STMicroelectronics has introduced its third-generation Bluetooth® system-on-chip (SoC), which adds Bluetooth direction-finding technology for location tracking and real-time positioning.
By determining the direction of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal, the BlueNRG-LPS Bluetooth 5.3-certified SoC can accurately estimate the direction and position of motion to centimeter-level accuracy. The new product uses Bluetooth-specific technologies, including Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) calculated from the signals captured by the antenna array. With this capability, the new product can now enable indoor navigation, geo-fencing and asset tracking applications, as well as real-time location finding of tools, assets and goods.
The reduced architecture and I/O peripherals, along with program and data memory (192KB eFlash and 24KB SRAM, respectively) for lightweight end products, make BlueNRG-LPS ideal for cost-sensitive and large-scale applications such as , general wireless sensors, medical equipment, automotive keyless entry systems, remote controls and smart remote meters. The new SoC also integrates a high-efficiency buck converter and protection circuitry, further reducing bill of materials (BOM) costs and allowing the use of cheaper two-layer printed circuit board PCB designs.
The architecture supports the latest Bluetooth LE power control specification, enabling fine-tuning of RF output power in 1dBm increments, up to +8dBm output power, a feature that extends battery life. In addition, Bluetooth path loss monitoring technology improves RF link signal quality, prevents interference, and ensures a stable connection to improve device interaction, even in locations with a large number of devices, and to speed up response time. BlueNRG-LPS supports Bluetooth 5.3 long-distance connection, 2Mbps high-speed data rate, periodic broadcast, simultaneous connection and multi-role specifications, ensuring a superior user experience for end product devices. The new products also include dedicated hardware security features and cryptographic IP cores to enable developers to enhance information security.
