Turning smartphone into car key: The evolution of digital key technology
No more rummaging through your bag to find the car key. With digital key technology, car doors automatically unlock as the driver’s smartphone approaches the vehicle, and lock again as the connected device moves out of range. The digital key is redefining how drivers interact with their vehicles and is quickly becoming a new standard in the era of smart mobility.
The digital key allows drivers to unlock doors, start the engine, and open the trunk using a smartphone connected to the vehicle. Seen as the next generation of car keys, it offers maximum convenience by eliminating the need for a physical key and enhances security — the engine starts only when the connected smartphone is present, which reduces the risk of theft.
With the recent growth of the vehicle sharing industry, including car sharing and car rental, the demand for digital keys is on the rise. According to industry, the digital key market for vehicles is projected to grow more than fivefold, from KRW 600 billion in 2025 to KRW 3.3 trillion by 2030. Existing digital key solutions enhanced everyday convenience with innovative features such as car sharing and remote control. With the advent of the ‘Next-Generation Digital Key solution,’ LG Innotek is redefining the user experience through precise location detection and advanced security technologies.
LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation Digital Key Solution’ is a flagship product in its vehicle connectivity business, a core part of its automotive components portfolio that includes 5G communication modules and vehicle AP modules. This technology represents a significant innovation, making a milestone in vehicle-user interaction.
Smart, intuitive mobility that starts as you approach your vehicle
With the ‘Next-Generation Digital Key solution,’ drivers can interact with their vehicles in a more intuitive and intelligent way. This experience starts the moment they approach the car.
When a smartphone with the digital key comes within 5 meters of the vehicle, the system is automatically activated. Depending on customer preferences, the welcome feature can be customized to greet the driver in various ways, such as blinking exterior lights or automatically unfolding the side mirrors.
When driver’s hands are full of grocery bags, there is no need to set them down or reach for a button or smartphone to open the trunk. By simply moving a foot near the ‘kick sensor’ located beneath the trunk, the system recognizes the driver’s ‘kick motion’ and automatically opens the trunk, provided the digital key is present.
Once the digital key is activated, the vehicle doors can also open or close automatically. The system uses precision location recognition to determine whether the driver is approaching from the front or rear—opening the front doors for a frontal approach, or the rear doors when approached from behind.
While distance-measuring technology between drivers and vehicles is already in commercial use and integrated into many digital key solutions, pinpointing a smartphone’s exact location remains a challenge. If the phone is in an inner pocket or bag, the detection range can shrink, and the system may occasionally interpret it as being indoors rather than outdoors — which can stop the digital key from activating.
Let’s now explore how LG Innotek addresses these technological limitations with its ‘Next-Generation Digital Key solution.’
AI-driven 3D high-precision localization algorithm delivers industry-leading accuracy
LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation Digital Key Solution’ combines Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) with Ultra-Wideband (UWB), a wide bandwidth frequency. This combination complements BLE’s vulnerability to signal interference and minimizes security risks such as hacking.
On top of that, LG Innotek’s AI-trained ‘3D high-precision localization algorithm’ dramatically improves location accuracy. This solution accurately detects the smartphone’s location to within 10 cm, representing more than a 30% improvement over previous systems. This industry-leading performance is expected to significantly reduce the failure rate of existing digital keys.
In previous systems,the door unlocking function activated from 20 to 30 centimeters, often causing the front door to open even when the user approached from the rear. LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation Digital Key solution,’ on the other hand, is designed to activate only when the driver is within 10 centimeters of the car door, fundamentally resolving issues such as inaccurate door activation and location recognition errors that prevent the digital key from working properly.
To achieve precise location detection, LG Innotek developed optimized algorithms for each vehicle model using AI. This approach not only minimized development time but also reduced resource input, achieving both technological excellence and development efficiency.
Enhanced vehicle security through homegrown radar in the next-generation Digital Key
The role of the digital key continues even after the driver has entered the vehicle. A key feature that sets LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation Digital Key Solution’ apart from previous products is the addition of an in-house developed radar. This radar can be applied to various services that ensure secure and convenient driving, allowing occupants to monitor the vehicle’s interior in real time and respond promptly to potential risks.
When traveling with a child, for instance, the driver may briefly leave the vehicle, or unexpected circumstances may result in a child being left unattended. In such case, the ‘Child Presence Detection (CPD)’ system helps prevent accidents by sending an alert to the user’s smartphone when the radar detects subtle movements or breathing of the child in real time.
According to statistics from the US National Security Council, 39 children in the US were reported to have lost their lives from heatstroke after being left alone in a car in 2024. To prevent similar accidents in the future, both the US and Europe are moving toward formal regulations requiring vehicles to be equipped with Child Presence Detection (CPD) systems. Starting this year, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has begun factoring CPD features into its scoring criteria for safety ratings. Since failure to attain Euro NCAP’s highest five-starrating entails the risk of losing European consumers, more automakers are expected to include CPD features.
The CPD feature in the ‘Next-Generation Digital Key Solution’ instantly detects subtle breathing and movements of children under six left inside the vehicle and sends a real-time alert to the user’s smartphone within 10 seconds of detection. This response time outperforms NCAP’s 15-second standard, playing a crucial role in both securing safety rating points and building consumer trust. LG Innotek’s radar-based CPD detects subtle breathing unique to children, significantly improving accuracy and reliability.
Moreover, with future developments, occupants will be able to respond promptly to various situations inside the vehicle through alerts such as rear collision detection warnings and seatbelt reminders. Even after leaving the vehicle, the system enhances security and occupant safety by instantly sending an alert if it detects an attempt to forcibly open the car door, bringing occupant safety and vehicle security together in a single digital key solution. As there is no longer a need to add separate radar components, OEMs now have greater freedom in vehicle design.
Packing advanced technology into a device smaller than a business card with design flexibility and high compatibility
LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation Digital Key solution,’ smaller than a business card, it is the industry’s most compact solution, offering design flexibility that sets it apart from competing products.
More than 60 components and modules for BLE and UWB wireless communication, including radio frequency (RF) and power supply devices and in-house developed software, are packed into a solution smaller than a business card. This provides differentiated customer value, including greater design freedom.
Designed based on the latest standard of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), a global digital key standardization organization, the solution can be used regardless of country, terrain, or vehicle type and is compatible with a wide range of smartphones. It is also designed to be interoperable with both iOS and Android operating systems, enhancing user convenience.
Outro
Digital key technology, which has revolutionized user-vehicle interaction, has evolved beyond a mere convenience function to become a core mobility technology that enhances safety and security while delivering new user experiences.
Amid the fast-evolving mobility trends centered on electrification and connectivity, LG Innotek is solidifying its technological leadership in the digital key market through its accumulated expertise and development capabilities. Last year, it provided digital key solutions for 14 vehicle models both domestically and internationally and is expanding its client base through strategic promotions targeting major global automakers in North America and Europe.
LG Innotek began developing digital key modules in 2017 and launched its first vehicle digital key module in 2019. Since then, it has achieved technological advancement and performance improvements, culminating in the release of the ‘Next-Generation Digital Key Solution’ in 2024, which significantly enhances user convenience and safety while delivering a more refined and evolved mobility experience.
Furthermore, LG Innotek has been strengthening its overall capabilities in vehicle connectivity—including digital key solutions—by leveraging its distinctive strengths in key components such as vehicle 5G communication modules and Application Processor (AP) modules. Moving forward, the company aims to remain a technology partner that provides optimal solutions for the connected car era, contributing to a smarter and safer future mobility environment.
SOURCE: LG Innotek
