What's the frequency?

Suppliers seek new applications for RF technology.

There will always be milk for morning cereal if Johnson Controls Inc. has its way. Thanks to radio frequency (RF) technology, a little imagination and a lot of electrical know-how, someday soon a refrigerator may be able to alert a driver via their vehicle - when their milk carton is empty. Sound far-fetched? It shouldn't.

Welcome to the 22nd Century and the expanding world of RF "Our imagination hasn't even started on what this (RF) thing can do," says Dr Patrick Dessert, director of Oakland University's Product Development and Manufacturing (PDM) center.

Dessert, like JCI, Siemens AG and other suppliers, is using RF outside its traditional role in automotive applications. Teaming up with the U.S. Army, DaimlerChrysler, ArvinMeritor Inc., Eaton Corp., TRW Inc., RM Motorsports and Lear Corp., Dessert is using RF nodes and a power line to control electrical vehicle features, including power doors, windows and mirrors.

"This is becoming the Lego of electrical architecture," says Dessert.

The system, two and a half years in the making, increases functionality while saving $300 per vehicle in warranty and $10 million in total development costs, Dessert claims.

Dessert will finish the first phase of the project this year and plans to start the validation process by year's end. Beginning in about two years, the system will be used in military vehicles and on race cars.

Within four years the system could be launched on a volume production vehicle.

Learning from his original project, Dessert is now working on a system that uses RF to transmit movies, audio and/or games from a DVD player to a hand-held device anywhere in the car, eliminating the need for a television screen.

Big Safety Opportunities

Desserts also hints at the possibility of using RF to enable cars to "talk" to each other. Vehicles can share information about accidents, road conditions and other problems. Occupant safety could also be further enhanced with advanced use of RF, he says. "There is safety-related stuff you can do here," Dessert asserts.

Safety is where many of today's automakers and suppliers are using RF technology. With tire pressure the hot topic in today's news, suppliers are working to use RF to monitor tire pressure at all times.

Ford Motor Co.'s Explorer/Mountaineer will be the first vehicles to use Siemens AG's tire monitoring receiver and software, starting this fall. A more expansive system covering temperature and acceleration along with tire pressure will debut on a European sedan starting next year.

The Siemens system can be installed as a stand-alone application or combined with an existing Siemens remote entry product

Siemens also continues to improve its traditional applications of RF - remote keyless entry. Already available in Europe, Siemens is set to introduce its Passive Start/Entry keyless start system in the U.S. next year on Cadillac vehicles. The passive entry and ignition system virtually eliminates keys. A driver needs only to carry the credit-card sized fob in a purse, briefcase, pocket or wallet. When the fob is within three to five yards, the vehicle "wakes up," says Siemens.

After entering the vehicle, the driver presses the brake and starts the engine by pushing a button located on the instrument panel. The vehicle will only start if the fob is inside. The driver is alerted to any problems, including the fob being left inside the vehicle.

The system works by maintaining RF and low frequency (LF) communication with the vehicle. RF ranges from 3 kilohertz to 300,000 megahertz while LF ranges from 30 to 300 kilohertz. Security is insured by encrypting the data in the exchange, which, according to Siemens, cannot be scanned or copied by sophisticated theft devices.

First seen on the Mercedes S-Class as the Smart Card, the Siemens keyless system for Cadillac will work in two modes. It can be completely passive, with the driver carrying the fob in their pocket, or in remote keyless entry (RKE) mode with the driver controlling locking, trunk release and remote engine start.

While a milk-notifying system may be several years off, this idea is proof of JCrs commitment to using RF in its products.

The supplier has long used RF as an

integral part of its product portfolio. Its HomeLink Universal Transceiver which allows drivers to remotely activate garage doors, entry gates and security systems - is used on 123 different vehicles.

"We firmly believe we are the strongest RF company in the auto industry," says Jim Geschke, JCI vice president and general manager of electronic integration.

With its studies showing that 80 percent of consumers believe a low tire pressure warning system is an important or extremely important vehicle feature, JCI developed a Pressure Sensing Information (PSI) product that uses an RF transmitter in each tire, receiver circuitry and an in-vehicle electronic display. The system alerts the driver of low pressure with an audible signal or message on a display. Now available as an aftermarket product, PSI will soon be an option when buying a new vehicle.

JCI continues to develop further RF technology at its RF testing facility in Holland, Mich. After years of weather-influenced outdoors testing, the $1 million investment was finished in August 1999 and later certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"It has a very stable ground plane which is very critical to RF development," Geschke says.

The fully-automated facility can accommodate a vehicle or a module, further increasing the range of testing JCI can perform. "We're really trying to predict the performance of one of our products before it gets into a vehicle," says Paul Duckworth, electronic lead design engineer for JCI.

In addition to testing its HomeLink and PSI products at the facility, JCI also works onsite with its upcoming BlueConnect technology. BlueConnect is JCPs answer to Bluetooth wireless technology. This system is based on radio transmission signals that operate in a globally-available frequency band, which ensures communcation compatibility worldwide, JCI says.

Within 18 months a Bluechip will be installed in most commercial phones, and JCI expects that by 2004 it will be supplying BlueConnect to automakers.

BlueComect will be a portfolio of products, each with the main function of providing a hands-free phone and voice recognition system, Duckworth says. The lowline version of the system will recognize about 20 voice (name) tags while a highline version will incorporate telematics, infotainment and navigation system.

In the meantime, Duckworth, Geschke and JCI work to develop products that can use RF to make life a little easier. "It's emerging in almost every aspect of life," Geschke says.

Whether it's a parking garage that recognizes each car as it drives in or a tollbooth that uses RF to identify a vehicle and automatically pay a toll, RF will continue to be used in innovative ways.

"It all adds value," Geschke says. "Even if you run out of milk."