How to quickly leverage Bluetooth AoA and AoD for indoor logistics tracking
can turn to the NINA-B41x series, such as the NINA-B411-01B, based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52833 IC (Figure 5). These modules include an integrated RF core and Arm Cortex-M4 with a floating point processor and operate in all Bluetooth 5.1 modes, including AoA and AoD. With an operating temperature range from -40 to +105°C, these modules are well suited for RTLS applications in industrial environments. Furthermore, their input voltage range of 1.7 to 3.6 V makes them useful in single-cell battery- powered systems. The NINA-B40x series from u-blox, such as the NINA-B406- 00B, include an internal PCB trace antenna integrated into the 10 x 15 x 2.2 mm module PCB (Figure 6). NINA-B406 modules can deliver up to +8 dBm of output power. In addition to support for Bluetooth
■ Virtual COM port interface provides a serial port connection over Ethernet or USB ■ Packet trace interface provides debug information about received and transmitted wireless data packets Figure 3: EFR32BG22 Wireless Gecko Bluetooth SoCs that support AoA and AoD are available in a 4 × 4 × 0.85 mm QFN32 package Image Source: Silicon Labs
(TRNG) compliant with NIST SP800-90 and AIS-31. Additionally, depending on the model, these SoCs have up to 512 kB of flash and 32 kB of RAM, and are available in 5 × 5 × 0.85 mm QFN40, and 4 × 4 × 0.30 mm TQFN32 packages, in addition to a QFN32. The BG22-RB4191A wireless pro kit includes a direction-finding radio board based on the 2.4 GHz EFR32BG22 Wireless Gecko SoC and an antenna array optimized for accurate direction finding that can speed development of Bluetooth 5.1-based RTLS applications using AoA and AoD protocols (Figure 4). The mainboard has several tools for easy evaluation and development of wireless applications, including: ■ Onboard J-Link debugger for programming and debugging on the target device over Ethernet or USB ■ Real-time current and voltage
Modules for Bluetooth AoA and AoD u-blox offers Bluetooth modules with and without integrated antennas that support AoA and AoD. For applications that benefit from a module without an integrated antenna, designers Figure 4: The BG22-RB4191A wireless pro kit with the EFR32BG22 Wireless Gecko SoC and an antenna array can speed the development of AoA and AoD RTLS applications. Image source: Silicon Labs
measurements using the advanced energy monitor
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