Distributed Wireless Control Using Bluetooth

Bluetooth is currently emerging as one of the most promising personal wireless network technologies. The automation industry is also showing interest in using Bluetooth for more industrial applications. However, problems with unreliable links and time delays must be explicitly addressed in any wireless control application. This paper discusses two specific problems that may occur when using Bluetooth in a control loop: long random delays and bit errors. Simple solutions to these problems are presented. The ideas have been tried out, both in simulations and in experiments, on a rotating inverted pendulum controlled over a Bluetooth network.