A key was once one of the simplest devices you could own. No more. Today's automotive keys are no longer just the simple piece of stamped steel you spend a buck to get duplicated at the neighborhood hardware store. Even the most stripped-down econocar is likely to come with a keyless entry system using encrypted digital hardware. And more expensive models eliminate traditional keys all together, replacing them with a fob and an electronic "Start" button on the dash.
But that's just the beginning.
Two new "smart" key systems promise to bring near iPhone-level capability to your key chain. One is designed to turn young motorists into safer, smarter drivers, while the other can carry a wallet's worth of personal information. And, yes, these intelligent keys will still start up your car. Paul Eisenstein
Ford MyKey
At first glance, the new MyKey looks just like the electromechanical key used on just about every Ford product. It has a smart fob with a microprocessor-based transceiver inside that can be used for keyless entry or to pop open the trunk. But that pedestrian plastic is hiding some slick new tech. MyKey can be configured to limit the driving privileges of teenage drivers—or anyone else you deem as a potentially risky operator—your lead-footed dear Aunt Edna perhaps? "
Use MyKey instead of a conventional Ford key, and the car can't be driven faster than 80 miles an hour. In fact, the car will chime when it hits 45, 55 and then 65 mph. At the same time, the key prevents users from disabling the vehicle's traction control—something young hot rodders certainly like to do—saving your car and your kid from snowy parking lot donuts. Additionally, the vehicle provides an earlier-than-normal low fuel warning, at 75, rather than 50 miles before empty.
Perhaps most pleasing to parents with shattered eardrums, the smart-key system limits the car's audio system to just 44 percent of its maximum volume.
MyKey will make its debut on the 2010 Focus model, and should begin appearing on other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models soon afterwards.
"A key can be used to recognize you uniquely," explains Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electrical and electronics systems group, noting that there's actually no physical difference between MyKey and a conventional Ford key. "Software opens the MyKey future. It opens the door to anything." The key could be programmed to customize just about anything connected to a vehicle's electrical bus, adds Buczkowski, from seat preferences to Bluetooth cellphone connectivity.
BMW Smart Key
BMW's new Smart Key doesn't just work for you inside your car, it aims to be an indispensable resource even when you're not driving. The company plans to unveil the key next month at a conference in Paris.
Working with NXP Semiconductors, a European technology company, researchers from the Bavarian automaker have come up with a smart key that could be used for countless daily activities, in or out of your vehicle. It would, of course, unlock and start your car, then serve as a transponder for paying tolls, or for buying gasoline. It would also operate much like the smart credit cards now commonplace in Europe, using radio frequency chips to ring up charges at a grocery store or restaurant.
The opportunity to combine all sorts of functions into a single device—the BMW smart-key equivalent of today's smart phones—certainly has some appeal. But there's also a downside. Lose one key and you could be stranded far from home, possibly without a credit card. And while the BMW prototype features NXP's latest in digitally encrypted chips, security is a cat-and-mouse game, and hackers have proven themselves able to unlock just about anything, given enough time.
But the potential is simply too significant, the experts contend. Tomorrow's digitally encoded keys will likely play a major role in our day-to-day lives, far more than simply opening up the doors to our cars—or even our homes.
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一把钥匙是你曾拥有的最简单的设备之一。但今天的汽车钥匙已不再只是您花一块钱就可以在附近的五金店所配的一块简单的印花钢了。即使是最精简的一辆经济型轿车很可能也配备了采用加密数字硬件的无钥匙进入系统。而更加昂贵的车型则彻底废除了传统钥匙，取代它们的是仪表板上的一个挂着饰物的电子“启动”按钮。
但这仅仅是开始。
两款新的”智能”钥匙系统承诺带给你的钥匙链接近iPhone级别的能力。其中一款系统被设计为能够把那些年轻的乘客转变为更安全、更聪明的司机，而另一款可携带一个存有个人信息的钱包。是的，显然这些智能钥匙仍然会启动你的车。
乍看之下，新的MyKey看起来就像是几乎所有福特的产品都用的机电钥匙。它有一个智能挂饰，里面内置了一个以微处理器为基础的收发器，可用于无钥匙进入或弹出打开后备箱。MyKey可以设定限制青少年驾驶员的驾驶权利——或任何其他你认为是一个潜在风险的操纵者——也许是喜欢超速的亲爱的艾德娜大婶？
使用MyKey取代传统的福特汽车钥匙，则汽车行驶速度无法超过时速80英里。事实上，该车在时速超过45、55和65英里时将给出语音警告。与此同时，Mykey能够防止用户禁用车辆的牵引力控制——一些喜欢飙车的年轻人可能会这样做——从环形雪域停车场保护您的车和您的孩子。此外，车辆提供了一个更早的低油量警告，在燃油耗尽前75英里，而不是50英里。
也许最令那些耳膜快要破碎的的父母高兴的是，智能钥匙系统限制汽车的音频系统只有最大音量的44%。
MyKey将首先亮相于2010款福克斯上，不久之后会出现在其他福特、林肯和水星等车型上。
“一个钥匙可用于识别您的特征，”福特汽车公司电气和电子系统集团的主管Jim Buczkowski 解释道，他还指出，实际上MyKey和传统福特钥匙没有实际区别。 “是软件打开了MyKey的未来”，Buczkowski补充道，这种钥匙可以通过编写程序设置与汽车电线连接的任何东西，从座椅参数设置到蓝牙手机连接。
宝马公司的新的智能钥匙并不仅仅为在车中的你工作，它的目标是成为一个不可或缺的资源，即使您没有驾驶。该公司计划在下个月巴黎举行的会议上揭开这种新智能钥匙的面纱。
与欧洲的一家科技公司NXP半导体公司合作，来自德国巴伐利亚汽车制造商的研究人员已经开发出了一种智能钥匙，可用于不计其数的日常活动，无论是在车辆内还是在车辆外。他可以，当然，首先解锁和启动你的车，然后作为一个转发器支付通行费，或购买汽油。它还可以像现在在欧洲司空见惯的智能信用卡一样运作，使用无线电频率芯片向一家杂货店或餐厅支付费用。
能够将各种功能有机的集成到单个器件上——宝马智能钥匙相当于今天的智能手机——显然有一定的吸引力。但也有缺点。在远离家乡的地方丢失了钥匙会让你陷入困境，很可能也没带信用卡。而对于宝马的原型功能NXP的最新数字加密芯片来说，安全是一个猫捉老鼠的游戏，黑客已经证明只要有足够的时间他们就可以对任何东西实现解锁。
但是专家们主张，潜力是非常重要的。未来的数字化编码的钥匙可能对我们的日常生活发挥重大作用，远远超过只是简单的用于打开我们的汽车，或是我们家的大门。
（转载）
