Design Automation


RKE reference design

29 September 2010 Design Automation

Semtech and Microchip Technology have teamed up to develop a reference design that provides a turnkey platform for highly secure, low-power, multiband wireless remote keyless entry (RKE) systems.

This new reference design integrates Semtech’s high-performance transmitter and transceiver ICs with Microchip’s KEELOQ code-hopping technology running on PIC microcontrollers (MCUs). It is designed to simplify and accelerate the development of secure, high-performance and cost-effective RKE systems for vehicles, office buildings and homes, and provides a single platform that works across virtually all major frequency regulations.

The RKE reference design hardware includes transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) boards running Microchip’s KEELOQ code-hopping encryption software and Microchip MCUs. The Tx board pairs Semtech’s SX1230 industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band transmitter with Microchip’s PIC16F631 or PIC16F677 8-bit MCUs, while the Rx board employs Semtech’s SX1211 or SX1212 ISM transceivers, again with Microchip’s PIC16F631 or PIC16F677 MCUs.

The SX1230 is a multiband ISM transmitter that complies with virtually all major country-specific radio regulations. It is fully configurable and dynamically programmable for narrowband and wideband applications in the 315, 434, 868 and 915 MHz licence-free ISM frequency bands, and works with FSK, GFSK, MSK, GMSK and OOK modulation formats up to 600 Kbps, with constant RF performance over the 1,8 V to 3,7 V operating range. The device features 30 mA current consumption at +10 dBm output power and 500 nA sleep mode current for increased battery life. RF output power is programmable up to +17 dBm in 1 dB steps from -20 dBm.

Microchip’s KEELOQ security algorithm encrypts information in the RF transmission packets before they are transmitted, unlike some existing RKE systems in the market. This solution from Semtech and Microchip stores confidential information inside the Flash memory of the PIC microcontroller and then encrypts it inside each data packet, prior to any RF transmission. Additionally, the code-hopping algorithm creates a unique transmission on each activation of the transmitter, rendering replay attacks useless. The combination of a 64-bit key length and KEELOQ code-hopping technology significantly reduces the possibility of unwanted access or security breaches.



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