Presenter: Victor Zhodzishsky, Infineon

Date and Time: 10 April, 11:00 CEST

Date and Time: 10 April, 11:30 CEST

Description:In the beginning of 2023, Bluetooth SIG published a new version of Core specification, which enabled two new features, the Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR) and the Encrypted Advertising Data (EAD). Soon after the new version of the Core was published, new Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) service and profile specifications were released. The ESL feature provides standard approach to communicate with hundreds or thousands of tags. ESL may be also used to collect data from various sensors in a smart home on in an industrial environment. PAwR and EAD provide a way to build an efficient Wireless Battery Management System (WMBS). This will be discussed in the this talk. In the WBMS a battery management unit (BMU) collects battery data (e.g., state of health, state of charge) from the cell modules (CSUs). Some of the most important requirements to the WMBS include synchronization, meaning that CSUs need to perform measurements at the same time, high reliability and the lowest possible latency for delivering battery measurements to the BMU. PAwR perfectly fits to satisfy these requirements. As all CSUs receive broadcast from the BMU, the system is intrinsically synchronized. As each CSU has its own time slot to transmit data, there is no interference within the battery network. Efficient packing of the data in PAwR responses allows to reduce overall latency. By using certificate-based provisioning manufacturers can ensure that correct CSUs are installed into the battery network. The CYW20829 and CYW89829 Bluetooth low energy SoCs developed by Infineon allow to create ultra-reliable PAwR based solutions for commercial and automotive systems.

Presenter: Hendrik Cordier, Qualcomm

Date and Time: 10 April, 11:30 CEST

Description: A new age of Bluetooth^® technology is here. Qualcomm Technologies is enabling new user experiences with LE Audio across the, providing flexible, scalable solutions. By working closely with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) on the exciting new Auracast^™ broadcast audio profile, we are now able to bring very simple transmitter devices to public locations, in addition to building support into a variety of Bluetooth hearable devices such as earbuds, headphones and speakers, along with new assistive listening or cross-over devices. This interactive session will provide a practical demonstration, weaving in examples and results from real-life events, to showcase how easy it is to use the Qualcomm S5 and S3 Gen 2 Sound Platforms for the development of transmitters, receivers, and broadcast assistants. It builds upon the “Auracast^™ Simple Transmitter Best Practices Guide: bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Auracast-Transmitter_Recommendations.pdf”, introducing mechanisms for straightforward commissioning of Auracast^™ broadcasters for public venues. The session will also demonstrate how to discover and receive Auracast^™ broadcasts on your hearable audio device with the use of a simple smartphone applications, enabling wider deployment than otherwise possible.

Presenter: Tomas Motos, Texas Instruments

Date and Time: 10 April, 12:00 CEST

Description: Bluetooth is now a ubiquitous channel for how we connect with our world. Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) enables wireless connectivity as well as accessibility, low power and cost-effectiveness, with the new Bluetooth 5.0 specification also helping designers add security and privacy to their designs. Manufacturers of Bluetooth-enabled semiconductors have pushed for the advancement of new radio architectures while adopting smaller process nodes and lower-power Bluetooth radios, reducing manufacturing costs, and introducing flexible radios supporting multiprotocol and higher output power for longer-range communication. Applications include a pressure monitoring system that relies on Bluetooth LE for years-long battery life, with channel sounding enabling further security and distance measurement. For Type 2 diabetes patients, Bluetooth LE technology helps continuous glucose monitors operate for 30 days or more on a small-sized battery. Bluetooth LE is also common in homes and buildings where users can control lights, appliances and locks with a smartphone. As machine learning becomes more accessible to edge-node/low-power devices, it is important that devices be intelligent and precise before sharing information to the cloud. In this paper, we will explore how the semiconductor industry can continue supporting advancements in Bluetooth.

Presenters: Ute Philipp, Rohde & Schwarz

Date and Time: 10 April, 13:45 CEST

Description: It is amazing to see how a wireless technology established more than 20 years ago is continuously innovating to cope with upcoming market demands and enabling new applications and markets. Prominent examples are the just released new Bluetooth® capabilities for audio streaming and broadcasting including the support of hearing aids or the upcoming features for high-accurate distance measurements (HADM). Bluetooth innovations that will have a great potential when we are able ensure the highest possible quality of customer experience. Over several decades the Bluetooth® SIG has established a Bluetooth qualification scheme that should ensure interoperability and best-in-class performance – For example the number of RFPHY test cases were growing from around 10 with introduction of Bluetooth® Low Energy in version 4.2 to more than 70 with Bluetooth® 5.1. Consequently, also the Bluetooth® Low Energy test procedures and control interfaces are evolving from the direct test Mode (DTM) to a new universal test protocol (UTP) allowing also over-the-air device control for physical layer testing. In this presentation we will give a short introduction in latest Bluetooth® innovations and demonstrate how they will redefine the Bluetooth® testing in the future which includes not only the traditional physical layer testing but also the linkage between physical and application layer testing e.g. to ensure the desired audio streaming quality or low-latency communication.

Presenter: Mikko Savolainen, Silicon Labs

Date and Time: 10 April, 14:15 CEST

Description: In September 2023, the Bluetooth SIG announced Bluetooth^® Mesh feature enhancements, a significant milestone in wireless mesh networking. Bluetooth Mesh now includes a host of compelling features, including Over-the-Air firmware updates, remote provisioning, and directed forwarding, among others. This presentation provides an insightful exploration of some of these new features and how they improve network performance or simplify network setup and maintenance. We present real network performance data from a live Bluetooth Mesh test network, comparing and contrasting Bluetooth Mesh performance enhancements when the new features are implemented. Join us as we unravel some of the performance impacts of the newly announced Bluetooth Mesh features. This session is a must-attend for professionals seeking to harness the full potential of Bluetooth Mesh in their diverse applications.

Presenter: Petteri Paatsila, Silicon Labs

Date and Time: 10 April, 14:45 CEST

Description: Bluetooth^® LE recently introduced periodic advertising with responses (PAwR), a bidirectional communication feature with precise timing. PAwR enables large-scale, low-power bi-directional networks. It benefits physical retail’s Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) market and extends to asset monitoring, manufacturing, and logistics. This presentation tests a large-scale network with PAwR using Bluetooth ESL Profile and Service. The network comprises 500 end nodes: Broadcaster (Access Point), host computer (ESL Profile), and Observer (ESL tag application). PAwR train timing selection balances scale, responsiveness, and power consumption. Testing covers deployment time, bidirectional PAwR pinging, simultaneous connections, and network recovery. The presentation highlights essential network parameters and validates their application through performance testing, comparing results to theoretical limits for potential improvements.

Presenter: Parker Dorris, Silicon Labs

Date and Time: 10 April, 16:00 CEST

Description: Bluetooth® Channel Sounding is an upcoming feature enables secure, fine ranging between two Bluetooth devices. Channel Sounding will introduce a distance estimation technique that is interoperable, secure, and accurate over a Bluetooth® LE connection, with no extra BOM required. This session introduces Channel Sounding through IoT and automotive use cases to illustrate how the feature can be deployed to determine distance, heighten system security, and enhance end-user experience.

Presenter: Denis Zebrowski, onsemi

Date and Time: 10 April, 16:30 CEST

Description: The development of Bluetooth^® Low Energy angle of arrival location solutions requires multi-disciplinary co-operation in application software, firmware, receiver antenna and tag design. We will showcase an angle of arrival solution based on the co-operation and expertize of four different companies, each specialized in their own area. For developers, the completed tag design with a pre-qualified RF module using certified Bluetooth Low Energy firmware reduces time to market and development costs. The antenna, receiver hardware and receiver firmware provide raw information of the position of each tags. Designers can build on this initial platform to provide application specific customization for their location application. Finally the raw data is processed into meaningful position information and interpreted in the context of a specific application such as tracking of valuable assets in an open building or tracking of supermarket trolleys for consumer market analysis purposes. By explaining these elements, we will show developers what is required to build a customized location solution.

Presenter: Tomas Motos, Texas Instruments

Date and Time: 10 April, 17:00 CEST

Description: Many applications use Bluetooth-based ranging and localization using received signal strength indication (RSSI), including access control in vehicles and buildings, asset tracking, indoor navigation, and proximity services. Ranging determines the distance from one location to another and it is possible to localize a Bluetooth^® device with distance measurement from multiple Bluetooth devices in known fixed locations. However, RSSI-based ranging accuracy has been traditionally limited to >1meter. The upcoming Bluetooth Channel Sounding (CS) specification enables ranging with higher precision and can enhance existing ranging/localization applications and enable new ones. CS uses phase-based ranging across multiple frequency tones in the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth band to perform high-accuracy distance measurement between two Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) devices and uses round-trip time-of-flight measurements to mitigate man-in-the-middle security threats against distance manipulation. Given widespread Bluetooth LE radio implementation in smartphones and a growing number of Internet of Things devices, Bluetooth CS should have an easy path for broad market scalability and adoption compared to other wireless ranging technologies. In this paper, we will discuss Bluetooth-CS based ranging in automotive and industrial applications and present real-world ranging measurements using Texas Instruments Bluetooth devices with multiple accuracy optimizations (multiple antenna path, tone quality bits).