Infrared technology for remote control and sensing applications
Masanori Tanimura and Raimund Wagner. Product Marketing, ROHM Semiconductor GmbH
Infrared (IR) technology is gaining wide acceptance and is addressing a wide variety of wireless applications, especially in the areas of remote control and sensing. The market is expected to grow exponentially in the near, mid and far IR segment (see fig 1). Today's most advanced consumer products, such as mobile phones, digital cameras or DVD players, as well as many other remote controls, rely on IR sensing and control devices. Within the near IR, photo-optic technologies are used for optical sensing and optical communications since light is less complex than RF when implemented as a signal source. Since IR does not pass through walls, it does not interfere with other signals in indoor environments and – when compared to other wireless technologies – it has a number of obvious advantages which are described below.
