Connecting Between People and Mobility

- Digital Key Solutions, Adding Innovation into Your Everyday Life -

▲ (From left) Developers of Digital Key solution – Sunwoo Lee, Sung-Jun Bae, Donglim Lee, Chul-Kyun Bae, Cheol-hee Park

When you hear “car key," what comes to mind? If you’ve been driving for decades, you might recall a metal key with grooves, while those who began driving in the 2000s might think of a button-based smart key. But today, we’re in the era of the "digital key," where you can control everything from unlocking the car door to starting the engine and driving—all through your smartphone.

The key component behind this innovation is the ‘Digital Key Module,’ first introduced by LG Innotek in 2021. Since then, this technology has evolved into a cutting-edge, next-generation digital key solution. We spoke with the developers at the forefront of this innovation, transforming our daily lives.

Q. Please introduce the 'Digital Key Module' briefly.

Simply put, it’s the component that allows your smartphone to act as a digital key. This module wirelessly connects your vehicle to your smartphone, enabling you to control various functions and offering convenience by precisely detecting the phone’s location. It connects your vehicle to your smartphone wirelessly, allowing you to control various functions while also providing the convenience of accurately detecting your smartphone’s location.

From a technical perspective, the Digital Key Module comprises a Master, Slave, and Anchor. These components communicate with your smartphone, receiving distance data and UWB (Ultra Wide Band) signal information via CAN (Controller Area Network) communication to detect your current location, effectively serving as the car key. LG Innotek’s Digital Key Module enhances the security of traditional smart keys by using UWB (Ultra-Wideband) technology, which ensures a secure connection with your smartphone.

Q. Recently, LG Innotek introduced the 'Next-Generation Digital Key Solution.' Could you explain what this solution is and how it’s different from the Digital Key Module?

The Digital Key Solution is essentially a total package that includes both the Digital Key Module and the necessary software. It’s an all-in-one product that integrates the module, which features antennas and circuits, with the software that controls the digital key. Here, the software is equally as important as the hardware, which is why we have software specialists on our team.

This solution incorporates advanced short-range communication technologies, including UWB, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). This technology is key to precisely detecting the smartphone’s location while using low energy. Additionally, our proprietary algorithm significantly enhances this accuracy, allowing us to detect the smartphone’s location within 10 cm.

We are also developing radar-based features to enhance convenience. Unfortunately, there are incidents where children are left in parked cars. LG Innotek’s Digital Key Solution includes Radar functions that can detect vital signs of someone inside the vehicle and send an alert to the owner, helping to prevent such incidents. It can also detect unauthorized access to the vehicle. As cars continue to evolve into SDV (Software Defined Vehicles), the demand for these convenience features will grow. We aim to design LG Innotek’s Digital Key Solution to meet these customer demands and ensure that it can be easily integrated into automakers’ SDV systems.

Q: What distinguishes LG Innotek’s Digital Key Module & Solution technologically?

In short, it’s “compact in size but powerful in performance.” One of the standout features of LG Innotek’s technology is our UWB (Ultra-Wideband) based 3D high-precision localization algorithm.

This algorithm is not only advanced but also comprehensive, covering everything from data selection and error mitigation to coordinate calculation and post-processing. For boundary data that are difficult to interpret, we’ve applied machine learning techniques to ensure the highest possible accuracy. Additionally, the algorithm is composed of logical components and is also modular, allowing us to fine-tune each element and customize it to optimize performance across various vehicle models and configurations.

This exceptional technological performance is the result of LG Innotek’s extensive expertise, built over a long history of developing wireless communication modules. We are committed to innovation, continually developing, testing, and refining our technologies—including those involving Digital Transformation (DX)—to lead in the global market.

Q. Could you share any memorable moments during the development process of the Digital Key Module?

We started developing the technology using UWB in 2020. In the beginning, it was quite daunting because we weren’t sure where to begin, and the development environment was less than ideal, especially in the early stages of the project. We sometimes left our personal vehicles in an underground garage just to conduct functionality development and testing. However, we gradually made progress, step by step, and overcame these challenges driven by the belief that we could achieve our goals and fueled by our passion for developing new features.

After all the hard work, we finally completed a prototype and were given the chance to demonstrate the smartphone integration scenario directly to our client. However, their reaction wasn't as strong as we had hoped. Looking back, the market wasn’t ready at the time, but we were so intent on showcasing our technical prowess that we hadn’t fully considered what the customer actually wanted. This experience led us to place much greater emphasis on creating products that align with customer needs, preparing more thoroughly, and ensuring that our products are more refined and complete.

Q. Would you say that the experience has led you to focus more on addressing customer pain points?

Absolutely. Before we began developing the product, we made it a priority to understand what customers truly needed and wanted. Through careful consideration, we concluded that the primary requirement was for the smartphone to be recognized more quickly, accurately, and from a greater distance.

Our existing BLE technologies and capability played a crucial role in meeting this requirement. The localization algorithm was carefully refined through a lot of trial and error and has been improving ever since. By using our deep expertise, we enhanced wireless performance, extended the connection range, and improved positioning accuracy, resulting in a product that stands out from its predecessors. Also, this has been achieved through active communication with our client, leading to greater customer satisfaction.

Q: What do you envision for the future?

We believe we’re just at the beginning stage of the digital key development journey. While ensuring high-quality mass production, we will accelerate our efforts to develop next-generation solutions and strengthen our competitiveness in the global market. Ultimately, we want to offer users the convenience of controlling their vehicles with their smartphones, eliminating the need for a physical car key. We are committed to making LG Innotek’s Digital Key Solution the global No.1 by continually identifying and resolving customer pain points.

Q. Lastly, why do you think LG Innotek’s Digital Key Solution is remarkable?

Sung-Jun Bae: It’s truly remarkable because it reflects the devotion and dedication of those who are passionate about the digital key. It’s a world-top technology that has brought our ideas to life.

Donglim Lee: I’m proud to say it’s a remarkable product created from the great synergy between talented developers and cutting-edge communication technologies.

Chul-Kyun Bae: Because I believe our Digital Key Solution will bring real ‘innovative convenience’ to our everyday life.

Cheol-hee Park: I would say it is a product that ‘Makes a difference.’ We will continue to take on challenges to make a difference.

Sunwoo Lee: Ultimately, I hope this product will connect people with mobility and link technology with life, contributing to sustainable innovation.

The innovation towards the future of mobility technology, with LG Innotek at its core!