Core specifications of next-generation technology 'Bluetooth 6.0' will be released, the accuracy of Apple's 'Find' feature may be greatly improved
Now Available: New Version of the Bluetooth Core Specification | Bluetooth® Technology Website
https://www.bluetooth.com/blog/now-available-new-version-of-the-bluetooth-core-specification/
Bluetooth® Core Specification version 6.0 Technical Overview | Bluetooth® Technology Website
https://www.bluetooth.com/core-specification-6-feature-overview/
Bluetooth 6.0 could revolutionize one of my favorite iPhone features
https://bgr.com/tech/bluetooth-6-0-could-revolutionize-one-of-my-favorite-iphone-features/
Bluetooth 6.0 will help Apple improve its Find My network
https://9to5mac.com/2024/09/04/bluetooth-6-0-apple-find-my/
The Bluetooth 6.0 specification reveals the following new features:
・Bluetooth Channel Sounding
Bluetooth Channel Sounding is a technology that enables safer and more accurate distance measurement by combining two measurement methods, Phase-Based Ranging (PBR) and Round-Trip Timing (RTT).
PBR transmits and receives signals of different frequencies, measures the phase difference, and calculates the distance with high accuracy, but the accuracy drops at a certain distance of about 150 m. On the other hand, RTT can calculate the time it actually took to transmit and receive a signal by taking into account the processing time from the round trip time of the packet, so it can eliminate the ambiguity of PBR. In addition, Bluetooth Channel Sounding has introduced a new channel selection algorithm to improve security.
・Decision-Based Advertising Filtering
' Advertising ' refers to the process by which a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-compatible device notifies surrounding devices of its presence and the services it provides. Because BLE is power-efficient and suitable for short-range wireless communication, it is used in a wide range of applications, including IoT devices, wearables, and smart home applications.
Decision-Based Advertising Filtering introduces a new type of PDU, “ADV_DECISION_IND”, to the “Extended Advertising” Protocol Data Unit (PDU) introduced in Bluetooth 5.0, allowing applications to have more fine-grained control over the controller’s receive packet filtering.
・Monitoring Advertisers
Conventional BLE technology prevents excessive notification to the host by filtering advertising packets, but this method has the problem that it is difficult to know whether the monitored device continues to be within range.
Monitoring Advertisers is a feature that tracks the presence of specified advertising devices and notifies the host only when the device goes out of range and comes back into range again. This eliminates the need for the host to constantly listen for advertising notifications, improving power efficiency and extending battery life. It also makes device connection management more efficient and improves user experience.
・Isochronous Adaptation Layer Enhancement(ISOAL) Enhancement
ISOAL is responsible for converting
In particular, in the case of audio, where low latency is important, the Bluetooth SIG states that ISOAL Enhancement will enable audio delay to be minimized while maintaining high sound quality.
・LL Extended Feature Set
In conventional Bluetooth, the device's functions were described in 64 bits, but as the number of Bluetooth functions increased, 64 bits became insufficient. Therefore, the introduction of the LL Extended Feature Set extended the function expression to 1984 bits. This function is the foundation for Bluetooth to evolve and support even more functions in the future.
Frame Space Update
Frame Space Update is a feature that allows more flexibility in adjusting the communication timing between Bluetooth devices. In conventional Bluetooth, the interval between consecutive packet transmissions between devices is fixed at 150 microseconds, but Frame Space Update makes it possible to change this interval.
Shorter packet transmission intervals allow more data to be sent and received in a shorter time, and by adjusting the interval as needed, power consumption can be optimized, and optimal settings can be created for devices with different capabilities.
The Bluetooth SIG states that the new feature, 'Bluetooth Channel Sounding,' 'will significantly improve Apple's Find My solution.'
Apple's Find My network is based on Bluetooth technology. You can find out how the Find My network can find Apple devices by reading the following article.
How does Apple's 'Find My' feature, which allows you to locate your device even when it's offline, work? - GIGAZINE
Conventional Bluetooth detects direction by the angle of departure (AoA) and angle of arrival (AoD) of the signal, but in Bluetooth 6.0, the highly accurate distance measurement capability of Bluetooth Channel Sounding makes it possible to determine position and direction by triangulation based on distance from multiple reference points. This means that location information can be determined with higher accuracy than before.
Apple devices use ultra-wideband (UWB) communication with a dedicated chip to maintain the accuracy of the Find My network. Combining this technology with Bluetooth Channel Sounding may enable devices to be located with even greater accuracy. It is also expected that devices that do not have a UWB chip will be able to locate devices with the same high accuracy as the Find My network.
At the time of writing, it is unclear when Apple will adopt Bluetooth 6.0, but 9To5Mac, an Apple-related news site, predicted that 'the first Apple devices using Bluetooth 6.0 will not appear until 2025 at the earliest.'
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in Software, Posted by log1i_yk