Early adopters are testing STMicroelectronics' new chip, leveraging the IEEE's 5.3 specification for location, direction and sensor data tracking, for tool management.
Jul 12, 2022 Numerous companies have begun testing solutions leveraging a new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) integrated circuit (IC) that, with a network of Bluetooth anchors, tracks the real-time locations of tags within centimeters, as well as the direction in which those tags are moving. STMicroelectronics is providing its BlueNRG-LPS IC, which it calls low-power and programmable, for applications in which BLE tags and their specific locations need to be monitored affordably and in high volumes.
The Geneva-based semiconductor company has been offering its Bluetooth system-on-chip (SoC) technology for several years. The SoCs transmit in the 2.4 to 2.485 GHz band, based on the 802.15 standard managed by the IEEE. Traditional BLE systems detect location based on received signal strength (RSSI), and the location data is thus relatively imprecise. Such data is typically based on zones rather than on specific points within a facility or area.
The BlueNRG-LPS, STMicroelectronics' third-generation SoC, takes advantage of the Bluetooth SIG's 5.3 certification, enabling both angle-of-arrival (AoA) and angle-of-departure (AoD) measurements, captured by a beacon's antenna array. According to the company, the new SoC, built into products with antenna arrays by solution providers, will be used for indoor navigation, geofencing and asset tracking. That, says Marco Veneri, STMicroelectronics' business manager for low-power RF, could include locating tools, vehicles or other goods within a building, yard or geofenced area.
"The BlueNRG-LPS is our third-generation product," Veneri says. "Most of the circuitry, most of the radio performance, everything has been redesigned." One key feature is its streamlined architecture, which enables it to be incorporated into very lightweight, low-power devices. The SoC leverages the latest BLE Power Control specification, which allows users to tun RF output power in 1dBm increments up to more than 8 dBm, thereby enabling a longer battery runtime.
The BlueNRG-LPS is compatible with I/O peripherals, such as sensors, according to the company. The SoC includes both programming and data memories—192 KB eFlash for programmable memory and 24 KB SRAM for data memory. In addition, Veneri says, the chip's Bluetooth Path-Loss Monitoring feature prevents interference and improves radio-link quality to ensure robust connections, even in crowded places, along with faster response times.
The company expects early solutions using the SoC to include general-purpose wireless sensors, medical appliances, keyless-entry systems, remote controls and smart home metering. The chip is designed for use in both the anchor and the beacon tag, while a full solution will rely on an external host to process the information in real time, or to run in additional algorithms.
In a typical deployment, the anchor points would be installed around an area in the density required to provide location data via AoA and AoD. The technology accomplishes these measurements by switching the signal between multiple antennas within the array embedded in the anchor point. For instance, a single anchor could detect only a tag's general direction, while multiple anchors would use their built-in antenna arrays, and would together pinpoint the location within centimeters.
Technology providers can adjust the system according to customer needs, Veneri says, such as reducing the frequency of the real-time updates (creating additional signal latency) to allow for more precise location information. Location data is most effective, he adds, when users track tags on slow-moving objects, such as asset-tracking applications for managing tools in real time within a warehouse.
If the beacon tags were applied to forklifts, reusable pallets or power tools, the solution could provide real-time data indicating where and when those assets go within the facility. In fact, the early testing has been taking place with that application, with tags attached to power tools so management can view where the tools are located, thereby ensuring they are returned to the proper location and do not end up missing.
With tags placed on returnable assets such as plastic pallets, the technology could track the movements of goods, capturing data regarding when pallets are loaded or stored, and when they arrive at a gate or leave for another site in the back of a truck. The beacons could also be used in a hybrid solution with RFID or Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, Veneri notes.
An RFID tag attached to an apparel product, such as a pair of jeans, could allow visibility of that product each time it passed a reader, while the same pair of jeans could be linked to the pallet's BLE tag. For instance, the tag could be tracked in real time as the pallet moved around a distribution center, far beyond the range of an RFID reader.
The BLE SoC could be employed in geo-fencing applications for which users may want to secure an area by creating a digital perimeter around it in the software. If a forklift, for example, were to travel outside the geofencing perimeter, users could receive a notification that something was leaving the authorized perimeter.
The technology could also be used in a parking or storage area for vehicular fleet management. Tracking a large number of parked vehicles might be difficult without a real-time location system, so the BlueNRG-LPS offers a relatively low-cost option. Anchors would be installed around a parking area, with BLE tags attached to cars. Managers could then use an app to view where vehicles are located, as well as whether they are leaving or entering the controlled area.
The SoC accommodates environmental and inertial micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensors and can work in combination with a digital microphone or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Users can perform firmware updates via Bluetooth, enabling the anchor point to download new software. This feature could allow users to update maintenance data on the device, so that other users can easily view the maintenance history.
STMicroelectronics is offering its new SoC with a software development kit (SDK) to help solution provides build applications quickly. Additionally, the company offers a graphical tool called Navigator that allows developers to navigate across the SoC's features. According to Veneri, "That really helps people who may not be technology experts, in the beginning, to start working on a solution." The BlueNRG-LPS is in production now, the company reports, and is available in a 5-millimeter by 5-millimeter (0.2-inch by 0.2-inch) package, priced at $1.60 for orders of 1,000 or more.
Veneri speculates that the SoC will help to open the door to new location applications. "I think we'll see the Bluetooth technology used in many new markets," he states, adding that innovation is likely to follow on the part of solution providers and end users. "Invariably, with products like this, customers come to us with applications that we've never even considered. The concept of just making things identifiable and trackable is very powerful."
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