1、Simplified Perspective on the Bluetooth Qualification Process: A primer for understanding the requirements of the PRD from the design engineers perspectiveToday, nearly all products on the Bluetooth Qualified Design List (QDL) are qualified as a Component, a Subsystem or an End Product.These can be
2、broken down into two groups:Partial Bluetooth products, which are the Bluetooth products that can be put together to form a complete Bluetooth product. Theyre generally sold to manufacturers who use them as part of a final product. However, one type of partial product, called a subsystem can be sold
3、 to end users, who will need to combine it with a complementary qualified subsystem to produce a full, working Bluetooth solution.Complete Bluetooth products, which are final products that incorporate Bluetooth functionality and which are normally sold to end users.Partial Bluetooth products are cla
4、ssified as either a Bluetooth Component or a Bluetooth Subsystem. These are products which implement only a portion of the Bluetooth specification (e.g., a hardware solution including RF, BB, and LMP, or a software solution including L2CAP, SDP and GAP). It is very important that developers of the B
5、luetooth technology understand the intended use of each of the two partial product types.1. A Bluetooth Component is typically a chip, module or design which other Bluetooth developers integrate with other partial Bluetooth products within their own qualified designs to create a Bluetooth Subsystem
6、or End product. Bluetooth Components are allowed to be qualified as a partial product type in the Bluetooth Qualification Process (BQP) to allow chip makers and software developers to distribute them to their customers, who will in turn combine them together with other Bluetooth layers to create a c
7、omplete Bluetooth solution. This must then be qualified in accordance with the BQP as a Bluetooth End Product or Subsystem. 2. A Bluetooth Subsystem is typically a product which needs some other Bluetooth product in order to function as a complete wireless solution (e.g., OS stacks, or USB dongles).
8、 Bluetooth Subsystems are allowed to be qualified as a partial product type in the BQP to enable their use in combination with other Members qualified Bluetooth Subsystems. Once a developer qualifies a Subsystem, they are allowed to sell it to end users without further qualification and listing. Thi
9、s is because the combination of two or more Subsystems represents a complete Bluetooth solution (just as if it were an End Product). Subsystems permit partial Bluetooth products to be made and sold to end users and allows members the ability to create and combine portions of the Bluetooth Specificat
10、ion together to qualify them as a complete combination. To qualify a Subsystem, it must be proven that it can be used with another subsystem to create a complete Bluetooth solution (RF, BB, LM, L2CAP, SDP and GAP).Bluetooth End Products represent a complete Bluetooth product (e.g., a Bluetooth wirel
11、ess product which implements as a minimum RF, BB, LM, L2CAP, SDP and GAP) and can be combined or sold as is without limitations on the license.Using the Bluetooth LogoIt is also important to understand when you are allowed to use the Bluetooth logo on your product. This includes the Bluetooth word m
12、ark or combination mark. In order to use the Bluetooth logo on your product, youre required to fulfill two criteria: You must be a Member of the Bluetooth SIG, and Your product must have been qualified according to the Bluetooth Qualification Process (BQP). If the product you are selling has been qu
13、alified as an End product by another company and you want to sell it under your own brand, then you need to be a Member of the Bluetooth SIG and create an EPL listing in order to sell that product. Common MistakesYou can only use the Bluetooth logo to sell a Bluetooth Component if it is being sold a
14、s a component. If you have implemented a Bluetooth product that includes a product qualified as a Bluetooth Component then you MUST perform further qualification and listing in accordance with the BQP. This means achieving a Subsystem or End Product listing on the QDL. If you do not perform this qua
15、lification, your product is not licensed in accordance with the Membership Agreement (including the Patent and copyright license agreement) and youre not allowed to use the logo or sell the product. If you have integrated a partial product type of a Bluetooth Subsystem within your product and you ha
16、ve not yet qualified the combination in accordance with the BQP, your product is NOT licensed in accordance with the Membership Agreement (including Patent and copyright license agreement) and youre not allowed to use the Bluetooth logo or distribute the product.Making ChangesIf you have implemented
17、 an End Product within your product, no further qualification is required unless you have modified the End Product such that the modification affects the performance and functionality of the Bluetooth portion. If a modification has been made, you are required to have the modification assessed and to verify compliance to the Specification and Qualification Program to bring the design up to the current requirements.
