Allows wireless data transmission and oversee the vehicle conditions, including driving distance and fuel along with controlling the vehicle
LG Innotek has developed a digital car key module with improved location detection precision and security.
A digital car key module is a communication component that is installed in a car and allows wireless data transmission between a car and a smartphone. A digital key is a next-generation car key that allows users to open or lock the car door or start the engine using a smartphone. A driver can use his/her smartphone to oversee the vehicle conditions, including driving distance, fuel efficiency, tire pressure, etc., at a glance as well as control the vehicle.
Users can lend the digital key to another person or allow only specific functions, such as opening or closing the trunk, using a smartphone app. Users don’t need to carry a physical key, reducing the risk of losing the key. Also, the smartphone must be inside the car to drive it, reducing the risk of car theft.
As car-sharing and rental services have grown recently, the demand for a digital car key module has increased every year. But the existing digital car key modules had low location detection precision and concerns for low security as they were prone to hacking, etc.
The digital car key module uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, which is a wireless LAN communication technology and a proprietary algorithm, improving the location detection precision. Also, the module has increased security by applying proprietary hacking prevention technology.
Improved security
The digital car key module can detect the location of a smartphone 5 times more precisely than the existing key modules. The module’s error range between the actual smartphone’s location and the recognition location has been reduced from 50 cm (19.7 in) to under 10 cm (3.9 in).
For example, if an existing car key module detects that a smartphone is located between 4.7 m (15.4 ft) and 5.2 m (17.1 ft) from the module when the phone is 5 m (16.4 ft) away, the digital car key module can detect that the smartphone to be located between 4.9 m (16.1 ft) and 5 m (16.4 ft), which is a fairly good accuracy.
To achieve this, ultra-wideband technology with better precision for distance and direction than the Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology is used. Additionally, for the module, LG Innotek used its proprietary design technology for a wireless communication antenna and its proprietary location measurement algorithm.
The more precisely a digital car key module detects the location of a smartphone, the more diverse and more convenient functions can be implemented. The digital car key module can detect the smartphone location and open the driver’s seat door in advance or start the engine automatically.
It can also provide a driver with a personalized driving environment. When several people use the same car, the module can recognize the smartphone location and set the driver’s seat or side-view mirrors automatically for the corresponding driver. When several people with the same digital car key get on the vehicle, the module can detect the person on the driver’s seat accurately.
The company’s proprietary hacking prevention technology prevents electromagnetic interference and tampering of communication between vehicle and smartphone. This drastically reduces the possibility of car theft due to the loss of smartphone or digital key hacking.
With all these functions, the digital car key module is compact and slim. The module, with the size of a single clip, thanks to the ultra-precision high integration technology, contains about 60 components including RF (radio frequency) element, power block element, etc. With its compact size, it can be freely installed anywhere inside and outside the vehicle.
Besides, the module complies with the latest standards of the Car Connectivity Consortium, a global digital key standardisation organisation, allowing it to be used regardless of country, terrain and vehicle type. LG Innotek is a core member of this organisation and actively participates in the standardisation of a digital car key in cooperation with major global companies in the industry.
With the digital car key module, LG Innotek plans to actively make inroads into the market for next-generation communication components. The company is actively running promotions targeting global manufacturers of vehicles and vehicle components in the US, Japan, and Europe as well as in Korea to mass-produce the product.
