
Here, the order of the pulses and breaks characterize the bits. Unlike the NEC protocol, Philips decided to utilize a Manchester encoding to distinguish between the logical bits in transmitted messages. When an IR receiver is hooked up to an oscilloscope, the transmitted bits can be observed: This article omits the exact timings of such repeat commands for the sake of simplicity. The NEC protocol also supports repeat commands which instruct the receiver to repeat the previous message. Note that different messages might have different transmission times. Some remote controls, however, transfer a 16-bit address, and some of them even send 16-bit commands. The inverse of the address and command can be used as a checksum to verify that the two transmitted values are correct. A final 562.5 µs burst to signify the end of the message.The logical inverse of the command bits.The logical inverse of the first eight bits.The message frame itself comprises the following components: Logical 0: a 562.2 µs burst followed by a 562.2 µs low period.Logical 1: a 562.2 µs burst followed by a 1.687 ms low period.The logic states are encoded by using pulses of different lengths to distinguish between HIGH and LOW. The standard NEC protocol uses a carrier frequency of 38 kHz. The popular NEC protocol, for example, uses a technique called pulse distance encoding to distinguish between the two logic states. Such protocols describe how the data bits have to be laid out so that both parties can understand what they mean. The technique of flashing the IR LED on and off to represent data bits has nothing to do with IR communication protocols. Most IR receivers will still work with slight variations in wavelength and carrier frequency. However, in reality, that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Note that other wavelengths and carrier frequencies are also possible - for example, 940 nm and 36 kHz. Typically, a frequency of 38,000 Hz is used, and this is also referred to as the carrier frequency of the IR signal. To overcome this issue, the sender is required to pulse the LED on and off very quickly, instead of just turning it on and off. The receiver would not be able to filter out unwanted signals from other sources. Unfortunately, this won’t work in reality since many other sources emit IR radiation. The sender could do this until all the data bits have been transmitted. The simplest method for transmitting binary values with an IR LED would be to turn the infrared LED on (to send a logical 1) or to leave it turned off (which could represent a logical 0) for a certain period. The two parties agree to follow a predefined pattern and transmit the information in a certain way. In communications, language is referred to as a protocol, which is nothing more than an agreement between the sender and the recipient of the data. A TV, for example, can be controlled by any remote that speaks the same language. Typically, no handshake, authentication, or authorization takes place between the sender and the receiver. Many other sources, like light bulbs and the sun itself, release IR waves, which is one of the difficulties when dealing with IR communications.įurthermore, anyone can send IR signals. However, IR LEDs aren’t the only thing that can emit IR or near IR waves. Typically, the wavelength of light that such devices output is around 950 nanometers. Infrared LEDs produce light that’s not visible to the human eye. This blog covers the basics of IR communications, and it explains two of the most commonly used IR protocols for controlling different devices. It’s safe to assume anyone reading this has used many different remote controls at home or work, and most of those simple devices communicate with the receiver via infrared pulses. Infrared communication is among the simplest wireless communication methods, and it serves as a cost-effective way of transmitting a few bits of data wirelessly.
