Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), has announced that its lineup of Bluetooth® Low Energy products now offer support for the Bluetooth Mesh standard. Ratified and launched by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the combination of Bluetooth Mesh and TAEC’s application software enable their Bluetooth Low Energy products to simultaneously increase communication range, reliability and obstacle penetration capability while also increasing battery life. By combining a non-proprietary mesh solution with their Bluetooth communication system solutions capable of link budgets exceeding 100 decibels (dB) with external PA and LNA. They provide reliable communication in consumer products and extend new support to rapidly growing segments such as factory automation and building management.
Support for the new Bluetooth Mesh standard enables their Bluetooth Low Energy products to privately and securely traverse a mesh network rather than requiring a point-to-point connection between devices. This increases the range and reliability of Bluetooth Low Energy communication without increasing power requirements. Previously, increasing the effective Bluetooth Low Energy communication range or sending a signal through many walls required higher power transmissions that would have a negative impact on battery life. These high-powered transmissions were typically the primary technique used to address issues such as radio interference in a factory environment or the transmission of signals through thick concrete walls. This approach had severe limitations, and has proven to be ineffective for power-constrained battery operated devices as well as in unfriendly RF environments. By creating a robust mesh network, the Bluetooth Low Energy products can now securely and privately relay messages, allowing devices to communicate in places where they previously were unable to.
“As a Bluetooth SIG founder and current board member, Toshiba is excited to be among the first to support the organization’s push to increase the effective range and robustness of Bluetooth through the introduction of a highly reliable mesh network,” said Deepak Prakash, senior director at Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. “This standards-based approach means that new untapped markets, such as industrial and commercial, can now leverage ever-present Bluetooth cell phones or tablets to easily control and monitor their systems.”
In a related effort to increase communication range and signal strength for Bluetooth, they have introduced new Bluetooth Low Energy system solutions capable of achieving a link budget of over 100dB using an external PA and LNA. They have demonstrated these system solutions providing well over 300m open-air range at low-power transmit and receive power levels.
