Passive entry and immobilizer at different frequencies using same antenna coil

Abstract

A passive entry and immobilizer key for vehicles comprises an integrated front-end circuit () with three battery-supplied receiver channels (), each connected to an associated external antenna circuit with an inductor-capacitor combination (LR, CR) having a resonant frequency in the very low frequency range. The three antennas are arranged in a three-dimensional configuration. An immobilizer transponder () is supplied by energy received from an external transponder antenna circuit and stored in a storage capacitor (CL). The transponder antenna circuit includes an inductor-capacitor combination (LR, CR, CL) having a resonant frequency in the low frequency range. The transponder antenna circuit shares at least one inductive component (LR) with the antenna circuit of one of the three receiver channels. A capacitor in the transponder antenna circuit is selectively disconnected to change the resonant frequency from a frequency in the very low frequency range to a frequency in the low frequency range. Accordingly, one of the three antenna circuits has a dual function. A first function is that in a three-dimensional analog front end of a passive entry system that operates in the very low frequency range. A second function is that in a transponder of an immobilizer system that operates in the much higher low frequency range. As a result, only three antenna coils need to be implemented in the key.