Poster: bPart - A Small and Versatile Bluetooth Low Energy Sensor Platform for Mobile Sensing

Abstract

This work presents the bPart, a highly integrated autonomous sensor platform for use with mobile phones and devices. It consists of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio and several MEMS sensors, all integrated in a volume of less than 1cm³, including the battery. Aside from the wireless transceiver, the bPart features sensors for ambient illumination, 3D-acceleration, temperature and relative humidity. In addition, there is a button and a magnetic switch for binary input and a RGB-LED for user feedback. A secondary LED in the infrared spectrum enables camera-assisted identification and tracking of the node. Runtimes of several years are possible on the included CR2023 lithium coin cell, through the low energy radio, onboard power-conversion and low-power sleep modes. The latter is rated below 2µW and a single data packet consumes about 75µWs. Its low energy consumption makes the bPart suitable for operation with energy harvesting, which we have validated with a 33cm² solar cell in indoor lighting conditions.