GPS World

Tag: Nordic Semiconductor

  • NBT’s Prometheus employs Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP for IoT and GNSS

    NBT’s Prometheus employs Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP for IoT and GNSS

    Photo: Next Big Thing
    Photo: Next Big Thing

    German venture studio Next Big Thing AG (NBT) has launched the Prometheus internet of things (IoT) sensor-based development platform designed to simplify prototyping and speed time-to-market for developers of cellular IoT- and cloud-based solutions.

    The Prometheus platform is powered by Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 low-power system-in-package (SiP) with integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem and GNSS. The platform supports development across a wide range of industrial applications including the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and logistics sectors.

    The nRF9160 SiP’s 64-MHz Arm Cortex-M33 dedicated application processor provides sufficient computational power to not only supervise the LTE-M/NB-IoT modem’s cellular connectivity, but also all other product functionality. The SiP’s 1MB Flash and 256kB RAM supports fast response and complex application software.

    In addition to the Nordic SiP, the CE-certified development platform features a wide range of sensors and interfaces, a stable embedded software stack, fully encrypted communication, mesh connectivity for short-range communication, automatic switching between NB-IoT and LTE-M cellular IoT connectivity, and advanced provisioning tools. The solution is optimized for low power consumption and provides an industrial temperature range of –40 to +85° C.

    NBT’s IoT development platform comprises two main components:

    • the hardware and embedded software platform (Prometheus)
    • the cloud-based software platform (NBT software platform).

    The standard configuration of Prometheus consists of a range of sensors, for example a temperature sensor (analog and digital), accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, air quality sensor, ambient light sensor and humidity sensor.

    The extended version of Prometheus also includes Nordic’s nRF52832 Bluetooth 5.2/Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) general purpose multiprotocol system-on-chip (SoC) to provide support for Bluetooth LE connectivity, as well as USB, GPS, radar, an adjustable antenna tuner and extended temperature range.

  • Sub-meter tracking coming to campuses with Link Labs’ AirFinder OnSite

    Link Labs soloA new enterprise platform available this summer provides real-time location and asset tracking across a campus with Bluetooth technology.

    Link Labs’ AirFinder OnSite is an internet of things (IoT) asset-tracking platform for campus-based environments. Using a Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) radio to support both Bluetooth LE and phase ranging brings location accuracy with Bluetooth LE tags to the sub-meter level.

    According to Link Labs CEO Bob Proctor, AirFinder OnSite eliminates the need to choose between high-cost/high-accuracy ultra-wideband solutions or low-cost/low-accuracy traditional Bluetooth LE solutions.

    Proctor sees it potentially used in distribution centers and warehouses, as well as IoT applications in manufacturing, healthcare and logistics management. With seven patented or patent-pending Link Labs technologies, AirFinder OnSite was developed on Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52833, a general-purpose multiprotocol system-on-chip with a Bluetooth LE direction-finding-capable radio.

    Innovations at the firmware level solve an array of technical challenges for an enterprise-grade solution: ranging methodology, interference avoidance, a location algorithm, power efficiency and scalability to high-tag densities.

    These innovations allow asset location to be fine-tuned to the sub-meter level, making it a precise Bluetooth-based location technology.

    AirFinder does not require an internal Wi-Fi system and is capable of operating on its own secure network layer via Link Labs’ Symphony Link or other third-party network layer technology, such as Bluetooth mesh technologies. The AirFinder platform provides remote monitoring and device management, allowing the system to be optimized for different use cases.

    This spring, early adopters will support pilot deployments of AirFinder OnSite.

  • IoTeX Pebble Tracker offers security features

    IoTeX Pebble Tracker offers security features

    Photo: Nordic Semiconductor
    Photo: Nordic Semiconductor

    IoTeX has selected Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 low-power System-in-Package (SiP) with integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem and GPS receiver to provide the cellular internet of things (IoT) connectivity for its Pebble Tracker.

    The Pebble Tracker provides trusted location, environment and motion-tracking data for global asset tracking and industrial supply chain applications.

    Critical features strengthen security from hacking and data corruption, meeting the demand of applications that require strong data security and integrity protection throughout the supply chain, the company said.

    There are two versions of Pebble Tracker. The first targets blockchain and IoT developers, while a second commercial version is designed for the asset tracking and industrial supply chain markets.

    The product combines an environmental sensor, a motion sensor (gyroscope and accelerometer) and an ambient light sensor. It enables cellular network connectivity and integrated GPS support in a global version supporting precise, long-range tracking of asset data using established cellular infrastructure.

    The nRF9160 syncs with the IoTeX blockchain, enabling large-scale, decentralized asset-tracking applications. It sends environmental and GPS data securely across global cellular networks to blockchain-based backend services and applications. There, the data is used to determine whether smart contracts have been satisfactorily fulfilled. For example, the trusted tracker data can reveal if, when, and where an asset has been mishandled.

  • 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.