Optical wireless data transmission with a sensor network integrated in a textile-reinforced composite

In this work a wireless sensor network has been integrated in a textile-reinforced composite. It has been shown that an optical IrDA data transmission between an IrDA transceiver which is part of the sensor network and an external IrDA receiver is possible over a distance of a few ten centimetres. A special IrDA controller was developed to reduce power consumption and the number of components. All sensor data stored in the integrated memory can be transmitted with a high data rate using the optical interface. The power consumption is very low compared with radio systems.