On the morning of the 15th, at the LG Innotek headquarters in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. After placing a smartphone equipped with a digital car key in his pants pocket and getting out of the car, the phone rang within 10 seconds. It was an 'alarm' indicating that a child was left alone in the car. The radar integrated into LG Innotek's digital key detected the child's heart rate using an AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm and sent an automatic notification. Existing child detection devices recognized whether a child was present based on changes in seat weight, often misidentifying a situation when a bag was placed on the seat. To address this, LG Innotek designed the radar sensor to detect the unique fine breathing patterns of children, which differ from those of adults.
Digital keys began with the technology to unlock car doors and start the engine using a smartphone. As there is no concern about losing a physical key and with the growth of the vehicle-sharing industry, the demand for digital keys is rising sharply. According to the industry, the digital key market for vehicles is projected to grow more than fivefold, from 600 billion won this year to 3.3 trillion won by 2030.
LG Innotek is positioning this next-generation digital key solution as a key product in its automotive components business, which is a crucial part of vehicle connectivity. At the technology briefing held that day, LG Innotek expressed its ambition to grow the vehicle communication business, including digital keys, to an annual revenue of 1.5 trillion won by 2030. Yeong-guk Yoo, head of LG Innotek's Automotive Components Division, said, "The next-generation digital key solution is an innovative component that incorporates LG Innotek’s unique wireless communication technology," adding that they have set performance targets based on existing orders and will grow to become the world's number one digital key supplier by 2030.
The key to LG Innotek's digital key technology is its ability to precisely detect the smartphone's location within 10 centimeters. Existing technologies had problems where the signal weakens when the smartphone is placed in a pocket or bag, causing doors to fail to open or issues where the front door opens while the driver is at the rear of the vehicle. LG Innotek addressed this issue by developing an AI-based high-precision 3D (three-dimensional) positioning algorithm. Nam Hyung-ki, head of the Connectivity Development Department, noted, "Only LG Innotek and a handful of European companies can achieve accuracy within 10 centimeters."
LG Innotek, which started developing digital key modules in 2017, introduced its next-generation solutions by combining low-power Bluetooth with ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless communication. Nam, the head of the development department, explained, "By utilizing AI that has learned 3D coordinates, we applied our developed high-precision 3D positioning algorithm to increase accuracy by more than 30% compared to existing digital keys."
To improve vehicle safety, LG Innotek added a self-developed radar to its digital key solution. This technology detects various situations, sending alerts to the driver in cases such as when an intruder attempts to forcibly open the car door, in addition to the child detection feature.
LG Innotek aims to start mass production of its third-generation digital key with added radar as early as 2028. Kim Hong-pil, head of the Connectivity Business, stated, "Last year alone, we secured orders for the second-generation digital key solution to be installed in 14 vehicle models domestically and internationally," adding, "We are currently conducting active promotions targeting North American and European automakers to further expand orders for the third generation."