4.2.3 BLE ANCS Application

Introduction

This section helps users to enable BLE ANCS (Apple Notification Center Service) profile on the WBZ351 Curiosity Board using MCC. In this application example ANCS client is implemented.

Users can choose to run the precompiled application example .hex file on the WBZ351 Curiosity Board and experience the demo or go through the steps involved in developing this application from scratch.

These examples are incrementally structured upon one another. Recommendation is to follow the examples in order,by learning the basic concepts first and then progressing to the more advanced topics.

Recommended Reads

1. BLE Software Specification
2. FreeRTOS BLE App Initialize

Hardware Required

SDK Setup

• Getting Started with Software Development

Software

• Tera Term

Smartphone App

None

Programming the Precompiled Hex File or Application Example

Programming the .hex File using MPLAB X IPE

1. Precompiled .hex file is located in "<Harmony Content Path>\wireless_apps_pic32cxbz3_wbz35\apps\ble\advanced_applications\ble_ancs_app\hex" folder

2. Follow the steps mentioned here

Programming the Application using MPLAB X IDE

1. Follow steps mentioned in the Running a Precompiled Example section.

2. Open and program the application example "ble_ancs_app.X" located in "<Harmony Content Path>\wireless_apps_pic32cxbz3_wbz35\apps\ble\advanced_applications\ble_ancs_app\firmware" using MPLAB X IDE

For more details on finding the Harmony content path, refer to Installing the MCC Plugin

Demo Description

This application demonstrates on how to simulate an ANCS client on the curiosity board . The on-board user Button 2 (USR-BTN1/SW2), LEDs and UART are used as user interface during the demo.

• UART Settings
  • Baud Rate/Speed – 115200 bps
  • Parity – None
  • Data Bits – 8
  • Stop Bits – 1
  • Flow Control – None
  • Character Encoding: UTF-8

• Button 2 (USR-BTN1/SW2) Behavior
  • Press: Press the button for less than 500 ms
  • Long press: Press the button for more than 500 ms
  • Double-click: Click the button twice in 500 ms

• LED Behavior
  • All LEDs are OFF
  • Green LED flashes one time every 3 seconds
  • Green LED flashes two times every 3 seconds
  • Green LED flashes two times every 1.5 seconds

Testing

Developing the Application from Scratch using MCC

1. Create a new MCC Harmony Project. For more details, refer to Creating a New MCC Harmony Project.
2. Import component configuration – This step helps users setup the basic components and configuration required to develop this application. The imported file is of format .mc3 and is located in the path "<Harmony Content Path>\wireless_apps_pic32cxbz3_wbz35\apps\ble\advanced_applications\ble_ancs_app\firmware\ble_ancs_app.X".

   For more details on importing the component configuration , refer to Importing Existing App Example Configuration

3. Accept Dependencies or satisfiers, select Yes
4. Verify if the project graph window has all the expected configuration. as illustrated in the following figure:

   

Verify MCC Component Settings

1. Select Apple Notification Center Service Profile component in project graph

   1. Enable ANCS Client Role.

      

2. Select BLE Stack component in project graph, and configure as mentioned below
   1. GAP(Generic Access Profile) Settings
      1. Set Device Name to M-dev
      2. Include <<Flag>> type of Advertising Data (AD)
      3. Include <<Local Name>> AD
      4. Include 128bit UUID of the ANCS in advertising Data so that iphone will list the M-dev in its Bluetooth page of Setting App. The ANCS UUID is 7905F431-B5CE-4E99-A40F-4B1E122D00D0 that will be encoded into <<Service UUID>>/0x15 type of AD

         0x11: the AD length indicating how many bytes are appendixed

         0x15: the value of <<Service UUID>> type

         D0002D121E4B0FA4994ECEB531F40579: the ANCS UUID in little endian

         1115D0002D121E4B0FA4994ECEB531F40579

      5. Enable "Peripheral"

         

Generate Code

For more details on code generation, refer to MPLAB Code Configurator(MCC) Code Generation

Files and Routines Automatically generated by the MCC

After generating the program source from MCC interface by clicking Generate Code, the BLE configuration can be found in the following project directories

The OSAL, RF System, BLE System initialization routine executed during program initialization can be found in the project files. This initialization routine is automatically generated by the MCC

The BLE stack initialization routine executed during Application Initialization can be found in project files. This initialization routine is automatically generated by the MCC. This call initializes and configures the GAP, GATT, SMP, L2CAP and BLE middleware layers.

Autogenerated, advertisement Data Format

Header Files

• ble_gap.h This header file contains BLE GAP functions and is automatically included in the app.c file

Function Calls

MCC generates and adds the code to initialize the BLE Stack GAP, GATT, L2CAP and SMP in APP_BleStackInit() function

• APP_BleStackInit() is the API that will be called inside the Applications Initial State -- APP_STATE_INIT in app.c

User Application Development

Include

• User action is required as mentioned here
• definitions.h in all the files where UART will be used to print debug information

Configure the Advertisement

• APP_BleConfigBasic( )

The below code snippet is to set ADs (Advertising Data) including <<Flag>> AD, <<Local Name>>> AD, and the <<Service UUID>> AD for ANCS UUID which will enable the device appearing in device list of Bluetooth page of iphones Setting APP.

static void APP_BleConfigBasic(void)
{
    int8_t                          connTxPower;
    int8_t                          advTxPower;
    BLE_GAP_AdvParams_T             advParam;
    uint8_t advData[]={
            //bit1: LE General Discoverable Mode, bit 2: BR/EDR Not Supported.
            0x02, 0x01, 0x06,
            //local name: "M-dev"
            0x06, 0x09, 0x4D, 0x2D, 0x64, 0x65, 0x76,
            //Length(0x11: 17), 0x15:<<List of 128-bit Service Solicitation UUIDs>>, 128-bit ANCS UUID
            0x11, 0x15, 0xD0, 0x00, 0x2D, 0x12, 0x1E, 0x4B, 0x0F, 0xA4, 0x99, 0x4E, 0xCE, 0xB5, 0x31, 0xF4, 0x05, 0x79};

//Windows/ Android/ iOS support the reconnection using ADV_IND. So using ADV_IND for pairing and reconnection.
    advParam.type = BLE_GAP_ADV_TYPE_ADV_IND;        /* Advertising Type */
    advParam.advChannelMap = BLE_GAP_ADV_CHANNEL_ALL;        /* Advertising Channel Map */
    if (g_pairedDevInfo.bPaired)//Paired already
    {
        advParam.filterPolicy = BLE_GAP_ADV_FILTER_SCAN_CONNECT;     /* Advertising Filter Policy */
    }
    else
    {
        advParam.filterPolicy = BLE_GAP_ADV_FILTER_DEFAULT;     /* Advertising Filter Policy */
    }
    BLE_GAP_SetAdvParams(&advParam);

• APP_EnableAdvDirect(g_pairedDevInfo.bPaired);

Custom function EnableAdvDirect() is called during the Applications initialization - APP_STATE_INIT in app.c.

This custom function will call API BLE_GAP_SetAdvEnable( ) to start or stop advertising. Users can exercise various other BLE Advertisement functionalities by using BLE Stack API

Initialize ANCS Client

ANCS Client functionality initialization is done in APP_BleStackInitAdvance( )

BLE_ANCS_Init( ) requests the Device Discovery (DD) middleware to explore the ANCS service of the connecting peer device.

APP_AncsEvtHandler( ) is registered to handle the ANCS event from application level that will not handle the ANCS profile.

    BLE_ANCS_Init();
    BLE_ANCS_EventRegister(APP_AncsEvtHandler);

Implement ANCS Profile

void BLE_ANCS_BleEventHandler(STACK_Event_T *p_stackEvent)
{
    switch (p_stackEvent->groupId)
    {
        case STACK_GRP_BLE_GAP:
            ble_ancs_GapEventProcess((BLE_GAP_Event_T *)p_stackEvent->p_event);
        break;

        case STACK_GRP_GATT:
            ble_ancs_GattEventProcess((GATT_Event_T *)p_stackEvent->p_event);
        break;

        default:
        break;
    }
}

Firmware FSM (Finite State Machine)

This application firmware implements an ANCS client on the curiosity board.

FSM of the Connection State

State machine when connected: