Data Acquisition Web

The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) was formed in June, 1993. At IrDA’s charter meeting, fifty companies came together to agree upon standard methods for communicating data via short range infrared transmission. Since that time, more than one hundred additional companies have joined IrDA, and hundreds of devices are currently available that implement IrDA communication protocols.

The IrDA standards documents and additional information about the Infrared Data Association are available at www.irda.org. The IrDA web site also includes links to suppliers of hardware and software. The IrDA meets quarterly (most often in the California Bay Area) to discuss ongoing standards work, show off and discuss new products and technologies, and bring together individuals and companies with common interests.

IrDA is administered by an Executive Director and an executive staff. The work of IrDA is conducted through three committees, whose chairs are elected each year.

• The Technical Committee refines and extends the hardware and software standards for IrDA. All new technical proposals come through this committee and its working groups.
• The Marketing Committee handles the marketing and promotional concerns of IrDA.
• The Test and Interop Committee deals with test specifications for hardware and software standards, as well as issues concerning the spread of interoperability and customer “out of the box” experience.

The bulk of the work in IrDA is performed by special interest groups (SIGs) and working groups that carry specific charters.