onsemi unveiled a new system solution that overcomes the main challenges associated with developing asset tracking tags. Battery life has been a major obstacle to asset tag adoption, particularly within industrial sectors where reducing maintenance efforts and associated costs are a primary concern. The RSL10 Asset Tag offers a battery life of up to five years, compared to the generally accepted battery life for asset tracking tags or beacons of just a year or even months.
This battery life is made possible by the low power consumption of the RSL10 Bluetooth 5 radio SoC and enhancements at the firmware level. Alongside the RSL10, the platform features a 3-axis accelerometer and environmental sensors (motion, pressure and temperature) to provide valuable data and insights into an asset’s environment, condition and orientation.
Each sensor is powered through a dedicated MOSFET load switch controlled by the RSL10. This design enables the overall system power consumption to be controlled on a per-sensor basis, which decreases the total power used. Additional features of the platform include a low-cost antenna, matching circuit optimised for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmissions, a multi-purpose dome switch and a 10-pin debugger that can be removed depending on the needs of the application.
The RSL10 was recently selected for use in an indoor localisation beacon designed to track and monitor hospital equipment and provide actionable insight to healthcare providers. Blyott, an IoT solution provider and Tatwah, a market leader in Bluetooth LE tags and beacons, developed the device. Blyott selected Tatwah’s RSL10-based beacons because of their small form-factor, ultra-low-power capabilities and the ability of the IP67 tags to meet the stringent sterilisation requirements.
The RSL10 Asset Tag is available with a comprehensive suite of development tools that include multi-protocol wireless support for Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity and the Quuppa Intelligent Locating System real-time localisation services (RTLS). Within the CMSIS-Pack which is included with the evaluation board, onsemi has developed a custom application that demonstrates the ultra-low-power features and capabilities of the platform in an asset tracking use-case.
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