The MIPI Alliance is opening access to its sensor interface specification, MIPI I3C. All companies, including those not currently members of MIPI Alliance, may access the MIPI I3C v1.0 specification so they may evaluate the incorporation of the specification into their sensor integration plans and design applications.
To support companies that are considering using MIPI I3C in their designs, MIPI Alliance also recently published an extensive set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the specification. The FAQs, developed by the MIPI Alliance Sensor Working Group, provide a technical introduction to MIPI I3C along with guidelines for implementation and interoperability testing.
MIPI I3C, initially released to the MIPI Alliance member community in January 2017, streamlines and advances interface technologies that have been previously used in the sensor industry, such as I2C and SPI. The unified approach makes it easier to cost-effectively integrate multiple sensors from various vendors in a device to meet the increasing demand for sensor-enriched smartphones, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, AR/VR products and automotive systems.
The Mipi Alliance is also broadening the MIPI I3C ecosystem with new specifications that implement MIPI I3C that will be released in 2018. These specifications include: MIPI I3C Host Controller Interface (HCI), a forthcoming specification that enables a single software driver to support MIPI I3C hardware from various vendors; MIPI Touch, MIPI Debug for I3C, MIPI DisCo for I3C and MIPI CSI-2 v2.1.
Ken Foust, chair of the MIPI Alliance Sensor Working Group, will host a webinar, “A Developer’s Guide to MIPI I3C Implementation and MIPI I3C Beyond Sensors,” on February 7, 2018, at 11:00 am EST, 8:00 am PST. You can register for the webinar now. For more information, visit the MIPI Alliance.