Bluetooth Low Energy Innovations in Connected Vehicles That You Didn’t Know Of

The automotive industry is evolving at a fast pace. Modern automobiles are far from the vehicles that rolled off assembly lines in the 90s. Vehicles today are increasingly being equipped with electrical and electronic components, efficiently replacing the ubiquitous mechanical components of the past.

This transformation has also benefited the industry in several ways, as electrical and electronic components enable:

· Improvement in modularity and reliability of internal operations of vehicles

· Efficient wireless communication between automotive control units and HMI in the surroundings

The modern vehicle hosts wireless technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), GPS, cellular (4G or 5G), Wi-Fi, etc. to fuel the evolving demands of the connected vehicle ecosystem.

Wireless systems in the automotive industry have eliminated the need for complex wiring, harnesses and connectors. With this change, the following challenges have also been mitigated:

· Malfunctions arising from connector failures

· High cost of assembly/service and design modifications

In this article, we explore the use cases of Bluetooth Low Energy technology in the automotive domain. But first, let’s understand how BLE differs from Bluetooth Classic.

Bluetooth Vs Bluetooth Low Energy — The Difference to IoT Applications

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that enables data exchange over a short range. This technology is commonly used for streaming audio, i.e., for talking on the phone through a wireless headset or listening to music from your phone on your car’s stereo.

Bluetooth Low Energy is a low power, wireless technology that is commonly used to connect devices with each other. Unlike Bluetooth Classic (the traditional version of Bluetooth), BLE is specifically used in applications that consume less power and may be required to run on batteries for an extended duration.

BLE technology was introduced as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 specifications in 2010. This technology was targeted at IoT applications that transfer small amounts of data at lower speed. Both Bluetooth Classic and BLE operate in the 2.4 GHz ISM band.

The recent release of Bluetooth 5 and Bluetooth Mesh has opened up a world of more feasible applications for BLE.

The cost of BLE chipsets and modules have been reducing rapidly. This makes it an ideal connectivity solution for developing cost-effective infotainment systems in vehicles.

Common Use Cases of BLE in Automotive Applications

Connecting a smartphone with an automobile (through Bluetooth Low Energy technology) endows convenience and superior levels of personalization for the driver and passengers alike.

Some interesting use cases of BLE in the automotive industry are as follows.

1) Bluetooth Connectivity Through Smartphone

Piloted Parking — Often referred to as assisted or remote parking, the convenience offered to the driver by piloted parking is unparalleled. This works on a simple idea — When the driver exits the vehicle, they can activate piloted parking on their smartphone app. This results in the car automatically maneuvering to a nearby parking space and parking there! Even if there is limited parking space, the sensors in the vehicle enable it to fit perfectly into the parking spot. This would have been a difficult task if the driver was parking the car manually.

The AI-based components in the vehicle facilitate the manoeuvring and sensing operations.

Virtual Key for Access to Vehicle — A common use case of Bluetooth technology in the automotive industry is in converting a smartphone into a key fob to access a vehicle. According to the 2020 Bluetooth Market Update, it is expected that 13 million annual shipments of Bluetooth enabled key fobs and accessories will be seen by 2024. This clearly shows that this trend is rapidly gaining popularity.

Apart from simple access control, BLE can be customized for various innovations in vehicle access. For example, a smartphone app could be programmed to unlock/lock only specific doors or trunk of a vehicle. This feature may be extremely useful for accessing utility vehicles at construction sites, where the doors are opened and closed frequently.

Vehicle Diagnostics — Vehicle diagnostic data includes information regarding the status of the battery, fuel level, tire pressure, etc. This data can be sent wirelessly through Bluetooth Low Energy to the vehicle owner’s smartphone. The app on the phone can also be configured to display this information in a format that is easily understood by the user. This enables the owner to take precautionary measures to keep the vehicle in good working condition.

Car Sharing — Through BLE technology, a person can allow others to use his/her vehicle on a temporary basis and keep track of it. This feature is very useful in the rental car market. The person renting the vehicle receives a code on his/her mobile phone to access it. When the driver is in close proximity of the vehicle, the BLE communication authenticates the code on the phone and provides them access to certain functions in the vehicle.

It is also possible to configure the access such that it is restricted to only a specific duration or time of the day.

Personalization for Occupants — When the driver approaches the vehicle, the access code authentication is performed through BLE and the vehicle recognizes him/her. Through its embedded intelligence, the vehicle can then configure the interiors (lighting, seat positions, infotainment settings, seat heating, HVAC, etc.) to suit the driver’s preferences.

2) Connectivity Through Vehicle’s Bluetooth Station

Car Servicing — Bluetooth is widely used in establishing connectivity between a car and the computers at a car service station. In such a scenario, this connection is live as soon as the vehicle enters the service station premises. The main computer at the station notifies the service personnel about the task and then his system connects with the vehicle wirelessly. The necessary information is also downloaded from the vehicle.

This connection enables the service personnel to control and adjust the vehicle functions such as lights, engine parameters, climate control, etc. through his computer. The latest version of software can also be installed on the vehicle ECUs.

3) In-Vehicle Communication Through Bluetooth

Bluetooth Network in Car — There are several subsystems in a vehicle that require a specific degree of motion to operate efficiently. It is crucial to design a point of separation between the vehicle and this movable subsystem. This is where wireless technologies like Bluetooth can be used effectively.

For instance, the door of a car can be mounted without any cables if Bluetooth technology is used for information and power transmission.

Bluetooth in Car Manufacturing

1. In the auto manufacturing industry, as a final step in the production line, a lot of software is downloaded in the vehicle. Bluetooth Classic is perfectly suited for this use case. The production fieldbus is connected to a Bluetooth base station. When the automobile on the line connects with the Bluetooth base station, its serial number is uploaded. The production system will subsequently download the relevant software for the vehicle through the fieldbus to the base station. This will then be installed in the vehicle.
2. When Bluetooth network is used for communication between modular subsystems in a vehicle, the development and testing of these systems can be done in parallel with other components. Automated assembly (during manufacturing) of these modules is also easier when compared to wired systems.

Bluetooth Low Energy Security Features

Security is the most important factor to consider when designing wireless automotive subsystems. Bluetooth Low Energy excels in this department as well.

BLE is equipped with several types of security services to eliminate threats like Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attacks and passive eavesdropping. BLE combats MITM attacks through authentication via secure pairing or signed data. It also resists passive eavesdropping by using ECDH public key cryptography.

Overall, the features offered by BLE to cover trust, encryption, user privacy and data integrity in automotive applications are noteworthy.

Summary

Wireless technologies are playing a crucial role in the rapid transformation of automotive electronics. Bluetooth Low Energy is one such technology that has the technical capability to make secure, low-power, wireless automotive components a reality. It can also facilitate ad hoc communication between car radios that have not interacted with each other in the past. This is pivotal for V-to-V and V-to-X communication in autonomous cars of the future.

Watch this space for more articles on such thought-provoking automotive trends!