Rohde & Schwarz has presented a universal solution for testing vehicle keys and the associated electronic control units with their various wireless technologies. Thanks to the modular and scalable approach, the versatile test system can be used to test at the printed board and device level in all product phases – from development to validation to mass production.
Modern vehicle key systems, such as remote keyless entry (RKE) and passive entry/passive start (PEPS) systems, use a variety of wireless communications standards to transmit encoded signals.
In the past, both LF frequencies (e.g. 125kHz) and UHF frequencies (e.g. 433MHz) as well as a magnetic compass system that works in three spatial axes (e.g. 21kHz) were used to locate the key in or near the vehicle.
But thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB) radio, the latest generation of key systems only needs one wireless standard in the non-licenced frequency range between 3.1 and 10.6 GHz. Time of flight (TOF) measurement prevents the relay attacks used to steal vehicles. TOF also makes it possible to determine the location of the key. Some manufacturers even use near-field communications (NFC) to use a smartphone as a digital key.
No matter which technology the manufacturers of these vehicle key systems select, testing requirements in development and production will be high to ensure interference-free functioning. Rohde & Schwarz can show how a new system solution can help manufacturers meet these testing requirements.
November 9, 2016