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We have developed an optical link which is suitable for the on-vehicle environment and can be used in navigation systems and other applications. The distinctive features of this link are its fiber structure, terminal processing, shielding and protective mechanism for fiber ends. In terms of the fiber structure, a high tension of 100N has been realized without using tension member in the fiber, and a heat resistance temperature of 105 deg C has also been achieved. Terminal processing is done with only crimping and heat treatment, and shielding of the receiver IC is achieved with a molded component composed of electrically conductive plastic. To keep the ends of fibers from being damaged or soiled, the link is equipped with a mechanism wherein a protective hood rotates at engagement and disengagement.

APF (All Plastic Fiber) has high transmission loss and it is a disadvantage in the optical communication. If it has been used in an optical network with distributed signals, like star type, optical signals are reduced at the star coupler due to scattering loss and insertion loss caused by ray distribution. Therefore, we can use a passive star coupler only in a small area. One possible solution is light amplification at the optical star coupler using a feed back method. The feed back amplifier is composed of a pair of E/O (Erectrical/Optical), O/E (Optical/Electrical) converters using one channel in the passive star coupler. It has a performance that is able to increase the output level about 3dB at each output port. So, it enables communication between nodes with certainty. We named ACTIVE STAR COUPLER.