STMicroelectronics Launches Next-Generation Bluetooth® SoC with Latest Positioning Functionality

July 6, 2022, China – STMicroelectronics has launched 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 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals, the BlueNRG-LPS Bluetooth 5.3 certified system chip can accurately calculate the direction of movement and position with centimeter-level accuracy. The new product uses Bluetooth-specific technology, including the angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) calculated based on the signals captured by the antenna array. With this feature, the new product can now realize indoor navigation, geo-fencing and asset tracking applications, as well as real-time location finding of tools, assets and goods.

The streamlined architecture and I/O peripherals, as well as program and data memory (192KB eFlash and 24KB SRAM, respectively) for lightweight end products, make the BlueNRG-LPS an ideal choice for cost-sensitive and high-volume applications, such as general wireless sensors, medical devices, automotive keyless entry systems, remote controls, and smart remote meters. The new system chip also integrates a high-efficiency buck converter and protection circuits, further reducing the bill of materials (BOM) cost and allowing the use of a cheaper two-layer printed circuit board PCB design.

The architecture supports the latest Bluetooth LE power control specification, which can fine-tune the RF output power in 1dBm increments, with a maximum output power of +8dBm. This feature can extend battery life. In addition, Bluetooth path loss monitoring technology can improve the signal quality of the RF link, prevent interference, and ensure stable connections, thereby improving device interaction, even in places with many devices, and speeding up response time. BlueNRG-LPS supports Bluetooth 5.3 long-range connection, 2Mbps high-speed data rate, periodic broadcast, simultaneous connection and multi-role specifications to ensure excellent user experience for terminal product devices. The new product also has dedicated hardware security functions and encryption IP cores to support developers to strengthen information security.