WPG World Peace Group launches PEPS keyless entry and start system solution based on NXP products

On December 14, 2021, WPG Holdings , a leading semiconductor component distributor dedicated to the Asia-Pacific market, announced that its subsidiary WPI has launched a car keyless entry and start system solution based on NXP's S32K144, NJJ29C2, NCF29A1 and NCK2912 chips.

Figure 1- A display board of WPG's PEPS keyless entry and start system solution based on NXP products

With the iteration of various technologies, automotive applications are innovating at an unimaginable speed. Among them, the development of the keyless entry and start system, referred to as PEPS (Passive Entry Passive Start), has brought convenience and comfort to car owners while further improving the safety of the car. The system consists of a controller, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a receiver. When the key is within the effective range, the owner pulls the door or presses the one-button start switch, and the corresponding module sends a terminal signal to wake up the main controller and start the entire communication process. And in the process, you can open the door or start the engine without using the key.

The car keyless entry and start system solution provided by WPG World Pacific based on NXP's S32K144 main control MCU, NJJ29C2 low-frequency driver, NCF29A1 chip and NCK2912 ultra-high frequency receiver can provide customers with an excellent car-using experience.

Figure 2-Block diagram of WPG's PEPS keyless entry and start system solution based on NXP products

The main control chip S32K144 of this solution is an automotive-grade general-purpose MCU launched by NXP based on the ARM Cortex-M4F core. This product has a DSP instruction set and a single-precision floating-point processing unit (FPU), and can run at a maximum frequency of 112MHz. It has extremely high computing capabilities and can provide computing power equivalent to that of a 150MHz PowerPC e200z4 core. In addition, the S32K144 can provide a wealth of peripheral interfaces and functional scalability.

In terms of low-frequency drive, the NJJ29C2 used in this solution is a base station chip suitable for keyless entry/start (PKE/PKG), which has 5-9 built-in LF drivers and has extremely high startup capabilities. It also supports wake-up input (WUP) functions related to battery voltage. These functions are used to connect the door handle interface to the LF base station to ensure short delays between the door handle and LF transmission.

In addition, this solution embeds the NCF29A1 chip in the smart key end. The chip uses the HVQVN32 package to combine the keyless system (PKE), remote control RF transmitter and anti-theft locking system, which can realize a new key shape and size in smart phones and smart watches to support the improvement of car access control systems through mobile devices. And on the car side, the solution uses the NCK2912 high-frequency receiver to ensure the real-time communication.

Figure 3-Application scenario of WPG's PEPS keyless entry and start system solution based on NXP products

With the use of these high-performance devices, this solution can realize functions such as car key ID storage, keyless entry (PKE), keyless start (PKG), car anti-theft (IMMO), and remote control (RKE).

Core technology advantages:

Integrated dual IMMO function, supporting up to 9 LF antennas;

Can transmit encrypted high-frequency signals, with a maximum LF drive current of 2.5A;

NCF29A1 has excellent LF (low frequency) sensitivity and low power consumption down to uA level;

The key can be located by RSSI, which complies with the HT-3 encryption protocol;

Support RF frequency hopping communication.

Program Specifications:

Implement complete IMMO/PKE/PKG/RKE functions of the base station and display the status on the Display;

Realize the display of RSSI value;

Antenna diagnosis and impedance test, and display results, support SWD interface;

The communication distance between the key and the base station PKE can reach 3-4m;

The communication distance between the key and the base station RKE can reach more than 20m.