IrDA Library of Specifications and Technical Papers

Welcome to the library of IrDA Standard Specifications. The specifications are grouped by profile. Specifications are available to members and subscribers only.

IrDA IrSimple Connect Specifications:
IrSimple Connect achieves faster data transmission speeds (at least 4 to 10 times faster than at present) by improving the efficiency of the current infrared IrDA protocol embedded in many mobile devices such as m obile phones. In addition, the IrSimple protocol also maintains backward compatibility with the existing IrDA protocols. The extensive IrSimple Test Specification includes over 200 pages of test cases to help you ensure your implementation conforms to the specifications.

Main Features:

  • Faster data transmission speeds (at least 4 to 10 times faster than existing protocols)
  • Improved efficiency of the protocol by reducing latency until a receiver/transmitter pair is ready to communicate
  • IrSimple can be done by adding and/or upgrading software for existing IrDA protocols

The following specifications are included.

 

  • IrSimple (Serial Infrared Sequence Managment) Protocol Version 1.1 (64 pages)
  • IrSimple Profile Version 1.1 (32 pages)
  • IrLAP IrSimple Additions Version 1.1 (65 pages)
  • IrLMP IrSimple Additions Version 1.1 (27 pages)
  • IrSimple Contents Summary Version 1.1 (2 pages)
  • IrSimple Test Specifications Version 1.1 (292 pages)
  • IrSimple Qualification Report Template Version 1.0
  • IrSimple Application Note: Exchange Application Parameters for the IrSimple Tiny Object Exchange (11 pages)
  • IrSimple Application Note: IrSS EMAP (Embedded Meta-data format for Affixing on Picture) (7 pages)
  • IrSimple Application Note: IrSS EMAP Usage Examples (10 pages)
  • IrSimple Product Certification Program Reference Guide 3.1.1 (25 pages)

Devices that implement the IrSimple Profile specification must be certified in accordance with the IrDA requirements for certification and must use the appropriate certification word mark. It is a necessary pre-condition of the trademark regulations when the IrSimple profile is implemented.

 

Note: You will need the IrData Specifications (SIR/MIR/FIR/VFIR) below and the OBEX Specification below to implement IrSimple.
IrDA Data Specifications (SIR/MIR/FIR/VFIR):

The IrDA Data or “Classic” family of specifications provides the base on which all upper layer protocols and applications are built. The Data specifications are required for any IrDA-enabled devices. Click here for detailed description.

The following specifications are included.

  • IrDA Physical Layer Specification v1.5 (124 pages)
  • IrDA Link Access Protocol v1.1 (128 pages)
  • IrDA Link Management Protocol v1.1 (98 pages)
  • IrDA Tiny TP v1.1 (23 pages)
  • IrDA Link Access Protocol – Fast Connect (20 pages)
  • IrDA Minimal Protocol Implementation, IrDA Lite (32 pages)
  • IrDA Physical Layer Test and Measurement Guidelines v1.2.7(57 pages)
  • IrDA Protocol Layer Test and Measurement Guidelines v2.1 (80 pages)
  • IrDA IrReady Product Certification Program Reference v3.1.1 (25 pages)

 

OBEX (Object Exchange) Protocol:

OBEX is a compact, efficient, binary protocol that enables a wide range of devices to exchange data in a simple and spontaneous manner. A major use of OBEX is a “Push” or “Pull” application, allowing rapid and ubiquitous communications among portable devices or in dynamic environments. For instance, a laptop user pushes a file to another laptop or PDA; an industrial computer pulls status and diagnostic information from a piece of factory floor machinery; a digital camera pushes its pictures into a film development kiosk, or if lost can be queried (pulled) for the electronic business card of its owner. However, OBEX is not limited to quick connect transfer disconnect scenarios – it also allows sessions in which transfers take place over a period of time, maintaining the connection even when it is idle. PCs, pagers, PDAs, phones, printers, cameras, auto-tellers, information kiosks, calculators, data collection devices, watches, home smart meters guards and electronics, industrial machinery, medical instruments, automobiles, and office equipment are all candidates for using OBEX.

 

The following specifications are included.

  • IrDA Object Exchange (OBEX) Protocol v1.5
  • IrDA OBEX Test Specification

 

Infrared Mobile Communications (IrMC) Including iMelody:

The IrMCstandard defines easy exchange of business cards, notes, calendar items and to do lists between mobile devices. It also defines call control and audio transfer between a mobile phone and Notebook PC. The Test specification is also included.

The following specifications are included.

 

  • IrDA Infrared Mobile Communications (IrMC) v1.1 (269 pages)
  • iMelody v1.2 comes with specification (11 pages)
  • IrDA Telecom Extensions to the IMC vCard Format (16 pages)
  • Guidelines for ULTRA Protocols (13 pages)
  • Infrared Universal Translator (IrUT) for High Speed Radio (74 pages)
IrCOMM Specifications:

IrCOMM is the emulation of Serial and Parallel ports over the IrLMP/IrLAP protocol stack.

The motivation for IrCOMM comes from the many printing and communication applications which use standard communication APIs to talk to other devices via serial and parallel ports. B

y making IrDA protocols accessible via these APIs, many existing applications including printing can run over an IrDA infrared link without change. IrCOMM emulates RS-232 (EIA/TIA-232-E) serial ports, and Centronics parallel ports like those found on most personal computers.

The following specifications are included.

  • IrDA Infrared Communications Protocol (IrCOMM) v1.0 (26 pages)
  • IrDA IrComm Test Guidelines v1.0 (98 pages)
IrDA Financial Messaging (IrFM) Point and Pay:

The IrFM profiles have been developed to enable a digital payment system which will cut transaction costs for the merchant and the financial institutions, cut charge-back fees to merchants through the electronic warehousing of transaction receipts, and provide a simpler method of financial transaction tracking to individuals for personal and business use.

 

Consumers today are required to manage several, often incompatible, payment and financial management systems. Paper purchase-record receipts, which are required for returns and refunds, are often thrown away or lost by both consumers and merchants. Merchants today lose over $500 million annually in charge-backs because they are unable to locate those receipts. In North America, paper checks make up over 70% of transactions at the Point of Sale (POS). Studies indicate that paper check handling costs run between $2.00 and $3.00 per check with approximately 50% going to merchant check costs and 15% to verification, authorization, fraud, and bank statements. There are also potential cost savings by eliminating the issuance of magnetic strip credit cards and their replacement cost due to expiration, theft, loss and wear. Overall costs will go down with the use of wireless payment systems, which will benefit merchants and consumers.

 

 

Applications include mass transit, vending and retail sales. The extensive test specification is also included.

The following specifications are included.

    • IrDA Financial Messaging (IrFM) Point and Pay (153 pages)
    • IrDA IrFM IrVoucher Profile (36 pages)
    • IrDA IrFM Test Specification v1.0 (126 pages)
IrWW Specifications:

IrWW (IrDA for Wrist Watches) provides time-based data communication scheme for a wristwatch by using IrDA Communication Standards.

 

The following specification is included.

  • IrDA Infrared for Wrist Watches (IrWW) v1.0 (212 pages)
Ir TranP Specification:

IrTranP is an image transfer specification for digital cameras. IrTranP includes a binary file transfer protocol and a simple command execute protocol to transfer a Uni Picture Format (UPF).

The following specification is included.

  • IrDA Infrared Transfer Picture Specification v1.0 (76 pages)
IrDA Command and Control Specification:

IrDA Control technology is a command and control architecture for infrared communication that allows cordless peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, game pads, joysticks, and remote control units, to interact with many types of intelligent Host devices.

IrDA Control is applicable to a wide range of applications, including:

  • Control of PC and TV systems
  • Control of home appliances
  • Communication between PC class devices and consumer appliances

This document describes the IrDA Control protocol specification for the following communication layers:

  • PHY (Physical)
  • MAC (Media Access Control)
  • LLC (Logical Link Control)

The following specification is included. Total Size: 592 Kb

  • IrDA Control Specification v1.0 (97 pages)

 

IrDA Point and Shoot Profile and Test Specification:

The IrDA Point and Shoot Usage Model is based on IrDA-Data Specifications. It is recommended for high speed, short range, line of sight, point-to-point wireless data transfer and is targeted at the Fast Infrared Data (FIR) 4 Mbps components (note – you should also consider a Wifi guard when employing this technology, as seen here on our wifi router guards page). The model applies to IrDA 1.0 Serial Infrared Data (SIR), Fast Infrared Data (FIR) 4 Mbps and Very Fast Infrared (VFIR). This model is useful to over 500 million electronic devices including desktop, notebook and palm computers, printers, digital cameras, public phones/kiosks, cellular phones, pagers and other mobile devices.

The focus of this Usage Model is on the user’s experience. Many data exchange operations can be reduced to simple object push events, such as printing, faxing, business card exchange, image transfer, and file transfer. The Point and Shoot Usage Model is the universal way to move data objects between IrDA-enabled devices. The key to universal object exchange is support for standard object types (for example, vCard, JPEG (Exif), and text). Almost all IrDA devices will support this capability including PCs, printers, PDAs, cameras, phones, watches, pagers, storage devices, and kiosks.

 

 

The following specifications are included.

  • IrDA Point and Shoot Profile v1.1 (37 pages)
  • Point and Shoot Test Specification v1.0 (8 pages)
Other IrDA Technical Specifications:

The following specifications are individually available.

You may download any or all of them.

  • IrDA Bluetooth Discovery Application Note (6 pages)
  • IrDA Adapter Application and Profile and Test Specification v1.0 (12 pages)
  • IrDA Dongle Interface Specifications v1.2 (15 pages)
  • IrDA Local Area Network Access – Extensions for Link Management Protocol v1.0 (47 pages)
  • IrDA Plug and Play – Extensions to IrLMP v1.1 (13 pages)
  • IrDA Serial Interface for Transceivers v1.0b (23 pages)
  • IrDA Serial Port Profile, IrMODEM Profile and Test Specification v1.0 (30 pages)