Denso Buys Developer of Passive Key App

Denso Corp. has acquired Holland, Mich.-based InfiniteKey Inc., which has developed an app that allows smartphones to serve as passive keys to lock/unlock and start a car’s engine.

The deal includes several patents and research and development resources. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

InfiniteKey was formed last year as an offshoot to Holland’s SpinDance systems engineering and software development services firm. The company says its Bluetooth-based “micro-location” technology can pinpoint a phone’s location within a few inches of a synched vehicle and determine whether the phone is inside or outside the car.

The passive system works whether the phone is being held or is stored in a pocket, purse or jacket. Activation codes can be sent to multiple users as needed, thereby giving access to family members and enabling car-sharing applications.

Several other carmakers and suppliers—such BMW, Continental, Volvo, NXP and VOXX—are developing similar systems. The same technology also can be used to access dwellings, businesses and shared workstations.