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Automated Testing system for Bluetooth interconnected systems in eHealth, Sports and industry applications

Summary

Profile Type
  • Technology offer
POD Reference
TODE20230323012
Term of Validity
10 May 2023 - 9 May 2025
Company's Country
  • Germany
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance
  • Research and development cooperation agreement
Targeted Countries
  • All countries
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General information

Short Summary
Developing IoT products with a powerful BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) connectivity can become very challenging. Small Configuration changes on the wireless traffic flow influence the link quality in BLE connections, posing risks to the development. For this purpose, a specialized BLE analysis system is offered, which analyzes surrounding BLE connections and detects transmission defects automatically. Research and development cooperation or commercial agreements with technical assist. are possible.
Full Description
The institute from Germany has a strong background in microelectronics, embedded systems and data analytics. Tailored to current industrial needs and future challenges, the researchers work on adaptive and robust technological solutions in a broad range of applications such as mobility and industrial automation.

Wireless connectivity is essential for almost all IoT devices. In the case wireless data transfer is needed over a few meters, very often Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used, due to its comparably high transmission performance at very low energy consumption. Besides this, seamless and reliable connectivity is highly important to provide a satisfying user experience.

Developing IoT products with a powerful BLE connectivity, requires not only the selection of appropriate transceiver modules and protocol stack implementations, but also its correct configuration. However, without specialized analyzers the impact of configuration changes on the wireless traffic flow cannot be monitored and the link quality in BLE connections remains obscure. Transmission anomalies as well as bugs in the configuration and interfacing of the protocol libraries can be detected and diagnosed only with difficulty and at a very late stage. This results in undetected transmission disturbances that may compromise the user experience.

To support the development of IoT products with BLE interfaces, a German research institute developed a BLE analysis system. The analysis system consists of a BLE sniffer capturing the surrounding BLE traffic and a PC analyzing the captured traffic. It can be integrated in automated test systems as well as in manual testing to ensure an efficient exploitation of the BLE connection of IoT products. The system has been succesfully used in industrial pilot projects for more than one year.

Cooperation in terms of research and development cooperation or commercial agreements with technical assistane are envisaged. Therefore, depending on the partner's needs, the cooperation could include services to integrate the system into the partners environment or renting of a system for a measurement campaign.
Advantages and Innovations
Advantages:
• Early detection of transmission disturbances, anomalies and connection reserves
• Efficient exploitation of the BLE connectivity, enabling additional services
• Risk reduction in the development of IoT products with BLE connectivity
• Prevention of system failures through early detection of potential interference sources
• Improved user experience due to verified higher product quality

Innovations:
• Integration of state-of-the-art data analytics and machine learning for wireless communication into a user-friendly system, hardened for industrial applications
• Measurement based real-time analysis of surrounding Bluetooth Low Energy traffic
• Interactive dashboard showing comprehensive analysis results for each BLE connection, providing detailed insights in its reliability, performance, timings, connection setup, teardown procedure, occurring anomalies
• Capable of focusing analysis on BLE devices of interest
• Import and analysis of HCI logfiles from the BLE devices of interest
• Remote control of the analysis system via an IP-based API for integration in a test system
• Export of all analysis results as interactive plots and data (json format) for joint storage with test results
Stage of Development
  • Available for demonstration
Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
IPR status
  • Secret know-how

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner
The sought partner should be a in the field of IoT system development using BLE connectivity. It could be from various application areas, e.g. Health care, E-Health, E-Sports, Smart Home, industrial tools. service providers. Especially those partners benefit from the proposed solution, which strongly depend on the seamless and reliable operation of the used wireless system.

Commercial Agreement with technical assistance
The institute offers the transfer of the respective solution for the automated analysis of the Bluetooth traffic.
Type and Size of Partner
  • SME 11-49
  • SME 50 - 249
  • Big company
  • SME <=10
  • Other
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance
  • Research and development cooperation agreement

Dissemination

Technology keywords
  • 01001001 - Automation, Robotics Control Systems
  • 01003013 - Information Technology/Informatics
  • 01003025 - Internet of Things
  • 01006013 - Communications Protocols, Interoperability
  • 09003 - Electronic measurement systems
Market keywords
  • 01006002 - Mobile communications, pagers and cellular radio
  • 01004002 - Data communication components
  • 05004005 - Diagnostic equipment
  • 08002003 - Process control equipment and systems
  • 07001004 - Sporting goods, hobby equipment and athletics clothes
Sector Groups Involved
  • Digital
Targeted countries
  • All countries