Occupant feature recognition to ensure privacy consent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12235989-B2
Application number	US-202117220347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2021
Priority date	Apr 1, 2021
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Ensuring privacy consent for handling of occupant vehicle data is provided. A feature identification vector indicative of an identity of a vehicle occupant of a vehicle is identified. The feature identification vector is used to identify whether consent for use of vehicle data was provided by the vehicle occupant. The consent is requested responsive to the identity of the vehicle occupant not having consented to data collection. Responsive to the consent being given by the vehicle occupant, the consent and the feature identification vector of the vehicle occupant is stored in a storage of the vehicle. The vehicle data is uploaded in accordance with whether the consent was granted for the vehicle occupant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle for ensuring privacy consent for handling of occupant vehicle data, comprising:
a storage maintaining an identity database including feature identification vectors of vehicle occupants and privacy settings of the vehicle occupants, the privacy settings indicating which of the vehicle occupants have consented to data collection and which specific elements of the vehicle data to be offloaded from the vehicle when the vehicle occupants are located within the vehicle; and
a controller, programmed to
identify a first feature identification vector indicative of a first identity of a first vehicle occupant and a second feature identification vector indicative of a second identity of a second vehicle occupant, wherein the first vehicle occupant is a driver and the second vehicle occupant is a passenger,
query the identity database, using the first and second feature identification vectors, to identify whether consent for use of vehicle data was provided by the first and second vehicle occupants, and
responsive to the first vehicle occupant but not the second vehicle occupant having provided consent for use of the vehicle data, upload the vehicle data in accordance with the consent granted for the first vehicle occupant but not the second vehicle occupant, including allowing driver behavior to be transmitted but preventing passenger behavior from being transmitted.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, responsive to the consent being given by the vehicle occupant, store the consent and the feature identification vector of the vehicle occupant in the storage.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the privacy settings include a listing of events having data upload implications and data processing directives for each of the respective events, and the controller is further programmed to upload the vehicle data for consenting vehicle occupants in accordance with the privacy settings.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to display a welcome message responsive to the identity of the vehicle occupant being indicated in the storage as having granted the consent.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the feature identification vector is further generated based on interactions, in terms of sequence and timing, of the vehicle occupant with vehicle controls.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to:
receive a request for a location of the vehicle from another user of the vehicle other than the vehicle occupant; and
upload the location of the vehicle in accordance with privacy settings of the other user.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to:
receive a request for diagnostic data; and
upload the diagnostic data of the vehicle in accordance with privacy settings of a requester of the diagnostic data.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein to request the consent for use of the vehicle data includes to display a consent request, the consent request including a consent message indicating to the vehicle occupant that the consent of the vehicle occupant to upload the vehicle data off the vehicle is being requested, a first control that, when selected by the vehicle occupant, gives the consent of the vehicle occupant to upload the vehicle data off the vehicle, and a second control that, when selected by the vehicle occupant, refuses the consent of the vehicle occupant to upload the vehicle data off the vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, responsive to neither the first control nor the second control being selected within a predefined period of time, default to refusal of the consent of the vehicle occupant.

10. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further programmed to store the consent with the feature identification vector in the identity database of the storage, such that further times that the vehicle occupant uses the vehicle, the controller of the vehicle is programmed to recognize that the vehicle occupant has consented to proceed with the data collection.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein vehicle data indicative of driver behavior is uploaded, but media analytics and infotainment system data relating to the second vehicle occupant are not uploaded.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, responsive to both the first vehicle occupant having refused consent for use of the vehicle data and a non-occupant owner of the vehicle requesting the vehicle data, override the privacy settings of the first vehicle occupant to send a minimum of data with respect to this conflict between occupant lack of consent and data upload needs of the vehicle.

13. A method for ensuring privacy consent for handling of occupant vehicle data, comprising:
identifying a first feature identification vector indicative of an identity of a first vehicle occupant of a vehicle;
identifying a second feature identification vector indicative of a second identity of a second vehicle occupant, wherein the first vehicle occupant is a driver and the second vehicle occupant is a passenger;
using the first and second feature identification vectors to identify whether consent for use of vehicle data was provided by the first and second vehicle occupants by querying an identity database; and
responsive to the consent being given by the first vehicle occupant but not by the second vehicle occupant, uploading the vehicle data in accordance with the consent granted for the first vehicle occupant but not the second vehicle occupant, including allowing driver behavior to be transmitted but preventing passenger behavior from being transmitted.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
maintaining privacy settings including a listing of events having data upload implications and data processing directives for each of the respective events; and
uploading the vehicle data for consenting vehicle occupants in accordance with the privacy settings.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising displaying a welcome message responsive to the identity of the vehicle occupant being indicated in the storage as having granted the consent.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the feature identification vector includes key points in a structure of a face of the vehicle occupant, and further comprising generating the feature identification vector from an image of the vehicle occupant.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the feature identification vector is generated based on interactions, in terms of sequence and timing, of the vehicle occupant with vehicle controls.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving a request for a location of the vehicle from another user of the vehicle other than the vehicle occupant; and
uploading the location of the vehicle in accordance with privacy settings of the other user.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving a request for diagnostic data; and
uploading the diagnostic data of the vehicle in accordance with privacy settings of a requester of the diagnostic data.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for ensuring privacy consent for handling of occupant vehicle data that, when executed by a processor of a controller of a vehicle, cause the vehicle to:
identify a first feature identification vector indicative of an identity of a first vehicle occupant of a vehicle and a second feature identification vecto

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Herman david michael
• Jain Yashanshu

Classifications

• G06F21/316

  by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour · CPC title

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title

• G06F21/32

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints · CPC title

• G06F21/31 Primary

  User authentication · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title