ST has introduced its third generation Bluetooth® System-on-Chip (SoC), adding 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 SoCs can accurately project motion direction and location with centimeter-level accuracy. The new product uses Bluetooth-specific technology, including angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) calculated from the signal captured by the antenna array. With this capability, the new product now enables indoor navigation, geo-fencing and asset tracking for various applications, as well as real-time location finding for tools, assets and goods. 

The streamlined architecture and I/O peripherals, along with program and data memory for lightweight end products (192KB eFlash and 24KB SRAM, respectively), make the BlueNRG-LPS ideal for cost-sensitive and large-scale applications, such as general-purpose wireless sensors, medical devices, automotive keyless entry systems, remote controls and smart remote meters. The new system-on-chip also integrates a power-efficient 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 with the ability to fine tune 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 stable connectivity for improved device interaction, even where there are many devices, in addition to faster response times. blueNRG-LPS supports Bluetooth 5.3 long range connectivity, 2Mbps high speed data rates, periodic broadcasts, simultaneous connectivity and multi-role specifications to ensure end product devices to achieve a superior user experience. The new product also has dedicated hardware security features and an encrypted IP core to support developers in enhancing information security. 

HYPERLINK, the evaluation development tool for BlueNRG-LPS, is now available.