Infrared wireless data transfer for real-time motion control

In this paper several wireless solution are compared for their suitability for real-time control of a fast motion system. From the comparison, Very Fast Infrared (VFIR) communication link has been found to be an attractive solution for presented wirelessly controlled manipulator. Because standard VFIR even does no meet demands on minimal delay, a new infrared (IR) wireless link has been developed based on modification of VFIR standard. Presented IR wireless link can transmit 64 data bits from input port of the transmitter to the output port of the receiver in less than 7 microseconds. This time was achieved by custom packet and data processing. Such a delay makes the wireless link indistinguishable from a wired link up to sampling frequency of a few kHz. Several tests are presented which prove the delay and the maximal reliable range of about 0.7 m with CRC error rate better than 10−7.