Intelligent key health question?

[googleman]

What kind of signal does the intelligent key use? I assume it continuously sends signals (rather than receive them) to be recognized by the vehicle. Since most of us are probably carrying the key in our pockets, I wonder if there are any long term health risks to adjacent *important* body parts!

[sirnice]

I would assume some kind of radio signal and probably not continuously broadcasting it otherwise the battery would die pretty fast. I'm guessing that when you press the button on the door, it sends a query signal out to see if the key is near and then it would unlock the door.

This is just a non scientific guess.

Keep your key in the back pocket just in case.

[googleman]

I would assume some kind of radio signal and probably not continuously broadcasting it otherwise the battery would die pretty fast. I'm guessing that when you press the button on the door, it sends a query signal out to see if the key is near and then it would unlock the door.

This is just a non scientific guess.

Well it got to send some sort of a signal continuously even when you are not pressing any buttons. The vehicle recognizes that the key is inside the car to activate the start button. Also, you can open the rear hatch without unlocking the car if the key is in your pocket. Same thing with the welcome light.

I guess SteveTheTech can solve this puzzle for us

[Marconelly]

I'm pretty sure the key is mostly just the receiver, and the car emits some kind of radio signal pulse every second or so. Key receives the signal, and if it detects that it's from the matching car, only then sends the signal back. So yes, the key has to use the low power at all times as to power the receiver electronics, but it doesn't have to emit anything all the time. My guess is that the receiver electronics use orders of magnitude less power than the signal emitter portion of the key.

Every feature in the car, even welcoming light, could at least theoretically work this way - but I don't know for sure if this is the way it works. Rear hatch is no different, there's a sensor switch below that rubbery surface and it acts just like unlock buttons on the doors.

If you disable the welcome light function, then there's no need for the car even to emit signal every second (and it probably doesn't) - it would just emit the signal when you press the door buttons. Then only when the doors are unlocked the car would go into every-second signal mode, as to detect if the key is inside or not, and when you properly lock the car, it would stop emitting any signals again. This must be the reason the welcome light function is disabled by default, as the every-second emitter probably drains the car battery ever so slowly. In fact I've read on this forum that the welcome light function stops working if you leave the car parked for two weeks or so without unlocking it, again, to preserve the car battery.

I don't know how common the welcome light feature is on other cars right now (I never heard about it before EX) but if it's less than common, this relatively big change in car emitter operational logic could be the reason why.

Modified by Marconelly at 12:35 PM 3/31/2010
Modified by Marconelly at 12:43 PM 3/31/2010

[googleman]

If you disable the welcome light function, then there's no need for the car even to emit signal every second (and it probably doesn't) - it would just emit the signal when you press the door buttons. Then only when the doors are unlocked the car would go into every-second signal mode, as to detect if the key is inside or not, and when you properly lock the car, it would stop emitting any signals again. This must be the reason the welcome light function is disabled by default, as the every-second emitter probably drains the car battery ever so slowly. In fact I've read on this forum that the welcome light function stops working if you leave the car parked for two weeks or so without unlocking it, again, to preserve the car battery.

Modified by Marconelly at 12:31 PM 3/31/2010

Hmm, that makes sense. But how about the rear hatch? Even you disable the welcome light, the key needs to be verified to open the rear hatch without unlocking the car.

[Marconelly]

Hmm, that makes sense. But how about the rear hatch? Even you disable the welcome light, the key needs to be verified to open the rear hatch without unlocking the car.

Sorry, I edited and added to my post probably while you were reading it. The reason why rear hatch can be opened is because there's a pressure sensor switch below that rubbery surface where you grab the rear hatch to open it. That switch acts as both the unlock request switch and the hatch opener switch.

So when the doors are unlocked, that switch will just open the hatch, but when they are locked, it will first unlock the hatch, and then open it.

I kinda wish they did something similar for the front doors as well, to have an unlock-only switch inside the door handle, so you'd only have to press the outside button when locking it. Not a big deal, and it's more important that they did it on hatch anyways, as that's the door you're usually opening with your hands full.
Modified by Marconelly at 8:07 PM 3/31/2010

[txgcoupe]

Sorry, I edited and added to my post probably while you were reading it. The reason why rear hatch can be opened is because there's a pressure sensor switch below that rubbery surface where you grab the rear hatch to open it. That switch acts as both the unlock request switch and the hatch opener switch.

So when the doors are unlocked, that switch will just open the hatch, but when they are locked, it will first unlock the doors, and then open the hatch.

Depressing the rubber-covered switch when the car is locked only unlocks the rear hatch. Not the rest of the doors. You need to depress the silver button to do that.

John


Modified by txgcoupe at 3:15 PM 3/31/2010

[txgcoupe]

What kind of signal does the intelligent key use? I assume it continuously sends signals (rather than receive them) to be recognized by the vehicle. Since most of us are probably carrying the key in our pockets, I wonder if there are any long term health risks to adjacent *important* body parts!

Our key fobs conform to FCC Part 15 Security/Remote Control Transmitter operating in the 315.0 MHz range.FCC Rule Parts 15.231

Manufactured in Germany by Continental Automotive GmbH.

Generally this type of transmitter will always be on at very, very lower power.

John

[txgcoupe]

You can buy the remote and key here:http://www.autotransponder.com/INFINITI_EX35

Still has to be programmed though.

John

[Marconelly]

Depressing the rubber-covered switch when the car is locked only unlocks the rear hatch. Not the rest of the doors. You need to depress the silver button to do that.

John

That's good to know to avoid confusion. I'll edit my post accordingly. So if the car is locked, you can just open the rear hatch using the rubber-covered switch, then when you close the hatch, car will remain fully locked if you walk away? What in case where we change that setting in the car that one switch unlocks all doors (so that when I open drivers door, all doors unlock)? I changed it to work that way, so will in my case the rubber switch unlock all doors? I can just check that tomorrow anyway.

I wish the rest of the doors could be re-programmed to work in an even more transparent way. On top of what I mentioned above, there's no technical hurdle making this car lock by itself as you walk away with the key in your pocket, and then unlock itself when you get back to it. If it can switch on welcome lights, it could unlock itself as well. All the hardware is there, it would just be a software change.
Modified by Marconelly at 8:12 PM 3/31/2010

[sg77]

Another piece of info I thought was interesting: if you press the unlock request button on the handle but don't open a door within 1 minute, the doors will lock again.

(This is nice in case you get confused and accidentally press the button to lock the doors when they were already locked (hence unlocking them) and walk away without noticing; with this 1 minute feature, the doors will lock again.)

[wxman]

That's good to know to avoid confusion. I'll edit my post accordingly. So if the car is locked, you can just open the rear hatch using the rubber-covered switch, then when you close the hatch, car will remain fully locked if you walk away? What in case where we change that setting in the car that one switch unlocks all doors (so that when I open drivers door, all doors unlock)? I changed it to work that way, so will in my case the rubber switch unlock all doors? I can just check that tomorrow anyway.

I wish the rest of the doors could be re-programmed to work in an even more transparent way. On top of what I mentioned above, there's no technical hurdle making this car lock by itself as you walk away with the key in your pocket, and then unlock itself when you get back to it. If it can switch on welcome lights, it could unlock itself as well. All the hardware is there, it would just be a software change.

Modified by Marconelly at 8:12 PM 3/31/2010

Some cars (eg mazda cx7) can lock themselves on walkaway...generally a great feature, wish it could be set on the EX35. That said, it needs to be optional (like the welcome light) as it can be a bit of a pain if say you park your car nightly in the garage and want to leave the car open...cant tell you how many times I just wanted to grab something from my car, got to the garage but it was locked because of this feature.