TEKTELIC SPARROW ASSET TRACKER

1 Product Description

1.1 Overview

The SPARROW device provides reliable asset tracking by utilizing periodic BLE scanning to collect data from nearby BLE peripherals to determine device location, or to act as a broadcasting BLE peripheral beacon. SPARROW is connected via LoRaWAN, enabling seamless transmission and reception across various frequency bands: EU868, IN865, and US915.

This document provides comprehensive descriptions of SPARROW, along with detailed guidance on their hardware capabilities. For insights into the functional operation and software behavior of each variant, consult the Technical Reference Manual (TRM) document.

Table 1-1 presents all SPARROW supported functions as well as enclosure and mounting options.

Image Description: A white, rectangular TEKTELIC SPARROW Asset Tracker is shown.

1.2 Specifications

SPARROW specifications are listed in Table 1-2. The main sensing functions are described in the following subsections.

2 Installation

2.1 Included Product and Installation Material

The following items are shipped with each sensor:

• 1x sensor inside an enclosure with AA-cell LTC (3.6 V) battery installed.
• 1x corresponding sensor Quick Start Guide.

NOTE: To ensure safe installation and maintenance, please read Safety Precautions.

2.2 Unpacking and Inspection

The following should be considered during the unpacking of a new sensor:

1. Inspect the shipping carton and report any significant damage to TEKTELIC.
2. Unpacking should be conducted in a clean and dry location.
3. Do not discard the shipping box or inserts as they will be required if a unit is returned for repair or re-configuration.

2.3 Commissioning

Each sensor has a set of commissioning information that must be entered into the network server for the sensor to be able to join the network and begin normal operation once activated. For instructions on how to do this, please refer to the Network Server Quick Start Guide provided with the device (also available online in the Knowledge Base).

2.4 Activation

The sensor is shipped in a secured enclosure with the battery preinstalled in a state of DEEP SLEEP.

To activate the device:

1. Remove the Battery pull tab.
2. Sensor activation will be displayed by LEDs turning on.
3. Once activated, the sensor will automatically begin the join process.

2.5 Default Configuration

Table 2-1 lists the default reporting behavior of the SPARROW. Reporting behavior can be changed from default through OTA DL commands (see how to do it in the Basic Downlinks section).

2.6 Reconfiguration

SPARROW supports a full range of OTA configuration options. Specific technical details are available in the corresponding TRM documents. All configuration commands need to be sent OTA during the sensor's DL Rx windows.

2.7 Mounting

There is a mounting hole on each corner on the bottom side of the enclosure (see Figure 2-2).

Image Description: The bottom of the SPARROW tracker is shown with four mounting holes, one at each corner. Labels indicate product information like "BLE Tracker LoRa", "ORDER CODE", "FCC ID", and "IC".

These mounting holes can be used to fasten the enclosure to a solid surface, cable, etc. The mounting holes are slots so the device can be secured with ropes, zip ties, or hooks depending on the user's needs. If using cables or zip ties, they can be threaded through both slots on either side of the enclosure as shown in Figure 2-3. The recommended zip tie width is 3 mm. Mounting fasteners are not provided.

Image Description: Two images demonstrating how to thread zip ties through the mounting holes on the sides of the SPARROW enclosure to secure it.

2.8 Battery Replacement

To replace the battery:

1. Insert the end of a paper clip or similarly thin object into the case-release hole on the right side of the Device (see Figure 2-4).

Image Description: The SPARROW device is shown with an arrow pointing to the "Case-Release Hole" on the right side, used for battery replacement.

2. Push the paper clip straight in while simultaneously squeezing the middles of the sides of the enclosure. The top and bottom should unclip from each other and separate.
3. Remove the battery and replace with a new one as shown in Figure 2-5. Suggested replacement batteries are:
   • Saft SA LS14500
   • Tadiran SL-360/S
   • Tadiran TL-4903/S
   • Tadiran TL-5903/S
   • Xeno Energy XL-060F STD
4. Replace the bottom enclosure piece by inserting the side with the long snap tab first, as shown in Figure 2-5. Push the other side of the bottom enclosure piece in until both the top and bottom fully snap together.

Image Description: The inside of the SPARROW enclosure is shown after the cover has been removed, with a single AA battery installed. An arrow points to the "Long snap tab" on the bottom enclosure piece.

2.9 Reset Function

To physically reset SPARROW:

1. Push with a pin, such as a paper clip, on the designated Reset Button as shown in Figure 2-6.
2. Instant restart of the microprocessor will begin.
3. Once activated, the sensor will automatically begin the join process.

Image Description: The SPARROW device is shown with an arrow pointing to the "Reset Button" on the top surface.

NOTE: Shutting down or resetting the device will cause all unsaved user configurations to be lost. Save the desired configuration to the device flash before powering off or resetting.

2.10 Function Button

There is an externally-accessible function button on the device as shown in Figure 2-7. The button should not be pushed hard. Pushing the button will trigger the device to send a BLE scan and report UL that will open receive windows to receive DL commands.

Image Description: The SPARROW device is shown with an arrow pointing to the "Function Button Push Area" on the top surface.

The definition of when a push button event is registered is user configurable:

2.11 RF LED Behavior

The LEDs are normally off, and the main patterns are summarized in Table 2-3. The detailed sequence and timings for each are described in the following subsections.

3 Sensing Functions

3.1 Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) Scanner

SPARROW is equipped with a BLE module embedded in the MCU. It serves as a BLE central device that periodically searches to discover nearby BLE peripherals. It can be used for positioning and also has a proximity sensor.

Each scan has a configurable scan duration and configurable duty cycle. Increasing either of these will increase the likelihood of detecting nearby BLE devices, but at the expense of decreased battery life. The scan period, duration, interval, and window are all configurable (see the TRM document for configuration details).

After each scan, up to n (configurable number) discovered BLE devices with the strongest RSSIs are reported over LoRaWAN. If no devices are found, an empty list is uplinked. If a BLE device is observed more than once, the RSSI associated with the BLE device at the end of the scan duration is the average value over all observed RSSIs. Averaging is default behavior and can be disabled.

The Tracker supports BLE of Bluetooth 5.3. The BLE scan is performed in the passive mode only, i.e., the Tracker listens for surrounding BLE devices but does not transmit to them.

NOTE: The BLE scan is exclusive to LoRa radio transmission. If any reporting becomes due at the same time of a BLE scan, the reporting will be done after the BLE scan is complete.

3.2 Accelerometer Transducer

SPARROW supports motion sensing through an integrated 3-axis accelerometer which can optionally be disabled. The main role of the accelerometer is to detect motion that can indicate a change of the sensor's status from stillness to mobility and back.

The accelerometer generates an acceleration alarm when a motion event is detected that may be reported OTA (user-configurable). An acceleration event report is based on exceeding a defined acceleration alarm threshold count in a defined alarm threshold period. These thresholds can be customized such that there will not be multiple reports for a single event. An alarm event can only be registered after a configurable grace period elapses since the last registered alarm event.

The accelerometer can also be polled periodically for its output acceleration vector for applications in which the sensor's orientation is of interest.

3.3 Temperature Transducer

SPARROW can measure and report the MCU temperature. This is a temperature measurement using a transducer located in the device microprocessor. It can only be reported periodically or if the function button is configured to do it (not configured by default).

4 Basic Downlinks

SPARROW uses a "tick" system for reporting data. Generally, the sensor will report most important data every tick. A tick can be measured in seconds.

There are two sets of settings that must be configured in conjunction: "Core reporting tick in seconds" and "Ticks per [data/report]".

"Core reporting tick in seconds" determines the interval between ticks. For example, you may set it to 30 seconds or 180 seconds (3 minutes) for each tick.

"Ticks per [data/report]" determines how many ticks it will take before the sensor reports any data. For example, if you set "Ticks per Battery report" to 2, it will take 2 ticks before the sensor reports battery data.

To Change the Core Report To Every Minute:

With ATLAS: check the box for "Core report tick in seconds" and "Tick per Temperature report". Write the values shown in Figure 5-1 and click send.

Image Description: A screenshot of the KONA ATLAS interface, showing device settings for a SPARROW PELICAN v2.8. It displays parameters like "Core reporting tick in seconds" (set to 60) and "Ticks per Temperature report" (set to 1).

Examples Of Uplinks

0x 00 67 00 EB
Channel ID = 0x 00, Type ID = 0x 67 → MCU temperature data report
0x 00 EB = 235 × 0.1°C = 23.5°C

0x 0A 64 7F DA 00 00 01 C9
Header = 0x 0A → basic BLE data report
0x 64 7F DA 00 00 01 = BDADDR = 64:7F:DA:00:00:01
0x C9 = RSSI = -55 × 1 dBm = -55 dBm

View from Leapx

Image Description: A mobile application screenshot labeled "SPARROW-oogoEE". It displays "Motion detected" for Acceleration Alarm Status, "100%" for Battery Level, and "5336 days" for Remaining Battery Lifetime. Below this, a list of "Beacon MAC" addresses and their corresponding "RSSI" values is shown, along with a "BLE Scan Received at 13.07.2023 10:13:42" timestamp.

5 Device Configuration with ATLAS

To perform more configuration and read the data of the SPARROW device, you can use TEKTELIC's complementary service ATLAS. There are two ways to access ATLAS:

1) Using in Offline mode

Image Description: Screenshot of the KONA ATLAS login screen, showing fields for Network Server URL, Username, Password, and buttons for "USE OFFLINE" and "CONNECT".

Image Description: Screenshot of the KONA ATLAS interface showing a dropdown menu to "Select SPARROW decoder".

2) With your TEKTELIC Network Server Credentials

Image Description: Screenshot of the KONA ATLAS login screen, similar to the offline mode, but with a network server URL and user credentials pre-filled.

Image Description: Screenshot of the KONA ATLAS interface showing dropdown menus to select the sensor (SPARROW PELICAN v2.8), application (LeapX PELICAN), and device.

For more information, follow this link: https://knowledgehub.tektelic.com/kona-atlas

6 Data converters

Please follow this link: https://github.com/TektelicCommunications/data-converters/tree/master for the data converters that are to be used on TEKTELIC & other Network Servers for TEKTELIC Sensors. These data converters can be used as a reference for other platforms.

TEKTELIC's data converters conform to the LoRa Alliance Payload Codec Specification and can be used with any 3rd party Network Server / Application Server that supports this specification.

https://resources.lora-alliance.org/technical-specifications/ts013-1-0-0-payload-codec-api

7 Locus

Locus is an application to track and monitor all assets in your network, including indoor, outdoor, and hazardous location asset tracking. Assets can be tracked across entire campuses, multiple buildings, and floors. For more detail about Locus, please visit Locus Application Documentation.

Application capabilities:

• Self-managed floor plan/map loading
• User management – permission levels
• Geofencing & alerts
• API to customer database integration
• Support of multiple campuses, buildings & floors
• Device management/battery status
• Integrated to enterprise SAP

7.1 Operation principle

Asset tag localization uses RSSI multilateration. The location is determined by the signal strength reported by the BLE beacon in relation to the asset tag, providing precise location accuracy (2-5m).

How It Works

System Diagram: An Enterprise Tracker on Equipment communicates via LoRa to a Beacon (also LoRa). The Beacon connects to a Gateway. The Gateway transmits data to a Network Server (cloud icon), which is connected to a laptop.

8 Compliance Statements and Safety Precautions

8.1 Compliance Statements

Federal Communications Commission:

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

To comply with FCC exposure limits for general population / uncontrolled exposure, this device should be installed at a distance of 20 cm from all persons and must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other transmitter.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in an industrial installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Industry Canada):

This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's licence-exempt RSS(s) [8]. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

This device should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 0.2 m from the human body.

(French text regarding Canadian regulations is present but not translated as per primary language requirement.)

California Proposition 65:

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead, nickel, and carbon black, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

8.2 Safety Precautions

The following safety precautions should be observed for all sensor variants:

• All installation practices must be in accordance with the local and national electrical codes.
• Replace only with approved batteries (see section 2.8).
• The following sensor variants are intended for indoor use only: T0006779, T0007380.
• The sensor contains a single LTC AA-cell battery. When used correctly, lithium batteries provide a safe and dependable source of power. However, if they are misused or abused, leakage, venting, explosion, and/or fire can occur. The following are recommended safety precautions for battery usage:
  • Keep batteries out of the reach of children.
  • Do not allow children to replace batteries without adult supervision.
  • Do not insert batteries in reverse.
  • Do not short-circuit batteries.
  • Do not charge batteries.
  • Do not force discharge batteries.
  • Do not mix batteries.
  • Do not leave discharged batteries in equipment.
  • Do not overheat batteries.
  • Do not weld or solder directly to batteries.
  • Do not open batteries.
  • Do not deform batteries.
  • Do not dispose of batteries in fire.
  • Do not expose contents to water.
  • Do not encapsulate and/or modify batteries.
  • Store unused batteries in their original packaging away from metal objects.
  • Do not mix or jumble batteries.

List of Acronyms

Document Revision