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This paper discusses the important issues associated with implementing a fiber optic lighting system within the automotive environment. Generic distributed lighting technology advantages are defined and shown how they impact the vehicle systems. The paper focuses primarily on the manufacturability and assembly issues that are pertinent to the successful production application of this technology. Conclusions drawn from the discussion illustrate a bright future for the technology, once the technical issues are all resolved.

The evolution of vehicle electronics has resulted in corresponding changes in how vehicle communications networks are being used. Initially used for diagnostic and low speed data sharing applications, networks are increasingly being used for real time control applications that require significantly higher data rates. While high speed networking technology has been primarily developed for office LAN and telecommunications applications, the requirements of in-vehicle communication networks differ significantly from their office and factory counterparts. This paper will examine the issues involved in choosing a physical layer for a vehicle network including: media bandwidth, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements, fault tolerance, serviceability requirements, ability to meet vehicle environmental requirements, network architecture limitations, and cost.