EM Microelectronic, a Swatch Group company, specialises in ultra low power semiconductor products. In the RF sector, EM offers very power-efficient Bluetooth SoCs. Here we would like to introduce you to the Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons for position tracking based on these.
As part of the Swatch Group, the focus is on battery-powered devices, among other things. With this expertise, EM has developed beacons for various application scenarios based on the company’s own Bluetooth SOC. This demonstrates the synergy with Renata Batteries and Micro Crystal – also Swatch Group companies.
Nowadays, many things are monitored in order to organise processes efficiently, including the position. Be it a parcel in logistics or a person who has to keep a minimum distance. This tracking is often realised with beacons based on the Bluetooth technology “BLE proximity sensing”. Companies such as Apple (iBeacon™) or open source-based solutions such as AltBeacon™ have shaped the beacon ecosystem with their formats.
A long service life – EM Bluetooth beacons are characterised by their very low power consumption and user-friendliness. They are supplied fully configured, require no maintenance and run on a Li coin cell – e.g. a CR2032 – for 8 to 10 years with 6 hours of activity per day. Energy harvesting – using heat or solar radiation – can give the beacon a potentially everlasting lifetime. This topic is also focused by EM.
Flexibility – If additional functions are required for the application, EM also offers “multi-mode solutions”. These integrate technologies such as NFC, RFID and UWB or various sensors. EM supports all established beacon formats such as iBeacon™, Eddystone™, AltBeacon™ and the Quuppa Intelligent Locating System™.
Depending on the application, there is a choice of directly usable beacons from EM Microelectronic. All beacons are FCC and CE certified and are manufactured in-house. The beacons are based on Bluetooth SoCs developed by EM Microelectronics itself, most of them based on the EM9304.
Ideal for simple applications, easy to combine with a wristband For further development, the PCB of the EMBC22 offers a JTAG connection.
If no suitable beacon is available for you, customised solutions are possible. The following features can be customised:
Do you need more information about one of the beacons? Do you have technical requirements that need to be met? Contact us directly and we will help you find the ideal solution for your position tracking!