Simplex Inter-IC for Wearables and Its Applications

We propose a simplex version of Inter-IC for Wearables (I
²
We), which enables the simultaneous transfer of Inter-Integrated Circuit (I
²
2C)-formatted serial bitstream and dc power over a single transmission line consisting of a pair of conductive textiles. In a previous study, a half-duplex I
²
We (HD-I
²
We) was proposed for power and data transfer among microcontrollers and sensors distributed on a relatively small piece of conductive textile. The passive modulation operation of HD-I
²
We was implemented in a small footprint by designing a special filter. However, to extend the conductive textile area to cover the human body as clothing does, the filter design requires unrealistically low-loss circuit components. Simplex I
²
We (S-I
²
We) does not require these unrealistic components. This paper also presents demonstration systems in which LEDs and actuators are attached to jackets composed of conductive textiles. The proposed S-I
²
We will enable the implementation of wearable and flexible sensor/actuator systems in the form of daily wear.