Bluetooth Sensor Development Kit

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Introduction
Smart Sensor Systems’ Bluetooth Sensor Development Kit
provides the hardware and software needed to integrate your
transducer (sensor or actuator) into a Bluetooth wireless
sensor network that complies with the IEEE 1451 standard. In
the nomenclature of IEEE 1451, the transducer is known as the
Transducer Interface Module (TIM) while the sensor network
controller is known as the Network Capable Application
Processor (NCAP). These are shown in Figure 1.
The Bluetooth Sensor Development Kit allows you to develop a
wireless, IEEE 1451-compliant TIM that uses your sensor or
actuator hardware. Your TIM will benefit from the many
features of IEEE 1451 like Plug & Play, automatic sensor error
correction, ease of sensor network installation, and simplified
sensor replacement to name a few.



Bluetooth Radio Distances Greater Than 30 Meters
The Bluetooth Sensor Development Kit supports distances of up to 30 meters between the NCAP and the TIMs as
noted in the introduction and Figure 2. Smart Sensor Systems is investigating an enhancement to the Radio Board to
support distances of up to 100 meters. There is a tradeoff – with increased operating distance, the power
consumption likewise increases.



Architecture of the Bluetooth Sensor Development Kit
The Development Kit contains an NCAP Bluetooth Radio Board and a modular TIM. The Development Kit’s TIM
contains the same three boards as the standalone TIM – a Radio Board, a Processor Board and an Interface Board.
The fact that the standalone TIM uses the same boards as the Development Kit’s TIM simplifies the process of
transitioning from a development environment to a deployment environment.
The customer-supplied Development PC interfaces to both the NCAP hardware and the TIM hardware via USB. A
USB-to-Serial adapter is included to interface to the NCAP’s Bluetooth Transceiver chip because the interface from
USB to the Bluetooth Transceiver chip is serial.
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