Method for anonymizing movement data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12204680-B2
Application number	US-202318235411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2023
Priority date	Mar 16, 2021
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

A method for anonymizing movement data of road users equipped with a position detection device involves collecting movement data in the form of individual time- and position-related data records and transmitting the collected movement data to a backend server. At least some data records are transmitted indirectly via at least one other vehicle, or the position or time reference in at least some data records is made noisy prior to the transmission.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for anonymizing movement data of vehicles, the method comprising:
collecting, by the vehicles, individual time- and position-related data records, wherein individual time- and position-related data records are movement data of the vehicles; and
transmitting, by the vehicles to a backend server, the collected data records,
wherein the vehicles are equipped with a position detection device and a communication device configured to transmit and receive data to/from the backend server and to/from other road users,
wherein at least some of the collected data records are transmitted indirectly to the backend server via at least one other of the vehicles and a position or time reference in at least some of the collected data records is made noisy prior to the transmission to the backend server,
wherein making the collected data records noisy and transmitting at least some data records indirectly via at least one other vehicle, a type and strength of noise is coordinated between the vehicles involved.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein data records for positions where vehicles encounter one another and transmit data records from one vehicle to the other vehicle are provided with a stronger noise than data records from other positions.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least some of the collected data records are made noisy to differing extents depending on proximity to a starting point of a route or with activated navigation to a planned end point of the route.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a starting point or end point and collected data records in spatial proximity to the starting point or end point are not transmitted to the backend server.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the collected data records are transmitted between vehicles in temporal and spatial proximity to one another.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the collected data records are transmitted to the backend server based on a predefined parameterizable time period or number of data records.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anonymized movement data are marked as anonymized.

Assignees

• Mercedes Benz Group Ag

Inventors

• Friesen Viktor
• Koller Micha
• Nepp Benjamin
• Rehborn Hubert

Classifications

• G06F21/6254 Primary

  by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification · CPC title

• H04J3/065

  using timestamps · CPC title

• H04L63/0823

  using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263) · CPC title

• H04L9/40

  Network security protocols · CPC title

• H04L63/0421

  Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer · CPC title