Bluetooth Low Energy offers new possibilities in creating intelligence within the vehicle, not only for comfort and ergonomics but also for safety and better performance. Such applications can range from auto-adjusting smart car seats and infotainment control to Tire Pressure Measurement Systems (TPMS). Nordic offers advanced multiprotocol SoCs with Bluetooth 5 and also AEC-Q100 qualified SoCs for the automotive industry. Vehicles are evolving rapidly, and Bluetooth is key in enabling this evolution.
AEC-Q100 Grade 2 (-40 to +105 °C) | Bluetooth 5 high throughput - 2 Mbps | Best-in-class energy efficiency | Powerful CPU with sufficient memory | Updatable all-flash-based SoCs | Trusted security | Small WLCSP package
Connected vehicles | Impact sensors | Keyless entry | Infotainment | Smart seats | TPMS
As vehicles become increasingly connected, the concept of driving is also fundamentally changing. Today's Bluetooth SoC technology offers a cost-effective ability to acquire and process data, pass it around the vehicle as needed for use locally, or up to the network for deeper analysis. This is bringing a wide range of new and improved features to the world of driving from improved comfort and entertainment to better safety, performance and efficiency.
Impact sensors can play a significant role in the event of an accident by communicating impact information to emergency services via in-car cellular connections or phones. Bluetooth Low Energy SoCs together with external sensors can detect severity of impact and also its location on the vehicle.
Keyless entry brings many benefits to busy lives. Your car senses you as you approach it, hands full or on the phone, your car awaits.
Bluetooth brings the ability for our phones to act as keys and accordingly inform the car of the approaching driver so that it can adjust settings according to their preferences. with Bluetooth technology keyless entry is about so much more than just opening car doors.
Gone are the days of arguing over which radio station to have playing during a journey. Cars are entertainment spaces much like our living rooms today. Cost-effective Bluetooth SoCs allow selection and control of individual, tailored entertainment from music, films and games for all of your passengers, whilst you get to listen to your playlist of choice.
Driving position and comfort plays a big role in driving safety in addition to improving the overall driving experience. Bluetooth Low Energy is the ideal choice for smart seats to control seat adjustments and settings through driver proximity detection from a smartphone or proximity fob. Flexibility is key in this category for low BOM designs and SoCs that have plentiful peripherals and interfaces for external sensors and motors.
Tire Pressure Measurement Systems (TPMS) monitor the status of air pressure in vehicle's tires. Tire pressure is a critically important factor for safe driving. Historically mostly measured manually when we pull into a petrol station, TPMS has become more mainstream using RF so that the air pressure can be monitored simply and at any time in our vehicles. Previously using sub-1GHz frequencies there is a growing shift to implement TPMS with Bluetooth Low Energy and thus make it compatible with the vehicle's Bluetooth ecosystem. Demands in this category are outstanding energy efficiency and reliability.
