How Infrared Technology Works

T
he invisible electromagnetic radiation known as infrared light occupies only a small portion of a radiation spectrum that stretches from radio waves to gamma rays. Discovered in 1800 during an experiment to test the heat given off by various visible colors (the most heat was found just below -infrathe red portion of the spectrum), infrared was found to be a natural medium for carrying information conveyed in pulses of energy; earlier attempts at remote control used visible light and ultrasound, but both were subject to interference problems. Chief among its unique characteristics in the wireless world is infrareds line-ofsight rule, which dictates that no solid object can be between one transceiver and the other. In the world of financial transactions, where security is of primary significance, this line-of-sight limit is considered an advantage over radio wave-based schemes in which the sender and receiver do not have to be visible to one another. Below we illustrate how an infrared device works.

Compiled by Iver Davidson, Ph.D. Graphics & Design by Erin Rodriguez

The datas journey begins when information/instructions from the remote control or wireless device travel in binary code to the infrared sending port.

The sending port then converts the data into the electromagnetic radiation that is infrared light. The zeros and ones (the offs and ons) of binary code are encoded within the infrared signal using a modulation scheme called PPM (Pulse Position Modulation).

When the signal reaches the infrared receiving port, the process is reversed and the infrared signal is converted back into binary data.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The human eye can detect only a narrow band in the electromagnetic spectrum, even though all are forms of radiation, and all are forms of light in a broader context. From radio waves to gamma rays, each band in the spectrum travels at the same speed (186,000 miles per second in a vacuum), but is distinguished by variations in frequency, wavelength, and energy. As you go from left to right in the spectrum, frequency and energy increase while wavelength decreases.

Though we cannot see infrared light, the nerves in our skin can feel it as heat. Heat radiation is the primary source of infrared light, which is why it can be used in a special type of photography that lets us see objects in terms of the heat they give off. Everything above absolute zero (-459.67 degrees Fahrenheit) radiates infrared light.

The infrared band is divided into near, mid, and far. The shorter, less thermal near-infrared band is what is used for most remote control or networking devices.