standards, including estimation of vehicle status, detection of weak/faulty vehicle batteries, detection of illegitimate vehicle accesses, and automatic recharging power supplies to relieve drivers from maintenance burden. This technology has the potential for widespread application in various battery/AC-powered systems, offering physical security in an increasingly interconnected world.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.