Rohde & Schwarz will present the first real-time measurements on the planned new Bluetooth® signals to support Channel Sounding. The demonstration at the embedded world Exhibition & Conference in Nuremberg, Germany, will be run on an R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester. The Bluetooth® Channel Sounding feature will enable unprecedented positioning accuracy for consumer and commercial applications. The signal measurement capabilities to support chip and device development are eagerly awaited by the industry.

For consumer and commercial devices, Bluetooth® is the most widely installed technology with location determining capabilities. Channel Sounding, soon to be introduced, will significantly improve the accuracy of real-time location services for determining position using Bluetooth® to an accuracy of 50 cm or better. In addition to improved location accuracy, Channel Sounding is expected to consume less power than existing Bluetooth® location services and provide increased security. The improved accuracy will be a major step forward in particular for indoor applications such as asset tracking on the factory floor or in the warehouse, as well as for secure access to buildings or vehicles.

Hardware changes for Bluetooth® devices introduced on a new physical layer are required to support the improved location functions. Engineers who want to start developing the necessary chips and devices, including support for Channel Sounding urgently require reliable and accurate measurements on the signals that enable the new functions. Rohde & Schwarz has already prepared options for its R&S CMW platform to support the corresponding RF physical layer measurements.

The current draft of the next version of the Bluetooth® Core Specification defines support for phase-based ranging (PBR) tone exchange and round-trip time. To give hardware and software engineers involved in Bluetooth® chipset and device development an early preview of the PBR measurement techniques, Rohde & Schwarz will be presenting a session at the embedded world Conference called “Redefining Bluetooth Low Energy Testing to Cover Latest Bluetooth Innovations” at 1:45 p.m. on April 10. A live demonstration of the measurements will take place at the Rohde & Schwarz booth 4-218 in hall 4 at the embedded world Exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany, April 9 to 11, 2024.