Fiber Optics and the High Speed Data Communication in Vehicles 982877

Once microprocessor technology is introduced, a new world of opportunities becomes available to the automotive designer. Electronics opens the way for new approaches to systems management, driver information, collision avoidance and active controls that were not possible before. Besides that, a considerable fraction of today's vehicles are now equipped with telephones and navigation units are joining. In the next couple of years TV, video and multi-media PC will have increasing use in vehicles. The challenge for the electrical system designer is to find a medium which can support the data transfer required by such applications while maintaining electromagnetic compatibility with all other vehicle systems. This study discusses the importance of fiber optics ( more specifically Plastic Optical Fiber - POF ) to achieve these requirements.