Digital communication, digital map, digital rearview mirror ...... Nowadays, digitalization has become an indispensable and important part of the car on the way to intelligent evolution. And what is more noteworthy is the evolution of digital keys.

By embedding the key into the phone through technical means into a virtual key, replacing the physical smart key, the digital key has developed to the third generation so far.

The first generation is based on near field communication NFC technology, which enables the exchange of data between digital devices in close proximity, with the advantages of rapid connection and high security, but the communication distance is only centimeter level, requiring users to put their smartphones close to the door handle in order to unlock the vehicle, which is not only slightly inferior to the use of the feeling, but also invariably limits the realization of functional diversification.

The second generation is based on BLE Bluetooth technology, the transmission distance of the program can reach the meter level, but through the Bluetooth signal strength of the way to determine the location of the digital key range, in terms of positioning accuracy and information security is slightly inadequate.

The third generation is the UWB technology solution. Compared with NFC and BLE, UWB digital key has the characteristics of short pulse, large bandwidth, low power spectrum density, insensitive to channel fading and low interception rate, so it has many advantages such as strong anti-interference ability, high positioning accuracy, strong coexistence with other wireless signals, longer positioning range and high security.

Table 1: Comparison of NFC, BLE and UWB technologies

Special attention should be paid to the security aspect, from NFC, Bluetooth to UWB digital keys, due to the use of wireless communication, the security risk should not be ignored. After the application of NFC digital keys in mass-produced vehicles, there were several incidents of vehicle theft in Japan using the network communication vulnerability that exists in digital keys themselves. The thieves used wireless analog devices to obtain the communication frequency and related information of the digital key itself, which was difficult to be detected by the car owner, and then used the obtained information to open the lock easily and steal the vehicle.

The UWB signal has a security time stamp, and only after matching with the roll code at the receiver can the corresponding time stamp be obtained, thus unlocking the vehicle, which greatly improves the anti-relay attack capability of the UWB digital key; in addition, because the UWB can precisely locate the key position within 30 meters, the system will also determine that the car key is not within the effective range, so that the attacker will not be able to cheat the system.

UWB leads the new trend of digital keys

Imagine walking to your car after work with your computer bag in your left hand and information or other things in your right hand, you can no longer spare your hand to find the key or tap on your cell phone lock screen password to unlock it by Bluetooth, but with UWB (Ultra Wide Bandwidth) digital key, your cell phone can automatically open the car lock when it is close to the car.

With the UWB digital key, the welcome function of the vehicle can be triggered within a certain range from the car and the lights can be turned on automatically. When the user enters the unlocking zone within a closer range from the car, the doors can be unlocked automatically, accompanied by turn signal flashes and short horn blasts. When the user enters the vehicle, the vehicle can be started with a single push of the start button.

*Image from the web

UWB leads the way in unlocking the potential of vehicle-side applications

In fact, the precise positioning and reflective sensing of UWB technology not only has great potential in digital keys, but also has much room for exploration in other application scenarios of vehicles, including smart driving, smart Internet connection, and sensory assistance functions inside and outside the vehicle.

The UWB radar function can also be realized by reusing the UWB hardware at the vehicle end, and the smart tailgate function that accurately detects the kick action can be realized by the high-sensitivity UWB radar algorithm without increasing the cost.

In addition, it can also monitor the status of vital signs in the car in real time, including intelligent live detection of children and pets left in the car.

UWB technology has been developed over 20 years, and as a high-precision positioning solution has been widely used in scenarios involving precise positioning in major industries, including industrial intelligent manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, public inspection and justice, medical and health care, and many other fields. Automotive applications are just one part of its scenarios. Some automotive electronic components companies have also started to specialize in the development of UWB digital keys, together providing an important impetus for the application of UWB digital keys in the automotive field. With the joint promotion of the upstream and downstream of the industry chain, the future will open up the intelligent travel ecology, rather than just limited to digital keys, travel will also be more "punk".