Your Comprehensive Guide on BLE Sensor Tag
Technology is advancing with each passing day to make the world a better place. Improvement in Bluetooth technology is one such thing that has led to the emergence of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Bluetooth Smart. This technology has a layered protocol stack whose main function is to transfer a small amount of data efficiently. For this reason, it is one of the most preferred wireless protocols for applications that run on a battery such as a sensor tag. In this article, we will focus on how different sensor tags work with BLE and how to utilize them efficiently. So, let’s get started!
BLE Sensor Tag and IoT
Everyone is now moving towards the IoT (Internet of Things). In this technology, different systems collect and exchange data with each other. A BLE sensor tag plays a crucial role in the functioning of IoT devices. You collect these sensors wirelessly and form a network. This network enables the exchange of data between different devices. The host can easily devise a smartphone that controls and monitors all of the network nodes. Some examples of these IoT applications include tracking of the daily activities and home automation functions such as monitoring, efficient lighting, humidity, and temperature.
BLE Power Modes
We all are aware of the fact that a sensor tag is generally a power-constrained and battery-operated device. Not only this, but they also need to last longer than other devices. This is where the BLE technology can help! This technology provides an optimal connectivity option to the sensor tags. Let’s take an example of a low-power sensor here that can measure temperature and humidity. You can interface these sensors with a BLE-enabled processor. This is what makes it capable of transmitting and processing data to a host device.
One of the greatest advantages of the BLE subsystem is that it can operate infrequently. You will be surprised to know that it can operate once every hundred millisecond. Not only this, but it can stay in a low-power mode for the remaining time of its operation.
Moreover, the BLE-enabled sensors are also capable of offering multiple user-configurable power modes. As a result, you can easily optimize the operation of the BLE subsystem that is completely independent of the operating mode of the processor. All these features allow the developers to lower the power consumption and provide years of operation period and that too from a single battery.
There are five system power modes in the BLE sensor technology. These systems include Active, Sleep, Deep Sleep, Hibernate, and Stop. All of these subsystems are capable of transmitting and receiving data in the BLESS Active Mode. As a result, it can remain idle and maintain its connection in both BLESS Sleep and Deep Sleep Modes.
Sensor Tag and BLE
You can broadly classify a sensor tag as both analog and digital. Some typical examples of these sensor tags include sensors for the monitoring of gas, smoke, human presence, ambient light, etc. When you integrate the BLE subsystem in an application processor, you can easily interface these subsystems in a variety of different ways. For example, you can easily feed an analog sensor to a SAR ADC that comes with a voltage follower in the front end. However, digital sensors do not need any analog conversion. Therefore, you can easily collect the data and communicate it over the interfaces such as SPI, I2C, Universal Digital Blocks, etc. In the end, you can send the received and processed digital data to the BLE interfaces and monitor it with the help of the BLE-enabled phone or any other client device that you use for monitoring.
What are the Different Types of BLE Sensor Tags in IoT?
A BLE sensor tag is an integral part of the IoT. These sensors are available in different sizes and shapes. As a result, you can easily use them for a great number of cases and applications. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of these sensors below.
1.Tempeature Sensor
People use a temperature sensor to measure the amount of heat energy in a source. As a result, they can easily detect temperature changes. Not only this, but they can also use these changes and convert them into data. This data can then be used in the field of agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and a lot more.
2. Pressure Sensor
A Pressure sensor reflects the sense changes in gases and liquids. It then uses these changes and then communicates them to the connected systems. Some of the common uses of a pressure sensor include fluctuations, leak testing, and drops in the pressure.
3. Level Sensor
A level sensor is used for detecting the actual level of the substances. These substances might include powders, liquid, and granular material. Other than that, there are some common uses of a level sensor as well. Some examples of the common uses are oil manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing factories, and water treatment.
4. Optical Sensor
These sensors convert beams of light into electrical signs. Driverless vehicles can utilize optical sensors for perceiving signs, snags, and different things when driving or leaving. They can likewise be utilized for breath investigation and pulse screens in the biomedical field. You can view Minew S2 Light Sensor.
5. Infrared Sensor
The infrared sensor is a type of BLE sensor tag that senses the characteristics of its surrounding. It functions by either detecting or emitting infrared radiation and measuring the heat that the objects emit. One of the most common uses of the infrared sensor is the television remote control. Apart from this, you can even use these sensors in the identification of the art.
The passive infrared sensor is also widely used in many smart IoT applications to detect the passing or staying of any living body. This kind of sensor mainly helps augment the security system in buildings, offices, and houses.
Final Words
BLE sensor tag is an essential technology that is gaining a lot of popularity in IoT devices. That’s because you can achieve many different benefits with this feature. So, you must have a detailed knowledge of this technology. Minew provides BLE sensor tag with the advanced IoT technologies, such as BLE, RTLS, AoA, UWB, LTE Cat-M1, NB-IoT. Need any help? Leave us a comment below!
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