Bluetooth® Channel Sounding can meet a wide range of precise distance measurement needs while offering advantages of easy deployment and low cost. Its centimeter-level high-precision distance measurement capability is expected to bring innovative features to devices supporting low-power Bluetooth, including Human-interface devices (HID), proximity interactions, automation, and Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Anti-Loss Solutions
Currently, an increasing number of Bluetooth platform devices integrate the “Find My” feature, and devices connected via Bluetooth channel sounding will significantly expand the scale and accuracy of the “anti-loss” and “device anti-loss” networks, forming a vast Bluetooth “device anti-loss” network that makes it easier for users to locate lost items.
Digital Key Solutions
At present, multi-protocol access control solutions are developing rapidly, especially in the automotive sector. The Car Connectivity Consortium and its Digital Key 3.0 specification combine UWB, low-power Bluetooth, and NFC technologies. Organizations in China, such as the ICCOA and ICCE, are also researching similar solutions that integrate UWB, low-power Bluetooth, and NFC technologies.
Asset Tracking
Bluetooth channel sounding technology can enhance the performance and security of indoor asset tracking applications while reducing deployment complexity. In enterprise environments like hospitals, staff can use smartphones to conveniently track valuable equipment, thereby improving work efficiency and preventing the loss of important assets.
In retail environments, valuable equipment can be equipped with dedicated Bluetooth channel sounding tags that will trigger alarms when they are moved out of designated areas. In warehouses or construction sites, staff can track tools supporting Bluetooth channel sounding without the need to install complex real-time positioning system infrastructure with multiple locators.
Human Interface Devices
With centimeter-level distance measurement capabilities, various peripherals and accessories can accurately determine their relative position to platforms such as smartphones, PCs, tablets, and smart TVs. Devices like mice, keyboards, and controllers can automatically switch between active and inactive states when approaching or moving away from the source PC.
Proximity Interaction and Automation
Another potential application of Bluetooth channel sounding is to enable platform devices to detect the proximity of end-user smartphones or smartwatches, automatically locking or unlocking screens when users enter or leave a certain range.
Bluetooth channel sounding technology can also support automation based on proximity/geofencing.
In hospitals, staff can automatically access patient records through devices while visiting patients, and can set usage restrictions to prevent unauthorized users from interacting with assets, devices, or equipment unless personnel with the correct credentials are nearby. Other valuable assets will also trigger alarms when suddenly moved out of designated locations, preventing theft. These solutions can be combined with asset tracking applications based on RSSI and Angle of Arrival/Angle of Departure (AoA/AoD) to help track hundreds or even thousands of assets.
Additionally, Bluetooth channel sounding can be combined with technologies like direction finding to further enhance the accuracy and security of asset tracking platforms.
Human Machine Interface
In certain use cases, Bluetooth channel sounding technology can enhance personnel safety by ensuring users maintain a safe distance from devices. For example, human-machine interfaces (HMI) operating robots, machinery, equipment, and tools in commercial and industrial environments can benefit from Bluetooth channel sounding technology, which offers precision far superior to RSSI-based solutions, ensuring users maintain the necessary safe operating distance from devices.
Future Use Cases
Other potential future use cases for channel sounding may include self-optimization and configuration of devices, such as Bluetooth smart lighting, to help optimize system performance. As low-power Bluetooth becomes more prevalent in smartphones and other platforms, ABI Research predicts that many new use cases will emerge as Bluetooth channel sounding technology accelerates in the coming years.
Exploring Bluetooth Channel Sounding Solutions
Silicon Labs provides channel sounding solutions that can be used across various fields, from smart locks and access control systems to asset tracking and management, unlocking the true potential of the Internet of Things and creating a seamless interconnected network through the highest precision distance measurements for intelligent and context-aware systems.For more information on related BluetoothSoCs, modules, development kits, and design resources:https://cn.silabs.com/wireless/bluetooth/channel-sounding
Some content of this article is reproduced from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, original link:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/_sU0qduYSTZ1wAjvK5sRLQ
Scan the following QR code to follow Silicon Labs’ social media platforms
