Overview

This section describes the functionality of the Bluetooth low energy protocol stack and provides a list of APIs to interface with the protocol stack. The stack project and its associated files serve to implement the Bluetooth low energy protocol stack task. This is the highest priority task in the system and it implements the Bluetooth low energy protocol stack as shown in Figure 9.

Most of the Bluetooth low energy protocol stack is object code in a single library file (TI does not provide the protocol stack source code as a matter of policy). A developer must understand the functionality of the various protocol stack layers and how they interact with the application and profiles. This section explains these layers.

Introduction

Bluetooth Core Specification Version 5.0 allows for two systems of wireless technology: Basic Rate (BR: BR/EDR for Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate) and Bluetooth low energy. The Bluetooth low energy system was created to transmit small packets of data, while consuming significantly less power than BR/EDR devices.

The TI BLE Protocol stack supports the following Bluetooth Core Specification Version 5.0 features:

  • 2 Msym/s PHY for LE
  • LE Long Range
  • High Duty Cycle Non-Connectable Advertising
  • LE Advertising Extensions
  • LE Channel Selection Algorithm #2

As well as legacy features from previous versions:

  • LE Secure Connections
  • LE Data Length extension
  • LE Privacy
  • LE L2CAP Connection-Oriented Channel Support
  • LE Link Layer Topology
  • LE Ping
  • Slave Feature Exchange
  • Connection Parameter Request

Optional features can be selectively enabled at build time. See Optimizing Bluetooth low energy Stack Memory Usage.

Bluetooth low energy Protocol Stack Basics

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Figure 9. Bluetooth low energy Protocol Stack.

Figure 9. shows the Bluetooth low energy protocol stack architecture.

The Bluetooth low energy protocol stack (or protocol stack) consists of the controller and the host. This separation of controller and host derives from the implementation of classic Bluetooth BR/EDR devices, where the two sections are implemented separately. Any profiles and applications sit on top of the GAP and GATT layers of the protocol stack.

The physical layer (PHY) is a 1-Mbps adaptive frequency-hopping GFSK (Gaussian frequency-shift keying) radio operating in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz ISM (industrial, scientific, and medical) band.

The Generic Access Profile (GAP) controls the RF state of the device, with the device in one of five states:

  • Standby
  • Advertising
  • Scanning
  • Initiating
  • Connected

Advertisers transmit data without connecting, while scanners scan for advertisers. An initiator is a device that responds to an advertiser with a request to connect. If the advertiser accepts the connection request, both the advertiser and initiator enter a connected state. When a device is connected, it connects as either master or slave. The device initiating the connection becomes the master and the device accepting the request becomes the slave.

See the BLE Stack API Reference for HCI layer API. The HCI layer provides communication between the host and controller through a standardized interface. This layer can be implemented either through a software API or by a hardware interface such as UART, SPI, or USB (See Using Production Test Mode (PTM) for example). The Bluetooth Core Specification Version 5.0 describes Standard HCI commands and events. TI’s proprietary commands and events are specified in the TI Vendor Specific HCI Guide.

The Logical Link Control and Adaptation Layer Protocol (L2CAP) layer provides data encapsulation services to the upper layers, allowing for logical end-to-end communication of data.

The Security Manager layer defines the methods for pairing and key distribution, and provides functions for the other layers of the protocol stack to securely connect and exchange data with another device.

The Generic Access Profile (GAP) layer directly interfaces with the application and/or profiles, to handle device discovery and connection-related services for the device. GAP handles the initiation of security features.

The ATT layer allows a device to expose certain pieces of data or attributes, to another device. The Generic Attribute Profile (GATT) layer is a service framework that defines the sub-procedures for using ATT. Data communications that occur between two devices in a Bluetooth low energy connection are handled through GATT sub-procedures. The application and/or profiles will directly use GATT.