Whenever you approach your car, the welcome lights will always light up to light the way for you. So how does it sense your arrival with low power consumption?
Text丨AutoR smart driving? Wang Shuoqi
On August 3, Continental held an online introduction meeting on ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology and new generation smart keys, introducing in detail This technology and introduces the future use scenarios of smart keys equipped with this technology.
Since 1999, when German parts suppliers Continental and Mercedes-Benz developed the first keyless entry, this feature has developed for 21 years and has gradually become a basic configuration of high-end mainstream models. .
But at present, the car key is still undergoing changes. Its form of existence is no longer a key, but more conveniently a string of encrypted numbers, existing on your mobile phone, watch, or a Among the small cards.
Smart device integrated entry technology replaces traditional keys. Drivers can directly use their smartphones to unlock and start the vehicle without picking up the relevant device.
At the heart of the system is a digital key that contains access authorization to a designated vehicle. Car owners can simultaneously generate and manage their own digital keys through the mobile app, and easily share the keys with family and friends. Courier services can even deliver online orders directly to the vehicle. As long as the back-end key management system authorizes it, the system will approve the relevant user to access the vehicle.
And its functions have also evolved from the most basic unlocking to non-sensory door opening, vehicle information communication, and some remote control of the vehicle. To realize such functions, the key needs to have High positioning accuracy, low power consumption, high bandwidth, high reliability and other characteristics.
Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology came into being.
According to the encyclopedia, ultra-wideband (Ultra?Wide?Band, UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology. It does not use sinusoidal carrier waves, but uses nanosecond-level non-sinusoidal narrow pulse transmission. data, so it occupies a wide spectrum.
UWB technology has the advantages of low system complexity, low transmit signal power spectrum density, insensitivity to channel fading, low interception capability, and high positioning accuracy. It is especially suitable for high-speed wireless access in dense multipath places such as indoors. enter.
It is understood that Continental’s latest generation smartphone key system has cooperated with three mainstream manufacturers, including BMW, and will be officially mass-produced in 2021.
The latest generation of digital key systems is equipped with ultra-wideband technology to provide car owners with more convenience and new functions. UWB? and UWB? Bluetooth Low Energy (UWB-BLE) transceiver modules enable authorized smartphones to position themselves with a high degree of accuracy inside and outside the vehicle.
The in-vehicle architecture of the smart device integration solution also contains a central electronic computer unit with a built-in hardware security module, which is a secure storage area for the digital vehicle key. As long as an authorized smartphone is accurately located, the system is able to unlock the vehicle and start the engine without the user having to pull out their smartphone ("keyless entry").
During this process, the driver can keep the phone in his pocket. This precise positioning also enables new user-centric functions, such as remote control of parking operations via a smartphone. In addition to improving convenience, smartphone solutions equipped with ultra-wideband technology can prevent illegal access operations from relay (man-in-the-middle) attacks, preventing car thieves from intercepting and extending critical signals to obtain access data.
Therefore, in addition to replacing the existing car key function, it also has applications in future scenarios based on precise positioning and reflective perception, including intelligent driving, intelligent network connection, and some in-car and out-of-car sensory assistance functions. .
In addition, the application scenarios in the car are only a small part of all application scenarios. In smart access control, positioning services and device connection service providers, UWB can be widely used in various scenarios involving precise positioning. , including a wide range of application scenarios such as medical care, games, and unmanned vending stores, so UWB has great potential.
But to realize these functions, the same standard support between different devices is still needed.
Currently, mobile phone manufacturers, including Apple, are also actively exploring.
Apple announced in September last year that the iPhone 11 is equipped with UWB. When the iPhone 11 is equipped with UWB, it requires the iPhone 11 to have the so-called spatial perception. The iPhone already has many sensors, including gyroscopes, optics Sensors, etc., the only thing it lacks is the so-called spatial perception ability to locate its own position and the position of others, so it can make up for the spatial perception ability through UWB.
In the known scenario, Apple officially released a small so-called UWB tag, which can be placed in your wallet or on your child. This can prevent the child from being lost and can also be used as an indoor search tag. A way for small items.
It can be said that Continental has formed a new generation of mobile phone key systems through UWB and UWB low-power Bluetooth (UWB-BLE) as core technologies.
Johann Hiebl, head of Continental’s Internet of Vehicles business unit, said: “The integration of smart devices into the system can turn smartphones into digital car keys. We are happy to see more and more car manufacturers Together with car manufacturers, we are taking an important step towards a fully digital user experience by integrating this solution into their automotive products, making keyless operation of vehicles even more convenient." /p>
What is certain at present is that smart keys have become an integral part of future smart cars, but Continental still takes a conservative attitude towards the timetable for the disappearance of traditional keys. However, from a technical perspective, Continental has made it clear It means that traditional keys can already withdraw from the stage of history.
Zhijiajun communicated with Continental on some issues under extreme circumstances.
1. If the mobile phone is lost, how to ensure the safety of the vehicle?
Continental: This is the same as losing the original key, but for consumers, the cost of replacing the digital key is lower.
2. If there is no traditional key, how to unlock the vehicle when the car battery is dead?
Continental: At present, European and American manufacturers still require two mechanical keys from the factory.
3. The UWB signal transmission range is within ten meters. In the era of intelligent network connection, is it necessary to combine other communication technologies to achieve long-distance vehicle control?
Continental: As a user, you don’t actually need to care too much. I just need to walk into my car and the whole process will go smoothly and seamlessly. However, this period may involve 20 meters. Bluetooth wakes up the entire car, and UWB starts precise positioning within ten meters. These switches are completed intelligently by the system, and users do not need to worry. However, to answer this question, it is indeed necessary to combine different communication technologies to complete the entire process. Including NFC, as mentioned just now, it will be needed when there is no power.
Zhijiajun believes that Continental has also answered a key question. When a mobile phone is out of battery, it requires NFC and other technologies to assist in unlocking. Therefore, the smart phone key can be considered as a product that combines multiple technologies. In the past, New technologies that are more suitable for intelligent modernization have been added to all functions.
The convenience of cars is still evolving. Behind every simple small function are the efforts of many supply chains in the automotive industry. Under the new trend of intelligence, every component is having a new Empowered by technology, many parts suppliers, including Continental, are acting as pioneers.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.