Audi’s Q6 e-Tron, hitting the road in 2024, will sport handsfree secure car access via a smart mobile device and this capability is built around an ultrawideband (UWB) semiconductor device to precisely identify the driver’s location in relation to the car. The car, which only needs a single UWB device to measure distance, can locate a person near a door or tailgate and then respond according to driver preferences.
UWB, a wireless technology that enables extra security capabilities and has already gained traction in smartphones for identification features, adds location sensing to a vehicle key fob to mitigate security challenges like key fob spoofing. In other words, it precisely identifies the location of the driver in relation to the car, allowing the doors to be unlocked only when the driver is near the car.
Source: NXP
Drivers can unlock and start their car handsfree using a digital key on a UWB-enabled smartphone or wearable, which can remain in the driver’s pocket or bag. In addition to handsfree access to cars, UWB can support other use cases such as automated electric vehicle (EV) charging.
Audi Q6 e-tron’s handsfree car entry is powered by NXP’s Trimension NCJ29Dx family of UWB chips that deliver high localization resolution and power optimization for battery-powered devices like key fobs. These USB devices also offer maximum protection against car theft through relay attacks with on-chip support for a wide range of cryptographic operations.
It’s worth mentioning that NXP’s Trimension NCJ29Dx family is part of NXP’s larger portfolio of secure car access system solutions, which includes the NCF3340 NFC controller and the KW37 Bluetooth 5.0 Long-Range microcontroller. And these two devices are also part of Audi’s secure car access platform.
NXP’s Trimension NCJ29Dx devices—compliant with 802.15.4, Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), and FiRa Consortium standards—have a production win in Audi vehicles, and that cements UWB’s place in real-time, accurate distance measurement between driver and vehicle. Other UWB features besides precise and secure real-time localization could also be in play in upcoming vehicles.
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