FOBKEY: Seamless Interaction, Ushering in a New Era of Mobility

The evolution of car keys is a testament to technological innovation—a journey from hand-cranked starters to mechanical keys, chip keys, remote keys, and now digital car keys. Each leap in technology has significantly enhanced security, convenience, and user experience. As technology continues to advance, the digital car keys have emerged as a pivotal element in the smart car ecosystem. It not only redefines how we interact with our vehicles but also unlocks limitless possibilities for the future of smart mobility.

FOBKEY stands out for its security and portability among digital car keys. FOBKEY is a secure, intelligent physical key that utilizes technologies such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) or UWB (Ultra-Wideband) to connect and communicate with the vehicle. These technologies enable automatic sensing for door unlocking/locking and one-touch start. The application of these technologies allows FOBKEY to offer powerful features while maintaining a compact and aesthetically pleasing design.

Let’s take the BLE FOBKEY as an example of how it integrates these functions into a sleek and compact physical key, achieving seamless and effortless interaction with the vehicle.

BLE FOBKEY is one of the technical implementations of FOBKEY, which is a remote control key based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.

BLE FOBKEY technical point

1.1. Low power consumption

Digital car keys are usually small in size, which also leads to a relatively small battery capacity, but in order to provide users with a good experience, the service life is required to be greater than one year, which makes the design of low power consumption a technical difficulty. When designing FOBKEY products, it is necessary to consider their working state, design different working modes according to the state, and achieve the objectives through close cooperation between hardware and software design.

1.2. Signal stability and reliability

Considering that BLE operates in the 2.4GHz ISM band, the category of relevant communication devices in this band is relatively large and frequently used, such as Wi-Fi, mobile phones, etc. They may have an adverse impact on BLE signals. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on the transmission characteristics of the signal, optimize the antenna design and antenna efficiency through technical means such as design and simulation, and improve the stability and reliability of the signal at different distances and environments.

Design simulation involves using specialized electromagnetic simulation software to optimize the product’s overall design, including the layout of the PCB and the radiation performance of the built-in antenna. Additionally, professional instruments and equipment are used to test, verify, and tune the product’s RF performance parameters. For hand-held products, the influence of hands-on RF signals is emphasized. The microwave darkroom of the multi-probe array antenna test system is used to test the radiation performance of products under different states to ensure the stability and reliability of product signals.

1.3. Compact Design

To make it easy to carry, the BLE FOBKEY is typically designed to be compact and aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, integrating the BLE chip, battery, antenna, keys, and other components into a small space is necessary, which places high demands on hardware integration and packaging technology. It is necessary to design a compact circuit layout, select a miniaturized component, and adopt a suitable package to reduce the size and weight of the device.

In addition, it is also difficult to achieve effective waterproof measures in a small space. On the one hand, it is necessary to find suitable waterproof materials and sealing methods to ensure that water cannot penetrate the inside of the BLE FOBKEY and protect the electronic components from damage. Additionally, the waterproof design must maintain the BLE FOBKEY’s aesthetic appeal, tactile response, and Bluetooth connectivity. This requires careful consideration and innovative attempts in material selection and structural design.

Watchdata’s ability in the FOBKEY field

Watchdata leverages its rich research and development experience in automotive digital FOBKEY products. Watchdata mainly offers innovative solutions in technical areas such as low power consumption, signal stability, reliability, and miniaturization design. We are committed to meeting customers’ high standards by providing stable, efficient FOBKEY products and professional technical services. Our industrial design team can also offer customized product appearance design for customers, ensuring attractiveness in both product performance and appearance design.

Watchdata has provided customized FOBKEY products for many well-known automobile brands and achieved mass production, and its performance has achieved excellent performance in the market.

Looking ahead, Watchdata will continue leveraging its design and service capabilities expertise to respond proactively to market changes and customer needs. We remain committed to delivering more stable, reliable, and high-performance FOBKEY products. By doing so, we aim to empower our customers’ products to achieve a competitive edge in the market.