CSR has demonstrated low power Bluetooth running on its BlueCore7 chipset in a mobile phone.
It marks a necessary step in the process of bringing the technology which has become known as Bluetooth low energy to market in medical monitors.
According to CSR, when this low energy version of Bluetooth is used, in a wireless heart rate monitor for example, the monitor simply ‘advertises’ itself to the control/reader using just three frequencies (could be a mobile phone or watch) that then connects sends its very short burst of data and then switches off again.
The next big step will be the Bluetooth SIG standards group's adoption of Bluetooth low energy technology in Q1, 2009.
"This is a key demonstration for the roll out of Bluetooth low energy,” said Robin Heydon, CSR’s standards architect.
"Bluetooth low energy opens up many new markets and will bring wireless connectivity to countless devices that previously discounted it due to power concerns,” said Heydon.
The mobile phone handset was modified for the purpose of the demonstration to incorporate CSR’s BlueCore7 dual mode silicon (Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth v2.1), and a Java API and MIDlet application to provide a simple user interface for displaying the information received.
Haydon said that this combination of multiple radio technolgies in the handset would be significant for the future of mobile handsets.
Bluetooth low energy, was the low power radio technology previously known as
Ultra Low Power Bluetooth or Wibree. One of its features is the use of fewer frequencies - 3 rather than 32 - to make connections compared with standard Bluetooth, resulting in lower power consumption when connectable.
Applications are expected to include sports equipment and personal health monitors, where the technology could support battery life standby times measured in years, not just days as with standard Bluetooth.
CSR first
demonstrated its Bluetooth low energy technology in April. Its BlueCore7 silicon will be in volume production from Q4 2008.
The demonstration consisted of two ICs transferring ULP Bluetooth data packets 50 times faster than standard Bluetooth, meaning that the devices were consuming as little as 1/50th of the power. In establishing the connection, the ULP devices used 1/10th the power required by standard Bluetooth.