GPS World

Tag: NINA-B4

  • U-blox releases explorer kits for high-precision indoor positioning

    U-blox releases explorer kits for high-precision indoor positioning

    Leveraging Bluetooth direction finding technology, the solutions demonstrate sub-meter level position accuracy for a variety of industrial and consumer applications

    Photo: U-blox
    Photo: U-blox

    U-blox has released two explorer kits for product developers to evaluate the potential of Bluetooth direction finding and high-precision indoor positioning. Designed for low power consumption, simple deployment, and low cost of ownership, the u-blox XPLR-AOA-1 and XPLR-AOA-2 explorer kits will test the technology’s capabilities to enable a variety of applications including access control, collision detection, smart appliances, indoor positioning and asset tracking.

    Recognizing the growing demand for more accurate indoor positioning solutions, the Bluetooth special interest group (SIG) released Bluetooth direction finding, offering a major improvement over previous receiver signal strength indicator (RSSI)-based solutions.

    Bluetooth direction finding makes it possible to determine the direction that radio signals travel from a mobile tag to one or several fixed anchor points. Using angle-of-arrival (AoA) technology, anchor points comprising antenna arrays connected to Bluetooth receivers can detect the direction, or angle, to the mobile tag, which transmits a Bluetooth signal. When a constellation of such multi-antenna anchors is deployed, AoA technology can be used to triangulate the precise location of a mobile device or tag.

    The u-blox XPLR-AOA-1 and XPLR-AOA-2 explorer kits showcase one of the first complete Bluetooth-based tracking solutions – from the tag to the cloud – to reliably offer sub-meter-level accuracy in indoor environments.

  • u-blox module aimed at indoor positioning

    u-blox module aimed at indoor positioning

    u-blox’s Bluetooth low-energy module features direction finding, bringing the benefits of high-precision positioning to indoor applications

    U-blox, provider of positioning and wireless communication technologies, has announced the u-blox NINA-B4 Bluetooth low-energy module series. Based on Nordic Semiconductor’s recently announced nRF52833 chip, NINA-B4 enables a number of Bluetooth features including Bluetooth long range, Bluetooth mesh and Bluetooth direction finding.

    The module is tailored to the needs of applications in the connected industry, smart homes, buildings and cities, asset tracking and eHealth.

    The NINA-B4 offers a new direction-finding feature, a key component of the Bluetooth v5.1 specification that brings the benefits of high-precision positioning to indoor applications. It is the first u-blox module designed to act as both a transmitter and a receiver in angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) direction finding and indoor positioning applications.

    In AoA-based implementations, stationary beacons equipped with multi-antenna arrays determine the angle of arrival of signals emitted by a tracking device to pinpoint the tracker’s location with sub-meter-level accuracy. When AoD is used, the tracking device triangulates its position by calculating the angle of departure of signals from the stationary Bluetooth beacons’ multi-antenna arrays.

    Mesh, long range, and extended temperature range

    The u-blox NINA-B4 enables wireless mesh networks, which offer robust communication between large numbers of connected devices, extending the reach of messages by relaying them from node to node until they reach their destination. By simplifying the control of groups of devices, mesh networks are well suited for applications such as smart lighting systems in cities and buildings, which further benefit from the module’s enhanced operating temperature range (up to 105 °C).

    Featuring Bluetooth long range, the NINA-B4 series can be deployed in harsh environments, for instance, to enable wirelessly connected and configurable equipment. Long range not only increases the distance that Bluetooth signals can travel in undisturbed environments, but also makes communications more robust and reliable in unfavorable ones, a common need in production plants or on factory floors.

    The NINA-B4 series comes with u-blox u‑connect software, simplifying integration of Bluetooth into new and existing products by providing an easy-to-use interface to configure the connectivity required.

    NINA-B4 has a powerful Arm Cortex-M4F MCU with an open CPU architecture, allowing customers to run their own applications on the module. Supporting Zigbee and Thread, the first members of the NINA-B4 family come with an internal PCB antenna, or alternatively with a U.FL connector for an external antenna of choice.

    Samples of the NINA-B4 will be available in December.