Hardware-independent Bluetooth software offers low-cost platform for next-generation portable devices

November 9, 2004 - Bluetooth Access Point Cambridge Consultants today launches its Bluetooth v1.2-compliant Mezoe software, comprising a protocol stack and extensive library of application profiles. Drawing on Cambridge Consultants’ strong pedigree in Bluetooth and meeting all mandatory and optional v1.2 specification features, the highly modular software offers a hardware-independent platform for the rapidly-expanding Bluetooth product market.

The profiles and protocol stack - Interface Express and BlueStack - are optimised for deeply-embedded applications with limited hardware resources. The software offers a highly efficient and simple-to-apply platform for embedding Bluetooth at minimal cost, an approach that has resulted in major success for the technology - with implementations on around half of today's qualified Bluetooth designs.

"Bluetooth is now growing rapidly in markets outside of its mobile phone and headset roots, such as automobiles and home electronics", comments Steve Pearce, Software Development Manager at Cambridge Consultants. "These are highly cost-sensitive areas, where factors such as minimising the hardware costs and second-sourcing are critical. This software provides an optimised platform to support OEMs in these emerging areas".

The interaction between profiles and the host application is reduced through an optimised API design. For example, a single API call registers a profile, providing a multitude of settings such as security, device visibility and service discovery records. Such features minimize the need to understand Bluetooth protocol specifications in detail, and can substantially speed product development. The Mezoe software also features a compact and efficient memory management subsystem, giving developers complete control over how much system RAM is used by the Bluetooth firmware.

The load on the host's processing resources is also minimised by 'zero copy' data transmission and reception functionality, which ensures that data is not copied unnecessarily between RAM locations. This attention to detail helps make it easy to add Bluetooth to existing designs, and to expand the capabilities of the Bluetooth system with minimal impact on the host processor.

Interface Express and BlueStack have been engineered for portability, and will run on virtually any platform and operating system. Among the processors that the software has already been ported to are ARM, HC6811, MIPS, XAP and V850. The list of operating system implementations includes Windows, WinCE, QNX, Linux, Nucleus Plus and Bare-board. The software also comes with its own real-time scheduler, making it easy to use without an operating system - providing significant savings for cost-sensitive products.

The library of application profiles available to OEMs is extensive and includes: BIP, BPP, CTP, DUN, FAX, FTP, HCRP, ICP, HFP, HID, HSP, LAN, OPP, PAN, SAP, SPP and SYNC. This wide choice includes many key utilities for realising emerging wireless products for markets outside of the core mobile phone and headset Bluetooth applications, such as HFP and SAP (Hands free and SIM access) for automotive applications, and CTP (cordless telephony) for home applications. Further profiles are in development.

Cambridge Consultants is able to offer Bluetooth design assistance, including complete turnkey product design, if required. Its design partnership with CSR enables it to write native software for the market-leading BlueCore range of chips, giving great flexibility to create single-chip designs for new applications.

Note to editors

Cambridge Consultants has for over 40 years enabled its clients to turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of over 200 engineers, scientists and consultants in offices in Cambridge (UK) & Boston (USA), it is able to offer solutions across a diverse range of industries including healthcare, industrial & consumer products, automotive, transport, energy & wireless communications.