Realtime safety with UWB

From new anti-theft protection to comfort and security applications: Volkswagen presents future utilization areas for socalled “Ultra-Wideband technology” (UWB).

With a combination of AI and sensors, the car learns personal gestures. This way its able to support the driver, for example with automatically opening the trunk.

What GPS and Google Maps are for the outdoor environment, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is for both outside and inside: a technical requirement for the very precise localization and distance measurement. In addition, this technology offers the highest level of cyber security. Volkswagen and the world’s largest chip manufacturer, NXP (30,000 employees worldwide), are developing future areas of deployment for this networking technology.

UWB offers more comfort for drivers

An Arteon in Kurkuma-Metallic shows the potential of UWB for more safety and comfort. A research vehicle that doesn’t appear unusual at first glance – if it weren’t for the striking stickers on the side. But this car has a lot to offer: the teams of Maik Rohde, head of body electronics & access systems at Volkswagen, and Lars Reger, Chief Technology Officer at NXP Semiconductors, have installed the latest networked features. This car also proves how closely both partners work together in research and development. The potential of UWB is to be uncovered together.

This is how UWB’s theft protection works:

The chips integrated in the car (for example, on all four doors and the trunk) communicate with each other and in addition with other mini transmitters, for example on the car key. The six chips constantly transmit signals back and forth, “talking” to each other. The exact position of the car owner is determined from the time measured when these signals are sent and received – the so-called “Time-of-Flight”. A previous technique of intercepting the radio signal, for the purpose of vehicle theft, is no longer possible.

With conventional keyless systems, only the signal strength of the key is measured: The larger it is, the closer the user is to their vehicle. This signal could be relayed and used by unauthorized persons.

UWB enables a real centimeter-precise and, above all, tamper-proof positioning control of the user – at any time and at the speed of light. At the same time, this is a real plausibility check that the rightful driver or passenger is approaching the vehicle. The car can also unlock individual doors to suit the position from which the driver approaches the car.

Chips communicate with each other in milliseconds to help the driver

The potential of UWB is immense: it serves the very precise localization and distance determination in and around the vehicle and thus enables numerous exciting new applications.

For example, for the detection of humans and animals in the vehicle, automated valet parking (“service parking”), automatic activation of the trailer coupling or easy access to parking spaces and automatic payment when leaving are new applications. The Volkswagen UWB car key uses high-precision sensor technology and artificial intelligence to learn the movement patterns and habits of users.

The need for safe and precise localization technology is high, for example in the automotive and telecommunications field. Precise means of detection in buildings and outside are very much sought after. UWB meets these requirements and represents a significant improvement over existing wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The ability to capture accurate information such as the position and movement of the UWB transmitter or to process the distance to other devices with accuracy of just a few centimeters in real time opens up a wide range of new opportunities.

Car thefts, which are based on catching the communications between a car and its key will become more complicated, when UWB is involved ...

… in addition, the combination of AI and sensors can learn personalized gestures, and for example, open the trunk this way.

“The first UWB application that we are bringing into series production this year is a further decisive step forward in terms of anti-theft protection,” explained Maik Rohde. In concrete terms: Volkswagen will soon be the first to integrate UWB into new vehicles. Lars Reger, Chief Technology Officer NXP: “We see huge potential in UWB. We are working on further developing the technology, standardizing it and defining many more applications.”

A future development could be child seat recognition: UWB recognizes the correct positioning of a child seat, to the centimeter exactly – no matter where, within the car it is located. In this way, UWB ensures correct installation. This could save lives. If the child seat is mounted on the front passenger seat, UWB automatically disengages the airbag.

UWB checks the correct installation of baby seats and the appropriate activation or deactivation of airbags

Another idea would be the socalled “clever trailer coupling”: With the aid of UWB chips, the vehicle automatically detects when the rear approaches a trailer. In this case, the car automatically extends the hitch from the rear, making it available for coupling. This is not the final chapter: later, the vehicle and trailer recognize their exact positions on both sides and couple independently.