NFC solution based on S32K is more convenient and safer

Abstract: NFC technology has gradually matured in car access control applications, and has been mass-produced as a standard feature in some models. At the same time, we have also upgraded and iterated the NFC solution to continuously meet your needs.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication. As a wireless connection technology that is convenient to connect and highly secure, this technology has long been used in access control systems, public transportation and subways, and mobile payments. In recent years, more and more cars have begun to support NFC door opening functions. With the popularization of technology, just like the keyless entry and start system (PEPS) replacing traditional mechanical keys, using mobile phones with NFC functions as car keys to open car doors will also replace the currently commonly used PEPS.

Convenience

In terms of convenience, PEPS technology only requires you to put the key in your pocket and approach the car to open the door directly, while NFC technology requires you to take out your phone from your pocket and put it in the corresponding position. It seems that NFC technology has an extra step of taking out the phone when opening the door compared to PEPS technology, but it can save the key from being in your pocket, free up your pocket, and avoid the situation of forgetting to bring the car key. After all, we will not forget to bring our phone when we go out now. NFC technology can also share the car's door opening authority with family members to avoid running back and forth for handing over keys.

Security

In terms of security, PEPS and NFC technologies have similar two-way authentication and data encryption methods, and are equally good at data confidentiality. However, the high-frequency signal of PEPS technology's long-distance communication may be exploited by criminals. The NFC authentication distance is generally within 10cm, so criminals cannot make trouble during the communication process.

Figure 1: A car unlocked using the NFC function of a mobile phone

Solution Introduction

This solution has a mature software and hardware foundation, which can help car manufacturers quickly develop automotive NFC. All chips in this solution are automotive-grade chips. Compared with the old solution, the new solution has the following upgrades:

The power supply uses a more integrated SBC chip, which can be configured in various ways via SPI;

The SBC chip also integrates a CAN transceiver, with a CAN FD rate of up to 5 Mbit/s;

The MCU was changed from the KEA series to the S32K1XX series, which has stronger performance;

The design of separating the control board and antenna board makes it convenient for car manufacturers to use their own antennas for testing.

The following are the main features of the program:

Excellent card detection distance, up to 10cm;

Supports multiple protocols, including ISO/IEC 14443 A/MIFARE, ISO/IEC 14443 B, FeliCa, and ISO/IEC 15693;

It has excellent low power consumption performance. During the card checking process, the average current of the NFC chip can reach μA level.

During low-power card inspection, the MCU can be in sleep mode, which can greatly reduce the power consumption of the entire board.

Figure 2 Old NFC solution demo board

Figure 3 New NFC solution demo board