FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT,
1970 (39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
“A SERVERLESS DIGITAL KEY SHARING SYSTEM AND METHOD
THEREOF”
MINDA CORPORATION LIMITED, of E-5/2, Chakan Industrial Area, Phase-III, M.I.D.C., Nanekarwadi, Tal: Khed, Dist.Pune-410 501, India
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The present disclosure generally relates to communication with automotive
vehicles. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a serverless communication for controlling automotive vehicles using a mobile device.
BACKGROUND
[002] With the advent of technology and growing usage of mobile phones, the
automotive sector is also driving a paradigm of bringing automation in each facet of vehicle sub-systems. One such important element in the vehicle access sub-system is the key fob. There are majorly two technologies used for driving the automation and authentication of key fobs with vehicle access Electronic Control Units (ECUs): Low Frequency – Radio Frequency (LF-RF) based authentication and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) – Near Field Communication (NFC) based authentication.
[003] Traditional LF-RF based key fobs are available in market and are widely
accepted by users. The LF-RF based key fobs come with the security of key authentication, but the disadvantage of this traditional system is that users have to carry an extra key. Digital key sharing is a technology that allows using a user’s mobile phone to lock, unlock, and start the vehicle. This technology comes with a huge maintenance of cloud key management server, and includes extra cost of additional chips in vehicle’s ECU. Also, the connection to the server may not always be available.
[004] Although, the BLE based authentication is taking a stride over LF-RF based
authentication method due to liberty to use phones as key (PAAK) and thus avoiding the usage of separate key fobs. However, BLE based technology has its own disadvantages because it is majorly driven by distance-based authentication which puts a cyber security threat, due to sniffing of data in between by an intruder.
[005] Thus, there exists a need for a technology that solves the above-mentioned
problems and overcomes the disadvantages or difficulties of existing keyless management systems and/or techniques associated therewith. Particularly, there exists a need for techniques that facilitates controlling of vehicle even in absence of any servers and/or internet.

[006] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only
for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[007] One or more shortcomings discussed above are overcome, and additional
advantages are provided by the present disclosure. The present disclosure provides a solution to the above-identified problems by providing a serverless digital key sharing system that uses a mobile device as key. The proposed techniques counter the usage of a separate key fob and counter the security issues faced with server-based authentication systems. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the disclosure.
[008] An objective of the present disclosure is to a utilize mobile phone as a key
for controlling one or more operations of the vehicle and avoid the usage of a separate key fob. Another objective of the present disclosure is to enable a user to control one or more operations of the vehicle even without Near Field Communication (NFC) devices. Yet another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a serverless digital key sharing system.
[009] The above stated objects as well as other objects, features, and advantages of
the present disclosure will become clear to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description, the attached drawings, and the appended claims.
[0010] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, methods and apparatus/systems are provided for overcoming security issues with server based keyless management systems in vehicles.
[0011] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of registering a mobile device of a user with a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes

establishing a wireless communication between the mobile device and an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle using a wireless technology. The method further comprises transmitting a request for registering the mobile device with the ECU, the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and further comprising instructions to activate a Near-field communication (NFC) reader of the ECU to read an NFC device registered with the ECU. The method further comprises receiving a response from the ECU indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU, the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device. The method further comprises after successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU, wirelessly controlling the vehicle from the mobile device using the wireless technology.
[0012] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses a method of registering a mobile device of a user with a vehicle. The method comprises establishing a wireless communication between the mobile device and an ECU of the vehicle using a wireless technology, the ECU storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and identities of one or more NFC devices registered with the ECU. The method further comprises receiving a request from the mobile device, the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU. The method further comprises upon successful authentication of the mobile device, activating the NFC reader of the ECU and reading an NFC device. The method further comprises registering the ECU with the mobile device upon successful authentication of the NFC device read via the NFC reader and transmitting a response to the mobile device indicating that the mobile device has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU for wirelessly controlling the vehicle, the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device.
[0013] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses a mobile device comprising a memory, at least one transceiver configured to transmit data between the mobile device of a user and a vehicle, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to establish a wireless communication between the mobile device and an ECU of the vehicle using a wireless technology; transmit a

request for registering the mobile device with the ECU, the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and further comprising instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU to read an NFC device registered with the ECU; receive a response from the ECU indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU, the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device; and after successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU, wirelessly control the vehicle from the mobile device using the wireless technology.
[0014] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses an ECU of a vehicle. The ECU comprises a memory storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and identities of one or more NFC devices registered with the ECU, at least one transceiver configured to transmit data between a mobile device of a user and the vehicle and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to establish a wireless communication between the mobile device and the ECU of the vehicle using a wireless technology; receive a request from the mobile device, the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU; upon successful authentication of the mobile device, activate the NFC reader of the ECU and read an NFC device; register the ECU with the mobile device upon successful authentication of the NFC device read via the NFC reader; and transmit a response to the mobile device indicating that the mobile device has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU for wirelessly controlling the vehicle, the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device.
[0015] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses a method of registering a Near-field communication (NFC) enabled mobile device of a user with a vehicle. The method comprises establishing a wireless communication between the mobile device and a control unit (ECU) of the vehicle using a wireless technology; transmitting a request for registering the mobile device with the ECU, the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and further comprising instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU to read an NFC device registered with the ECU; receiving a response from the ECU indicating successful

authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU. The method further comprises upon successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU, generating an application ID (AID) number based on the unique identification number associated with the vehicle and a mobile device unique identification number; and transmitting the generated AID number to the ECU to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle from the mobile device using the NFC technology.
[0016] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses a method of registering a Near-field communication (NFC) enabled mobile device of a user with a vehicle. The method comprises establishing a wireless communication between the mobile device and a control unit (ECU) of the vehicle using a wireless technology, the ECU storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and identities of one or more NFC devices registered with the ECU; receiving a request from the mobile device, the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU; upon successful authentication of the mobile device, activating the NFC reader of the ECU and reading an NFC device. The method further comprises registering the mobile device with the ECU upon successful authentication of the NFC device read via the NFC reader; transmitting a response to the mobile device indicating that the mobile device has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU; and receiving an application ID (AID) number from the mobile device to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle from the mobile device using NFC technology.
[0017] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses a Near-field communication (NFC) enabled mobile device comprising a memory, at least one transceiver configured to transmit data between the mobile device and a vehicle, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to establish a wireless communication between the mobile device and a control unit (ECU) of the vehicle using a wireless technology; transmit a request for registering the mobile device with the ECU, the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and further comprising instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU to read an NFC device registered with the ECU; receive a response from the ECU

indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU. The processor is further configured to upon successful authentication and registration of the mobile device with the ECU, generate an application ID (AID) number based on the unique identification number associated with the vehicle and a mobile device unique identification number; and transmit the generated AID number to the ECU to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle from the mobile device using the NFC technology.
[0018] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present application discloses a control unit (ECU) of a vehicle, comprising a memory storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle and identities of one or more Near-field communication (NFC) devices registered with the ECU. The ECU further comprising at least one transceiver configured to transmit data between an NFC enabled mobile device and the vehicle, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to establish a wireless communication between the mobile device and a control unit (ECU) of the vehicle using a wireless technology; receive a request from the mobile device, the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader of the ECU; upon successful authentication of the mobile device, activate the NFC reader of the ECU and reading an NFC device. The at least one processor is further configured to register the mobile device with the ECU upon successful authentication of the NFC device read via the NFC reader; transmit a response to the mobile device indicating that the mobile device has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU; and receive an application ID (AID) number from the mobile device to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle from the mobile device using NFC technology.
[0019] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BREIF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0020] Further aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily

understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference numerals have been used to refer to identical or functionally similar elements. The figures together with a detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate the embodiments and explain various principles and advantages, in accordance with the present disclosure wherein:
[0021] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary serverless digital key sharing system 100 for illustrating digital key sharing between a mobile device and a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0022] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram 200 of the serverless digital key sharing system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0023] Figure 3 illustrates a flow diagram representing an exemplary method 300 of registering a mobile device of a user with a vehicle, initiated by transmitting a request from the mobile device, the flow diagram depicting the requests and the responses generated at the mobile device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0024] Figure 4 illustrates a flow diagram representing an exemplary method 400 of registering a mobile device of a user with a vehicle, initiated upon receiving a request from the mobile device, the flow diagram depicting the requests and the responses generated at a control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0025] Figure 5 illustrates a flow diagram representing an exemplary method 500 of registering a mobile device of a user with a vehicle, initiated by transmitting a request from the mobile device, the flow diagram depicting the requests and the responses generated at the mobile device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 6 illustrates a flow diagram representing an exemplary method 600 of registering a mobile device of a user with a vehicle, initiated upon receiving a request from the mobile device, the flow diagram depicting the requests and the responses generated at the ECU, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0028] Referring now to drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the disclosure “a serverless digital key sharing system and method thereof”. It is understood that the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms; specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It will be appreciated as the description proceeds that the disclosure may be realized in different embodiments.
[0029] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a setup, device that comprises a list of components that does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus or device. It could be noted with respect to the present disclosure that the terms like “a serverless digital key sharing system and method thereof”, “The system” refers to the same system which is used in the present disclosure.
[0030] In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be

construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
[0031] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
[0032] The terms “user” and “primary user” may be interchangeably used throughout the description. The terms “duplicate” “secondary” and “auxiliary” may be interchangeably used throughout the description.
[0033] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0034] According to an aspect, the present disclosure provides techniques to perform serverless digital key sharing between a mobile device and a vehicle.
Exemplary System:
[0035] Referring now to Figure 1, which illustrates a serverless digital key sharing system 100 that allows a mobile device 110 to wirelessly control a vehicle 120. The serverless digital key sharing system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1 includes a mobile device 110, a vehicle 120 comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) 130, and one or more Near-field communication (NFC) devices 140. The ECU 130 is associated with a unique identification number (e.g., vehicle identification number (VIN)) and comprises an NFC reader to read the one or more NFC devices. The one or more NFC devices 140 may include one primary NFC device and one or more auxiliary NFC devices. In an

exemplary embodiment, the NFC device 140 may be an NFC card. In another embodiment, the NFC device 140 may be an NFC tag, an NFC sticker, an NFC keychain, but not limited thereto. The mobile device 110 may be any mobile computing device including, but not limited to, a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or smart phone), a laptop computer, a wireless handset, a portable communication device, a portable computing device (e.g., a personal digital assistant), or any other suitable computing device including a wireless communications interface. The mobile device may be associated with a unique identification number, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, media access control (MAC) address, globally unique identifier (GUID), but not limited thereto.
[0036] In the exemplary environment presented in figure 1, the vehicle is shown as a four-wheeler vehicle. However, it must be appreciated that the techniques of the present disclosure are equally applicable for two wheelers, three-wheelers, or multi-wheelers vehicles. The vehicle may be associated with a unique identification number including vehicle identification number (VIN) or Chassis Number, but not limited thereto.
[0037] The mobile device 110 and the ECU 130 are configured to communicate with each other over a wireless network 150. The wireless network 150 may support one or more wireless technologies such as classic Bluetooth, Zigbee, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) etc. Further, based on compatibilities of the vehicle ECU 130 and the mobile device 110, one of the wireless technologies may be selected by the mobile device 110 for communication with the vehicle ECU 130. Each of the one or more NFC devices 140 may have a unique identification number which may be printed in the NFC device.
[0038] In one embodiment, the mobile device 110 as illustrated in Figure 1 is a dealer mobile device including a dealer software application 160 (e.g., a dealer mobile application) built into the memory. The dealer downloads the dealer application from a server (the only time dealer mobile is communicating with the server) and then install the downloaded dealer application in the mobile device 110. After successful installation, the dealer logs-in into the dealer application using his/her personal credentials. If the dealer is a first-time user, he/she is asked to first register (e.g., create a dealer account) with the dealer application. Thereafter, the dealer registers/pairs the one or more NFC devices 140

with the vehicle 120 using the dealer application wirelessly. To register the NFC devices 140 with the ECU 130, the dealer communicatively couples the mobile device 110 with the vehicle ECU 130 using the wireless network 150 and then give one or more commands to the ECU 130 using the dealer application. For instance, first the mobile device 110 instructs the ECU 130 using the dealer application to activate the NFC reader. Then, the mobile device 110 instructs the dealer using the dealer application to tap the one or more NFC devices 140 on the NFC reader one by one. When an NFC device is tapped on the NFC reader of the ECU 130, the ECU 130 reads a unique identity of the NFC device and stores the same against the unique identity of the vehicle. The ECU 130 also determines a unique digital key associated with the NFC device, the unique digital key is indicative of the unique association between the NFC device and the ECU 130. The unique digital key is stored in the ECU and is used for communications between the NFC device and the ECU 130. When a customer purchases the vehicle 120, the dealer handovers the one or more registered NFC devices 140 to the customer. In one non-limiting embodiment, the dealer may print the unique identification number of a vehicle on the one or more registered NFC devices 140.
[0039] In another non-limiting embodiment, the mobile device 110 is a vehicle’s user or customer’s mobile device that is used to control the vehicle 120, as explained in the forthcoming paragraphs.
[0040] Referring now to Figure 2 that shows an exemplary block diagram 200 of the serverless digital key sharing system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the mobile device 110 includes a memory 212, a transceiver 216, and a processor 214. The transceiver 216 is configured to exchange data between the mobile device 110 and the vehicle 120. The processor 214 is communicatively coupled to the memory 212 and to the transceiver 216. The ECU 130 also includes a memory 232, a transceiver 236, and a processor 234. The memory 232 of the ECU 130 is configured to store the unique identification number associated with the vehicle. The memory 232 also stores the identities of the NFC devices 140 registered with the vehicle 120. The identities of the NFC devices 140 are stored in the memory 232 during the initial registration of the NFC devices 140 by the dealer. The transceiver 236 is configured to exchange data between the mobile device 110 and the vehicle 120. The processor 234 is

communicatively coupled to the memory 232 and the transceiver 236.
[0041] The memories 212, 232 are configured to store necessary commands needed for execution of various operations of the serverless digital key sharing system 100. A memory may include a Random-Access Memory (RAM) unit and/or a non-volatile memory unit such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), optical disc drive, magnetic disc drive, flash memory, Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), a memory space on a server or cloud and so forth. For the sake of illustration, it is assumed here that the memory is a non-volatile memory. The processors 214, 234 process or perform various operations of the serverless digital key sharing system 100. Examples of the processors may include, but not restricted to, a general-purpose processor, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), microprocessors, microcomputers, micro-controllers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.
[0042] In one non-limiting embodiment, when the mobile device 110 is a user mobile device, the user downloads a user software application 160 (e.g., a user mobile application) from a server 218 (this is the only time, mobile device 110 is interacting with the server 218) connected to the mobile device 110 via a network 150 (e.g., internet). Once the user application 160 is downloaded, the processor 214 installs the user application 160 in the mobile device 110. After successful installation, the user logs-in into the user application 160 using his/her personal credentials (e.g., user identity and password). If the user is a first-time user, he/she is asked to initially register (i.e., create a user account) with the user application 160.
[0043] To initially register the user with the user application 160, the user application 160 requests the user to provide input such as user identification details and/or vehicle identification details. In an exemplary scenario, the details may be requested upon pressing a button named “New User Registration” in the user application. It may be noted that the server connectivity is required one time only i.e., for downloading the user application 160. Once the user application 160 is downloaded and the registration of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130 is successful, the mobile device 110 may control

the operations of the vehicle 120 through the user application 160 without needing the server/ internet connectivity. Thus, the user application 160 allows the mobile device 110 to wirelessly control the vehicle 120 without needing the server connectivity.
[0044] Once the user registration is performed, the user of the vehicle 120 initiates pairing/registration of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130 (or with the vehicle 120, more generally) through one of the wireless technologies. In an exemplary embodiment, BLE may be used for pairing or registering the mobile device 110 with the vehicle 120. The ECU 130 comprises a Bluetooth module which is in advertising mode by default. The processor 214 activates a Bluetooth module of the mobile device 110 and a wireless communication is established between with mobile device 110 and the ECU 130 with the help of BLE by virtue of pairing. Once the wireless communication, which is including but not limited to BLE, is established, the processor 214 executes one or more commands for pairing/registering the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130. For instance, the processor 214 transmits a request to the ECU 130 to register the mobile device 110. The request comprises a unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120 (e.g., a VIN) and instructions to activate an NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130.
[0045] In one non-limiting embodiment, upon receiving the request from the mobile device 110, the processor 234 of the ECU 130 compares the unique identification number received from the mobile device 110 with the unique identification number stored in the memory 232. When the unique identification number stored in the memory 232 matches with the unique identification number received from the mobile device 110, the processor 234 determines that the request is coming from an authentic mobile device 110. Upon successful authentication, the processor 214 of the mobile device 110 receives a response from the ECU 130 indicating successful authentication of the mobile device 110. However, if the unique identification number stored in the memory 232 and the unique identification number received from the mobile device 110 do not match, then the ECU 130 denies the registration request received from the mobile device 110 and instructs the mobile device 110 to re-transmit the registration request with correct unique identification number of the vehicle. In one non-limiting embodiment, the ECU 130 may temporarily block the mobile device 110 after a predefined number of failed registration attempts to prevent unauthorize access and theft of the vehicle.

[0046] Following successful authentication of the mobile device 110, the ECU 130 activates the NFC reader 240 to read one or more NFC devices. The user taps an NFC device 140 on the NFC reader 240 and the ECU 130 reads the NFC device 140 and fetches the identity of the NFC device 140. Further, the ECU 130 compares the read identity of the NFC device 140 with the one or more identities stored in the ECU 130 and determines that the NFC device 140 is an authentic NFC device when the identity of the NFC device 140 matches with any of the identities stored in the ECU 130.
[0047] Following successful authentication of the NFC device 140, the ECU 130 transmits a message to the mobile device 110 indicating successful authentication of the NFC device 140 read via the NFC reader 240. The ECU 130 also transmits a request to the mobile device 110 for unique identification number (e.g., IMEI number) associated with the mobile device 110. Upon receiving the request, the mobile device 110 transmits its unique identification number (e.g., IMEI number) to the ECU 130. The ECU 130, upon receiving the unique identification number of the mobile device 110, maps the unique identification number of the mobile device 110 with the identity of the NFC device 140 and the unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120. The mapping of the unique identification number of the mobile device 110, the identity of the NFC device 140, and the unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120 is stored in the memory 232. In one non-limiting embodiment, the ECU 130 may share the mapping with the mobile device 110 as well. This completes the registration process of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130. The ECU 130 transmits a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the mobile device 110 has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU 130 and is used for wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120.
[0048] In one non-limiting embodiment, the response comprises a unique digital key associated with the NFC device 140. In this way, the mobile device 110 learns the unique digital key associated with the NFC device 140. The mobile device 110 upon receiving the response comprising the unique digital key associated with the NFC device 140 is used to wirelessly control the vehicle 120 using the wireless technology provided that the mobile device 110 is within a predefined distance from the vehicle 120.

[0049] In one non-limiting embodiment, wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 comprises performing one or more remote operations comprising locking the vehicle 120, unlocking the vehicle 120, locating the vehicle 120, controlling glove box of the vehicle 120, controlling seat actuator of the vehicle 120, controlling cargo compartment of the vehicle 120, activating or deactivating an engine of the vehicle 120, controlling lighting system of the vehicle 120, controlling temperature inside the vehicle 120, storing a current location of the vehicle 120, and autolocking or auto-unlocking the vehicle 120 based on a predetermined distance between the vehicle 120 and the mobile device 110, checking health of vehicle batteries, checking fuel level of the vehicle 120.
[0050] Each of the above-mentioned operations are performed based on one or more control commands/ buttons provided in user application 160. The user gives command to wirelessly control the vehicle 120 via the mobile device 110. In one non-limiting embodiment, the user application 160 has a command button to lock the vehicle 120 when the user gets off from the vehicle 120. When the “lock” command button is touched/pressed, the mobile device 110 generates a control command to lock the vehicle 120. The command is wirelessly transmitted to the ECU 130 which processes the lock command and activate an Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) or Electronic Handle lock (EHL) of the vehicle 120.
[0051] In one non-limiting embodiment, the user application 160 comprises a command button to unlock the vehicle 120 when the user is within a predefined distance from the vehicle 120. When the “unlock” command button is touched, the mobile device 110 may generate a control command to unlock the vehicle 120. The command is wirelessly transmitted to the ECU 130 which processes the unlock command to unlock the vehicle 120 by deactivating the ESCL or EHL.
[0052] In another non-limiting embodiment, the user application 160 may comprise a command button to locate the vehicle 120 when the user is within a predefined distance from the vehicle 120. When the “locate” command button is touched, the mobile device 110 generates a control command to locate the vehicle 120. The command is wirelessly transmitted to the ECU 130 which processes the received command and activate a signal

or an alarm in the vehicle 120 to enable locating of the vehicle 120.
[0053] Similarly, the user application 160 comprises a command button to open/close a glove box of the vehicle 120; a command button to control a seat actuator of the vehicle to adjust the seat according to user requirements; a command button to control a cargo compartment of the vehicle 120 (e.g., opening/closing the cargo compartment), a command button to activate or start an engine of the vehicle 120; a command button to deactivate or turn OFF the engine of the vehicle 120; a command button to wirelessly control lighting system of the vehicle 120 (e.g., selectively turning ON/OFF different lights of the vehicle 120); a command button to wirelessly control temperature within the vehicle 120 (e.g., turning ON/OFF an air conditioner or a heater of the vehicle 120 to maintain a set temperature inside the vehicle 120).
[0054] In one non-limiting embodiment, the user application 160 has an auto-lock setting. When the “auto-lock” setting is enabled, the mobile device 110 automatically generates a command to lock the vehicle 120 when the user is a predetermined distance away from the vehicle 120. Similarly, the user application 160 has an auto-unlock setting. When the “auto-unlock” setting is enabled, the mobile device 110 automatically generates a command to unlock the vehicle 120 when the user is approaching the vehicle and is a predetermined distance away from the vehicle 120.
[0055] In one non-limiting embodiment, the digital key associated with the NFC device 140 is transferred to another user (e.g., when the vehicle 120 is sold) or to another mobile device (e.g., when the mobile device 110 is to be changed). The mobile device 110 receives a request from the user for transferring the digital key to the other user or mobile device. Upon receiving the request, the mobile device 110 transmits the request to the ECU 130. In one aspect, the request may comprise a unique identification number associated with the other mobile device. In another aspect, the request may comprise a unique identity (e.g., mobile number, user identity/ user name, etc.) associated with the user or the other user. The user or the other user then initiates the process of registering the other mobile device with the ECU 130 in the manner as discussed above. Here, instead of the vehicle identification number, the authentication of the other mobile device may be based on the unique identification number or the unique identity comprised in the

request for transferring the digital key. Upon successful authentication and registration of the other mobile device, the ECU 130 shares the digital key to the other mobile device for controlling the vehicle. Upon successful authentication and registration of the other mobile device, the digital key can be revoked from the mobile device of the user. In one non-limiting embodiment, the digital key can be revoked from the mobile device of the user at the time of transmitting the request for transferring the digital key to the ECU 130.
[0056] In one non-limiting embodiment, the user application 160 comprises a command button to issue a duplicate/auxiliary/secondary digital key to a duplicate/ auxiliary/ secondary user of the vehicle 120. A duplicate/auxiliary/secondary user is a user other than the primary user. In one aspect, the duplicate digital key is associated with an auxiliary or secondary NFC device registered with the vehicle 120. When the user touches an “issue duplicate key” command button via the user application 160, the mobile device 110 requests the primary user to enter duplicate user’s unique identity (e.g., a unique identification number associated with a mobile device of the duplicate user, or a mobile number of the duplicate user, or a user identity/user name of the duplicate user, etc.). The mobile device 110 additionally requests the primary user to enter access rights or control options to be provided to the duplicate user. The duplicate user’s unique identity and provided access rights are stored in the memory 212. In one non-limiting embodiment, the number of duplicate users may be limited. The primary user hands over the registered auxiliary NFC device to the duplicate user.
[0057] The duplicate user then initiates the process of registering his/her mobile device with the ECU 130. The process of registering the mobile device of the duplicate user is same as registering the mobile device of the primary user and the same is not repeated for the sake of brevity. In as optional aspect, instead of the vehicle identification number, the authentication of the duplicate user’s mobile device is based on the duplicate user’s unique identity. Upon successful authentication and registration of the duplicate user’s mobile device, the ECU 130 shares a duplicate or auxiliary digital key associated with the auxiliary NFC device with the mobile device of the duplicate user for controlling the vehicle 120.
[0058] In one non-limiting embodiment, the duplicate user may be given only

limited access rights (i.e., options of controlling the vehicle 120). This restriction is fixed during registration of the duplicate user. However, the access rights given to the duplicate user may be updated at any time. For instance, when some of the access rights that were given to the duplicate user are to be updated, the mobile device 110 may transmit a request to the ECU 130 to update the one or more access rights given to the duplicate user. The ECU 130 may update the access rights as requested by the mobile device 110 and provide a confirmation to the mobile device 110 that the one or more access rights given to the duplicate user have been successfully updated.
[0059] In one non-limiting embodiment, the duplicate digital key associated with the auxiliary NFC device is valid only for a defined duration of time. The defined duration is provided at the time of registering the duplicate user’s mobile device. After the defined duration of time, the duplicate digital key is revoked automatically and the duplicate user will not be able to control the vehicle 120.
[0060] In another non-limiting embodiment, the revoking of the duplicate digital key may be performed manually. The user application 160 comprises “revoke/suspend duplicate digital key” command button. When this command button is activated, the mobile device 110 transmits a request to the ECU 130 to revoke or temporarily suspend the duplicate digital key. The request comprises the identity of the duplicate user for which the duplicate digital key is to be revoked or suspended. The request indicates whether the duplicate digital key is to be revoked permanently or to be suspended temporarily. If the duplicate digital key is to be suspended temporarily, the request additionally comprises the time period for which the duplicate digital key is to be suspended temporarily. Upon receiving the request, the ECU 130 permanently revokes or temporarily suspends the duplicate digital key registered with the duplicate user. The ECU 130 transmits a confirmation to the mobile device 110 that the duplicate digital key has been permanently revoked or temporarily suspended (depending on the received request).
[0061] In one non-limiting embodiment, sometimes the NFC device 140 used for pairing the vehicle 120 and the mobile device 110 may be stolen or lost. In such case, the lost NFC device needs to be deregistered and the vehicle 120 and the mobile device 110

must be paired using another NFC device. In this embodiment, when the NFC device used for pairing the vehicle 120 and the mobile device 110 is lost, the mobile device 110 transmits a request to the ECU 130 indicating that the NFC device registered with the ECU is lost. The request instructs the ECU 130 to activate the NFC reader 240. Upon receiving the request, the ECU 130 deregisters the lost NFC device from the ECU 130 and activate the NFC reader 240 to read another NFC device registered with the vehicle. Upon successful authentication of the other NFC device, the ECU 130 transmits a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the lost NFC device is deregistered from the ECU 130 and the unique digital key associated with the lost NFC device is updated with a unique digital key associated with the other NFC. The mobile device 110 continues controlling the vehicle 120 but with the updated digital key.
[0062] In one non-limiting embodiment, the user application 160 comprises a command button to register new NFC devices with the vehicle 120. When this command button is activated, the mobile device 110 transmits a request to the ECU 130 for registering a new NFC device with the ECU 130. The request may include instructions to activate the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130. Upon receiving the request, the ECU 130 activates the NFC reader 240 to read a new NFC device to be registered with the vehicle 120. The user application 160 notifies the user to place the already registered NFC device (i.e., old NFC device) on the NFC reader 240. When the old NFC device is placed on the NFC reader 240, the ECU 130 reads the old NFC device and upon successful authentication of the old NFC device, the ECU 130 again activates the NFC reader 240 to read a new NFC device to be registered with the ECU 130. The NFC device is then registered with the vehicle 120. Upon successful registration of the new NFC device, the ECU 130 transmits a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the new NFC device has been successfully registered with the ECU 130.
[0063] In one non-limiting embodiment, sometimes the user may forget the user identity (or user name) and/or password for logging into the user application 160. The techniques of the present disclosure allow the user to reset the user name or password with the help of paired NFC device. For instance, upon selecting the forgot password option, the mobile device 110 may ask the user to provide unique identification number of the vehicle and transmit a request to the ECU 130 comprising the unique identification

number of the vehicle. The request comprises instructions to activate the NFC reader 240. Upon successful authentication of the mobile device 110, the ECU 130 activates the NFC reader 240 and reads the paired NFC device. Upon successful authentication of the NFC device, the ECU 130 transmits a response to the mobile device instructing the mobile device to allow the user to set a new user name and/or password.
[0064] In one non-limiting embodiment, if the mobile device 110 of the user is damaged or lost, the user can download and install the user application 160 on new mobile device and enter user name and password. Thereafter, the user selects an option on the user application 160 of reconfiguration. Upon selecting this option, the user follows the above described procedure for pairing, subsequently registering the new mobile device with the ECU 130 using the wireless technology.
[0065] In one non-limiting embodiment, the above-discussed techniques enable controlling of the vehicle 120 through the mobile device 110 via the wireless technology (i.e., BLE). However, when the wireless technology (i.e., BLE) is not enabled or is not working then the vehicle 120 cannot be controlled through the mobile device 110. To address this issue, the present disclosure proposes to wirelessly control the vehicle 120 through the mobile device 110 via NFC technology (provided that the mobile device 110 is an NFC enabled device) i.e., the mobile device 110 acts as an NFC device. Since the vehicle 120 is controlled using the NFC technology, this embodiment provides additional security. The forthcoming paragraphs now describe the technique of wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 through the mobile device 110 via the NFC technology.
[0066] In one non-limiting embodiment, upon receiving the response from the ECU 130 indicating successful authentication and registration of the NFC enabled mobile device 110 with the ECU 130, the mobile device 110 generates an application identity (AID) based on the unique identification number (e.g., VIN number) associated with the vehicle 120 and the mobile device unique identification number (e.g., IMEI number). The AID may be generated by applying a mathematical function on the unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120 and the mobile device unique identification number. The mobile device 110 transmits the generated AID number to the ECU 130 to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC

technology. Upon receiving the generated AID number, the ECU 130 may store the received AID number in the memory 232. In some embodiments, the AID number may be referred to as a digital key.
[0067] When a user wants to access (e.g., lock/unlock) or wirelessly control the vehicle 120 using mobile NFC technology, he/she may press vehicle start/stop button which activates the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130. Upon activation of the NFC reader 240, the ECU 130 reads the NFC enabled mobile device 110 and the mobile device 110 transmits a request to the ECU 130, via the NFC technology, to enable wireless access (e.g., locking/unlocking) of the vehicle 120, the request comprises an AID number. The ECU 130 compares the AID number comprised in the request with the stored AID number and when the AID number of the request matches with the stored AID number, the ECU 130 grants the wireless access for wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC technology. In one embodiment, the ECU 130 may transmit a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the wireless access is granted for wirelessly controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC technology. In the similar manner, other operations (e.g., performing remote vehicle operations, updating access rights, permanently revoking an AID, generating a new AID, temporarily suspending an AID, generating multiple AIDs using multiple mobile devices, etc.) may also be performed by using the mobile device as NFC device and the same is not reproduced here for the sake of brevity.
[0068] Thus, the present disclosure provides efficient and convenient techniques of sharing digital key using Bluetooth and NFC technology, thereby eliminating the need of sharing the digital key using internet or server. The techniques of the present disclosure configure the mobile device to act as a key. Thus, there would be no need to carry separate physical key and the mobile device itself can be used for controlling various operations of the vehicle.
[0069] Figure 3 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 300 of registering a mobile device 110 of a user with a vehicle 120, initiated upon transmitting a request from the mobile device 110. The various operations of the method 300 are performed by the mobile device 110 and in particular, by the processor 214 of the mobile device 110.

[0070] The method comprises, at block 302, establishing a wireless communication between the mobile device 110 and the ECU 130 of the vehicle 120 using a wireless technology. For example, the processor 214 is configured to establish the wireless communication between the mobile device 110 and the ECU 130 of the vehicle 120 using the wireless technology.
[0071] At block 304, the method 300 comprises transmitting a request for registering the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130. For example, the processor 214 in conjunction with the transceiver 216 is configured to transmit the request for registering the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130 transmitting a request for registering the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130. The request comprises a unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120 and further comprises instructions to activate an NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130 to read an NFC device 140 registered with the ECU 130.
[0072] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 may further comprise after transmitting the request for registering the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130, receiving a request for mobile device unique identification number from the ECU 130; and transmitting the mobile device unique identification number to the ECU 130 for registering the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130.
[0073] At block 306, the method 300 comprises receiving a response from the ECU 130 indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130, the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device 140. For example, the processor 214 in conjunction with the transceiver 216 is configured to receive the response from the ECU 130 indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130.
[0074] At block 308, the method 300 comprises after successful authentication and registration of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130, wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the wireless technology. For example, the processor 214 is configured to wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the wireless technology after successful authentication and registration

of the mobile device 110 with the ECU 130.
[0075] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 further comprises receiving a request for transferring the digital key to another user, the request comprising a unique identification number associated with a mobile device of the other user. The method 300 further comprises transmitting the received request to the ECU 130 to enable authentication and registration of the mobile device of the other user; and revoking the digital key from the mobile device 110 of the user.
[0076] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 further comprises transmitting a request for issuing a duplicate digital key to a duplicate user of the vehicle 120 for a defined duration of time; and receiving a confirmation from the ECU 130 that the duplicate digital key has been successfully issued to the duplicate user.
[0077] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 further comprises transmitting a request to the ECU 130 for permanently revoking or temporarily suspending the duplicate digital key issued to the duplicate user; and receiving a confirmation from the ECU 130 that the duplicate digital key has been permanently revoked or temporarily suspended.
[0078] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 further comprises transmitting a request to the ECU 130 for updating one or more access rights given to the duplicate user; and receiving a confirmation from the ECU 130 that the one or more access rights given to the duplicate user have been successfully updated.
[0079] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 further comprises transmitting a request to the ECU 130, where the request indicates that the NFC device 140 registered with the ECU 130 is lost and instructs the ECU 130 to activate the NFC reader 240. The method 300 further comprises receiving a response from the ECU 130 indicating that the lost NFC device is deregistered from the ECU 130 and the unique digital key associated with the lost NFC device is updated with a unique digital key associated with another NFC device registered with the ECU 130.

[0080] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 300 further comprises transmitting a request for registering a new NFC device with the ECU 130, the request comprising instructions to activate the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130; and receiving a response from the ECU 130 indicating that the new NFC device has been registered with the ECU 130.
[0081] Figure 4 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 400 of registering a mobile device 110 of a user with a vehicle 120, initiated upon receiving a request from the mobile device 110. The various operations of the method 400 are performed by the vehicle 120 and in particular, by the processor 234 of the vehicle 120.
[0082] At block 402, the method 400 comprises establishing a wireless communication between the mobile device 110 and an ECU 130 of the vehicle 120 using a wireless technology. For instance, the processor 234 is configured to establish the wireless communication between the mobile device 110 and the ECU 130 using the wireless technology. The ECU 130 stores a unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120 and identities of one or more Near-field communication (NFC) devices 140 registered with the ECU 130.
[0083] At block 404, the method 400 comprises receiving a request from the mobile device 110, the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130. For example, the processor 234 in conjunction with the transceiver 236 is configured to receiving the request from the mobile device 110, the received request comprising the unique identification number and instructions to activate the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130.
[0084] At block 406, the method 400 comprises activating the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130 and reading an NFC device 140 upon successful authentication of the mobile device 110. For instance, the processor 234 is configured to activate the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130 and read the NFC device 140 upon successful authentication of the mobile device 110.
[0085] At block 408, the method 400 comprises registering the ECU 130 with the

mobile device 110 upon successful authentication of the NFC device 140 read via the NFC reader 240. For instance, the processor 234 is configured to register the ECU 130 with the mobile device 110 upon successful authentication of the NFC device 140 read via the NFC reader 240.
[0086] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises upon successful authentication of the NFC device 140, transmitting a request for mobile device unique identification number and receiving the mobile device unique identification number from the mobile device 110. The method further comprises storing a mapping of the NFC device 140, the unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120, and the mobile device unique identification number.
[0087] At block 410, the method 400 comprises transmitting a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the mobile device 110 has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU 130 for wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120, the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device 140. For example, the processor 234 in conjunction with the transceiver 236 is configured to transmit the response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the mobile device 110 has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU 130 for wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120.
[0088] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises confirming successful authentication of the mobile device 110 when the unique identification number comprised in the received command matches with the unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120; and confirming successful authentication of the NFC device 140 when an identity of the NFC device 140 matches with any of the identities stored in the ECU 130.
[0089] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises receiving, from the mobile device 110, a request for transferring the digital key to another user, the request comprising an identity of the other user. The method further comprises upon receiving the digital key transfer request, revoking the digital key from the mobile device 110 and transferring the digital key to a mobile device of the other user upon

successful authentication and registering of the mobile device of the other user with the ECU 130.
[0090] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises receiving, from the mobile device 110, a request for issuing a duplicate digital key to a duplicate user of the vehicle 120 for a defined duration of time. The method further comprises issuing the duplicate digital key to the duplicate user upon successful authentication and registering of a mobile device of the duplicate user with the ECU 130 and transmitting a confirmation to the mobile device 110 that the duplicate digital key has been successfully issued to the duplicate user.
[0091] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises upon receiving a request from the mobile device 110, permanently revoking or temporarily suspending the duplicate digital key issued to the duplicate user; and transmitting a confirmation to the mobile device 110 that the duplicate digital key has been permanently revoked or temporarily suspended.
[0092] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises upon receiving a request from the mobile device 110, updating one or more access rights given to the duplicate user; and transmitting a confirmation to the mobile device 110 that the one or more access rights given to the duplicate user have been successfully updated.
[0093] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises receiving, from the mobile device 110, a request indicating that the NFC device 140 registered with the ECU 130 is lost, the request comprising instructions for activating the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130. The method further comprises deregistering the lost NFC device from the ECU 130 and activating the NFC reader 240 to read another NFC device registered with the ECU 130. The method further comprises upon successful authentication of the other NFC device, transmitting a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the lost NFC device is deregistered from the ECU 130 and the unique digital key associated with the lost NFC device is updated with a unique digital key associated with the other NFC device 140.

[0094] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 400 further comprises receiving, from the mobile device 110, a request for registering a new NFC device with the ECU 130, the request comprising instructions to activate the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130 and activating the NFC reader 240 of the ECU 130 to read the new NFC device. The method further comprises registering the new NFC device with the ECU 130 using the NFC device 140 already registered with the ECU 130 and upon successfully registration of the new NFC device, transmitting a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the new NFC device has been registered with the ECU 130.
[0095] Figure 5 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 500 of registering a mobile device 110 of a user with a vehicle 120. The various operations of the method 500 are performed by the mobile device 110 and in particular, by the processor 214 of the mobile device 110. The blocks 502-506 of Figure 5 are similar/same as blocks 302-306 of Figure 3 and the same are not reproduced again for the sake of brevity.
[0096] At block 508, the method 500 comprises generating an application ID (AID) number based on the unique identification number associated with the vehicle 120 and a mobile device unique identification number, upon successful authentication of the NFC device 140 read via the NFC reader 240. For instance, the processor 214 is configured to generating the AID number based on the unique identification number and the mobile device unique identification number, upon successful authentication of the NFC device 140 read via the NFC reader 240.
[0097] At block 510, the method 500 comprises transmitting the generated AID number to the ECU 130 to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using NFC technology. For instance, the processor 214 in conjunction with the transceiver 216 is configured to transmit the generated AID number to the ECU 130 to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC technology.
[0098] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 500 may further comprise transmitting a request to the ECU 130, via the NFC technology, to enable wireless access of the vehicle 120, the request comprising an AID number; and receiving a response from

the ECU 130 indicating that the wireless access is granted for wirelessly controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC technology.
[0099] Figure 6 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 600 of registering a mobile device 110 of a user with a vehicle 120. The various operations of the method 600 are performed by the vehicle 120 and in particular, by the processor 234 of the vehicle 120. The blocks 602-608 of Figure 6 are similar/same as blocks 402-408 of Figure 4 and the same are not reproduced again for the sake of brevity.
[00100] At block 610, the method 600 comprises transmitting a response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the mobile device 110 has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU 130. For example, the processor 234 in conjunction with the transceiver 236 is configured to transmit the response to the mobile device 110 indicating that the mobile device 110 has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU 130.
[00101] At block 612, the method 600 receiving an application ID (AID) number from the mobile device 110 to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using NFC technology. For example, the processor 234 in conjunction with the transceiver 236 is configured to receive the AID number from the mobile device 110 to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC technology.
[00102] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method 600 may comprise storing the received AID number and upon pressing of start/stop button on vehicle, receiving a request from the mobile device 110, via the NFC technology, to enable wireless access of the vehicle 120, the request comprising an AID number. When the AID number of the request matches with the stored AID number, the method further comprises granting the wireless access for wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 using the NFC technology.
[00103] In one non-limiting embodiment, in the methods 300-600, the wireless technology may comprise any of: classic Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Bluetooth low energy

(BLE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and the NFC device 140 may comprise any of: an NFC tag, an NFC sticker, an NFC keychain, or an NFC card.
[00104] In one non-limiting embodiment, in the methods 300-600, the operation of wirelessly controlling the vehicle 120 from the mobile device 110 comprises performing one or more of remote operations comprising: locking the vehicle 120, unlocking the vehicle 120, locating the vehicle 120, controlling glove box of the vehicle 120, controlling seat actuator of the vehicle 120, controlling cargo compartment of the vehicle 120, activating or deactivating engine of the vehicle 120, controlling lighting system of the vehicle 120, controlling temperature inside the vehicle 120, storing a current location of the vehicle 120, and autolocking or auto-unlocking the vehicle 120 based on a predetermined distance between the vehicle 120 and the mobile device 110.
[00105] The above methods 300-600 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.
[00106] The order in which the various operations of the method are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the methods can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
[00107] The various operations of method described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. The means may include various hardware and/or software component(s) and/or module(s), including, but not limited to the processors 214, 234 of Figure 2. Generally, where there are operations illustrated in Figures, those operations may have corresponding counterpart means-plus-function components.

[00108] It may be noted here that the subject matter of some or all embodiments described with reference to Figures 1-2 may be relevant for the methods and the same is not repeated for the sake of brevity.
[00109] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
[00110] Certain aspects may comprise a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may comprise a computer readable media having instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may include packaging material. The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
[00111] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the appended claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A method (300) of registering a mobile device (110) of a user with a vehicle (120),
the method (300) comprising:
establishing (302) a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology;
transmitting (304) a request for registering the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and further comprising instructions to activate a Near-field communication (NFC) reader (240) of the ECU (130) to read an NFC device (140) registered with the ECU (130);
receiving (306) a response from the ECU (130) indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device (140); and
after successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), wirelessly controlling (308) the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using the wireless technology.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
after transmitting the request for registering the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), receiving a request for mobile device unique identification number from the ECU (130); and
transmitting the mobile device unique identification number to the ECU (130) for registering the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130).
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless technology comprises any of: classic Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-fi) and wherein the NFC device (140) comprises any of: an NFC tag, an NFC sticker, an NFC keychain, or an NFC card.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein wirelessly controlling the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) comprises performing one or more of the following remote operations:
locking the vehicle (120), unlocking the vehicle (120), locating the vehicle (120),

controlling glove box of the vehicle (120), controlling seat actuator of the vehicle (120), controlling cargo compartment of the vehicle (120), activating or deactivating engine of the vehicle (120), controlling lighting system of the vehicle (120), controlling temperature inside the vehicle (120), storing a current location of the vehicle (120), and autolocking or auto-unlocking the vehicle (120) based on a predetermined distance between the vehicle (120) and the mobile device (110).
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request for transferring the digital key to another user, the request comprising a unique identification number associated with a mobile device of the other user;
transmitting the received request to the ECU (130) to enable authentication and registration of the mobile device of the other user; and
revoking the digital key from the mobile device (110) of the user.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
transmitting a request for issuing a duplicate digital key to a duplicate user of the vehicle (120) for a defined duration of time; and
receiving a confirmation from the ECU (130) that the duplicate digital key has been successfully issued to the duplicate user.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:
transmitting a request to the ECU (130) for permanently revoking or temporarily suspending the duplicate digital key issued to the duplicate user; and
receiving a confirmation from the ECU (130) that the duplicate digital key has been permanently revoked or temporarily suspended.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:
transmitting a request to the ECU (130) for updating one or more access rights given to the duplicate user; and
receiving a confirmation from the ECU (130) that the one or more access rights given to the duplicate user have been successfully updated.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
transmitting a request to the ECU (130), wherein the request indicates that the NFC device (140) registered with the ECU (130) is lost and instructs the ECU (130) to activate the NFC reader (240); and
receiving a response from the ECU (130) indicating that the lost NFC device (140) is deregistered from the ECU (130) and the unique digital key associated with the lost NFC device (140) is updated with a unique digital key associated with another NFC device registered with the ECU (130).
10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
transmitting a request for registering a new NFC device with the ECU (130), the request comprising instructions to activate the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130); and
receiving a response from the ECU (130) indicating that the new NFC device has been registered with the ECU (130).
11. A method (400) of registering a mobile device (110) of a user with a vehicle (120),
the method comprising:
establishing (402) a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology, the ECU (130) storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and identities of one or more Near-field communication (NFC) devices (140) registered with the ECU (130);
receiving (404) a request from the mobile device (110), the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130);
upon successful authentication of the mobile device (110), activating (406) the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) and reading an NFC device (140);
registering (408) the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130) upon successful authentication of the NFC device (140) read via the NFC reader (240); and
transmitting (410) a response to the mobile device (110) indicating that the mobile device (110) has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU (130) for wirelessly controlling the vehicle (120), the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device (140).

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
upon successful authentication of the NFC device (140), transmitting a request for mobile device unique identification number;
receiving the mobile device unique identification number from the mobile device (110); and
storing a mapping of the NFC device (140), the unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120), and the mobile device unique identification number.
13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wireless technology comprises any of: classic Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and wherein the NFC device (140) comprises any of: an NFC tag, an NFC sticker, an NFC keychain, or an NFC card.
14. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
confirming successful authentication of the mobile device (110) when the unique identification number comprised in the received command matches with the unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120); and
confirming successful authentication of the NFC device (140) when an identity of the NFC device (140) matches with any of the identities stored in the ECU (130).
15. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, from the mobile device (110), a request for transferring the digital key to another user, the request comprising an identity of the other user; and
upon receiving the digital key transfer request, revoking the digital key from the mobile device (110) and transferring the digital key to a mobile device of the other user upon successful authentication and registering of the mobile device of the other user with the ECU (130).
16. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, from the mobile device (110), a request for issuing a duplicate digital key to a duplicate user of the vehicle (120) for a defined duration of time;
issuing the duplicate digital key to the duplicate user upon successful authentication

and registering of a mobile device of the duplicate user with the ECU (130); and
transmitting a confirmation to the mobile device (110) that the duplicate digital key has been successfully issued to the duplicate user.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:
upon receiving a request from the mobile device (110), permanently revoking or temporarily suspending the duplicate digital key issued to the duplicate user; and
transmitting a confirmation to the mobile device (110) that the duplicate digital key has been permanently revoked or temporarily suspended.
18. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:
upon receiving a request from the mobile device (110), updating one or more access rights given to the duplicate user; and
transmitting a confirmation to the mobile device (110) that the one or more access rights given to the duplicate user have been successfully updated.
19. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
Receiving, from the mobile device (110), a request indicating that the NFC device (140) registered with the ECU (130) is lost, the request comprising instructions for activating the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130);
deregistering the lost NFC device (140) from the ECU (130) and activating the NFC reader (240) to read another NFC device registered with the ECU (130); and
upon successful authentication of the other NFC device, transmitting a response to the mobile device (110) indicating that the lost NFC device is deregistered from the ECU (130) and the unique digital key associated with the lost NFC device (140) is updated with a unique digital key associated with the other NFC device.
20. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, from the mobile device (110), a request for registering a new NFC device with the ECU (130), the request comprising instructions to activate the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130);
activating the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) to read the new NFC device;
registering the new NFC device with the ECU (130) using the NFC device (140)

already registered with the ECU (130); and
upon successfully registration of the new NFC device, transmitting a response to the mobile device (110) indicating that the new NFC device has been registered with the ECU (130).
21. A mobile device (110), comprising:
a memory (212);
at least one transceiver (216) configured to transmit data between the mobile device (110) and a vehicle (120); and
at least one processor (214) communicatively coupled to the memory (212) and the at least one transceiver (216), wherein the at least one processor (214) is configured to:
establish a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology;
transmit a request for registering the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and further comprising instructions to activate a Near-field communication (NFC) reader (240) of the ECU (130) to read an NFC device (140) registered with the ECU (130);
receive a response from the ECU (130) indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device (140); and
after successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), wirelessly control the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using the wireless technology.
22. A control unit (ECU) (130) of a vehicle (120), comprising:
a memory (232) storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and identities of one or more Near-field communication (NFC) devices (140) registered with the ECU (130);
at least one transceiver (236) configured to transmit data between a mobile device (110) and the vehicle (120); and
at least one processor (234) communicatively coupled to the memory (232) and the transceiver (236), wherein the at least one processor (234) is configured to:

establish a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and the ECU (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology;
receive a request from the mobile device (110), the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130);
upon successful authentication of the mobile device (110), activate the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) and read an NFC device (140);
register the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130) upon successful authentication of the NFC device (140) read via the NFC reader (240); and
transmit a response to the mobile device (110) indicating that the mobile device (110) has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU (130) for wirelessly controlling the vehicle (120), the response comprising a unique digital key associated with the NFC device (140).
23. A method (500) of registering a Near-field communication (NFC) enabled mobile device (110) of a user with a vehicle (120), the method (300) comprising:
establishing (502) a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology;
transmitting (504) a request for registering the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and further comprising instructions to activate an NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) to read an NFC device (140) registered with the ECU (130);
receiving (506) a response from the ECU (130) indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130);
upon successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), generating (508) an application ID (AID) number based on the unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and a mobile device unique identification number; and
transmitting (510) the generated AID number to the ECU (130) to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using NFC technology.
24. The method as claimed in claim 23, further comprising:
transmitting a request to the ECU (130), via the NFC technology, to enable wireless

access of the vehicle (120), the request comprising an AID number; and
receiving a response from the ECU (130) indicating that the wireless access is granted for wirelessly controlling of the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using the NFC technology.
25. A method (600) of registering a Near-field communication (NFC) enabled mobile
device (110) of a user with a vehicle (120), the method comprising:
establishing (602) a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology, the ECU (130) storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and identities of one or more NFC devices (140) registered with the ECU (130);
receiving (604) a request from the mobile device (110), the received request comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130);
upon successful authentication of the mobile device (110), activating (606) the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) and reading an NFC device (140);
registering (608) the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130) upon successful authentication of the NFC device (140) read via the NFC reader (240);
transmitting (610) a response to the mobile device (110) indicating that the mobile device (110) has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU (130); and
receiving (612) an application ID (AID) number from the mobile device (110) to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using NFC technology.
26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:
storing the received AID number;
upon pressing of start/stop button on the vehicle (120), receiving a request from the mobile device (110), via the NFC technology, to enable wireless access of the vehicle (120), the request comprising an AID number; and
when the AID number of the request matches with the stored AID number, granting the wireless access for wirelessly controlling the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using the NFC technology.

27. A Near-field communication (NFC) enabled mobile device (110), comprising:
a memory (212);
at least one transceiver (216) configured to transmit data between the mobile device (110) and a vehicle (120); and
at least one processor (214) communicatively coupled to the memory (212) and the at least one transceiver (216), wherein the at least one processor (214) is configured to:
establish a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology;
transmit a request for registering the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), the request comprising a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and further comprising instructions to activate an NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) to read an NFC device (140) registered with the ECU (130);
receive a response from the ECU (130) indicating successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130);
upon successful authentication and registration of the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130), generate an application ID (AID) number based on the unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and a mobile device unique identification number; and
transmit the generated AID number to the ECU (130) to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using NFC technology.
28. A control unit (ECU) (130) of a vehicle (120), comprising:
a memory (232) storing a unique identification number associated with the vehicle (120) and identities of one or more Near-field communication (NFC) devices (140) registered with the ECU (130);
at least one transceiver (236) configured to transmit data between an NFC enabled mobile device (110) and the vehicle (120); and
at least one processor (234) communicatively coupled to the memory (232) and the transceiver (236), wherein the at least one processor (234) is configured to:
establish a wireless communication between the mobile device (110) and a
control unit (ECU) (130) of the vehicle (120) using a wireless technology;
receive a request from the mobile device (110), the received request
comprising a unique identification number and instructions to activate an NFC

reader (240) of the ECU (130);
upon successful authentication of the mobile device (110), activate the NFC reader (240) of the ECU (130) and reading an NFC device (140);
register the mobile device (110) with the ECU (130) upon successful authentication of the NFC device (140) read via the NFC reader (240);
transmit a response to the mobile device (110) indicating that the mobile device (110) has been successfully authenticated and registered with the ECU (130); and
receive an application ID (AID) number from the mobile device (110) to enable wireless controlling of the vehicle (120) from the mobile device (110) using NFC technology.