Bulk current injection assessment of automotive remote keyless entry systems

This paper investigates the performance of an automotive RKE (Remote Keyless Entry) system under the influence of RF interference, injected by the Bulk Current Injection (BCI) test technique. Measurements indicate a severe degradation of performance in the 15 MHz-30 MHz frequency band where RF current injection level is set at 106 dBμA. Injection at these frequencies leads to failure in correct operation of the RKE system. The analysis clearly shows that such a failure is due to the interaction of the BCI sinusoidal current waveform with non-linear devices in RKE electronics, giving rise to non-negligible harmonics in the passband of the RF receiver. Computational electromagnetic simulation (CST EMC Studio) is used to cross check the experimental measurements.