Compact industrial Bluetooth 5 module is smallest, claims u-blox
Designed for tough environments, the Anna-B1 is tailored to applications for the industrial IoT, says u-blox.
The Bluetooth 5 module is for industrial applications, and its compact design and industrial operating temperature range make it suitable applications in size-constrained designs requiring high speed Bluetooth connectivity. Anna‑B1 is certified for select markets off the shelf, adds u-blox.
Anna-B1 is a miniaturised variant of the u‑blox Nina‑B1 Bluetooth low energy module. It is in a system-in-package (SiP) design, with a footprint of 6.5 x 6.5mm and 1.2mm thickness.
Anna‑B1 includes an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller unit with a floating point unit, flash and RAM. The open CPU option provides access to the module’s microcontroller so that custom applications can be embedded into the module.
Alternatively, product developers can reduce time to market by leveraging pre-flashed u‑blox connectivity software. Tested, verified, and supporting many IoT applications, u‑blox connectivity software includes a GATT client and server, serial port service, simultaneous peripheral and central role, and NFC technology for pairing to other Bluetooth low energy devices. Anna-B1 has a built in antenna, but also allows for external antenna designs.
Typical applications for the Anna‑B1 Bluetooth module are small devices such as power tools, industrial and medical sensor products, wearables, and point of sale devices that require Bluetooth 5 connectivity, either individually or as part of a mesh network. The small footprint makes the module suitable for medical and sports wearables and telematics aftermarket products including insurance boxes, says u-blox.
Engineering samples of the Anna‑B1 will be available in Q2 2018.
Swiss company, u‑blox is headquartered in Thalwil, Switzerland, and has offices in Europe, Asia, and the USA. U-blox provides positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets to let people, vehicles, and machines determine a precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. The company’s broad portfolio of chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of product supporting data services, empowers customers to develop for the IoT, quickly and cost-effectively.
