Over the last 25 years, we have seen Bluetooth® technology advance from a point-to-point connectivity solution for personal audio peripherals to support a complete network of low-power wireless devices that help commercial and industrial environments maintain high levels of operational efficiency.

The forthcoming update to the Bluetooth® Core Specification adds a new feature called Bluetooth® Channel Sounding. This feature allows developers to create an exciting range of products and applications that leverage the Bluetooth® Channel Sounding’s secure fine-ranging capability.

What Is Bluetooth® Channel Sounding

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Bluetooth® Channel Sounding is the most recent addition to a set of Bluetooth® positioning features that enable one device to determine the presence, distance, and direction of another. This new feature enables secure, fine ranging between devices​ and:

  • Is based on the well-proven method of phase-based ranging
  • Supports multi-level security that mitigates the risk of wireless ranging attacks
  • Enables high-accuracy distance measurement, bringing true distance awareness to Bluetooth® connected devices

The new Bluetooth® Channel Sounding feature makes it possible to create products that can calculate the distance between two Bluetooth® devices with significantly better accuracy than could ever be produced using the RSSI and path loss first-generation method. It works in an entirely different way and includes a variety of security safeguards that mitigate various types of risk.

The technical flexibility of Bluetooth® Channel Sounding means that developers can prioritize whichever aspect of ranging that matters the most, be it security, accuracy, or latency. Not all applications are the same and this has been recognized and catered for in the design of the Bluetooth® Channel Sounding feature. Developers have been given the freedom to decide what matters most to them and their users in the implementation of their products.

Bluetooth Channel Sounding: A Technical Overview

Recently, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) released a new paper that provides an overview of Bluetooth® Channel Sounding and gives a technical perspective as to what developers can expect from this new Bluetooth feature.

Bluetooth® Channel Sounding and the ability to perform secure fine ranging presents the opportunity to enhance the convenience, safety, and security of many Bluetooth® connected devices. Presence detection, course ranging, direction finding, and now fine ranging can each be used separately or in combination to create spatially aware products and applications that end users and business enterprises can benefit from.

Check out Bluetooth® Channel Sounding: A Technical Overview to learn more.

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FEATURED PAPER

Bluetooth® Channel Sounding: A Technical Overview

This paper provides an overview of the forthcoming update to the Bluetooth® Core Specification. The update adds Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a new feature that enables secure fine ranging between two Bluetooth devices.

LEARN MORE

過去25年の間に、Bluetooth®︎技術はパーソナルオーディオにおけるポイントツーポイント接続ソリューションから、商業・産業環境の高い業務効率の維持を支援する低消費電力ワイヤレスデバイスのネットワーク全体を支える技術へと進化してきました。

今後予定されているBluetoothコア仕様のアップデートでは、Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングという新機能が追加されます。この機能が持つセキュアな高精度測距能力を活用することによって、さまざまな製品やアプリケーションの開発が可能になります。

Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングとは

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Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングは、1台のデバイスから他のデバイスの存在検知と、デバイスまでの距離および方向の判定を可能する一連のBluetooth測位機能の中で最も新しい機能です。この新機能には、デバイス間のセキュアな高精度測距を可能にすることに加え、以下の特長があります。

  • 実績ある位相ベース測距の手法に基づく
  • 無線測距を悪用した攻撃のリスクを低減するマルチレベルセキュリティに対応
  • 高精度距離測定で、Bluetooth接続されたデバイス間の真の距離把握を実現

新しいBluetoothチャネルサウンディング機能によって、2つのBluetoothデバイス間の距離計算を、RSSIとパスロスを使用する第1世代の手法で可能であった精度をはるかに超える精度で可能にする製品を実現できるようになります。Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングは従来とはまったく異なる手法を用い、さらには多様なリスクを低減するための各種セキュリティ対策も用意されています。

Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングは技術的に柔軟であるため、セキュリティ、精度、遅延など、測距において開発時に最も重点とする側面を自由に選べます。あらゆるアプリケーションには違いがあり、Bluetoothチャネルサウンディング機能はこの点を意識して設計が行われています。開発者は、自身やユーザーにとって何が最も重要であるか、製品の実装の中で決めることができます。

Bluetoothチャネルサウンディング:技術的概要

Bluetooth SIG(Special Interest Group)は先日、Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングの概要と、開発者がこの新機能に対して期待できることをまとめた新しいドキュメントを公開しました。

Bluetoothチャネルサウンディングと、そのセキュアな高精度測距を実現する能力によって、数多くのBluetooth接続デバイスの利便性、安全性、セキュリティを向上させる機会が生み出されます。存在検知、コース測距、方向検知、そして新しく登場した高精度測距は、空間認識ができる製品やアプリケーションの開発に個別または併せて使用することができ、エンドユーザーや企業に恩恵をもたらします。

詳しくは『Bluetoothチャネルサウンディング:技術的概要(Bluetooth Channel Sounding: A Technical Overview)』をご覧ください。

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