The use of fiber optic technology in automotive applications, e.g., lighting, sensing, communications, etc., has increased significantly over the last decade. Manufacturers use fiber optics for automotive lighting for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is that optical fibers transmit “cold” light, making it a safe alternative to traditional sealed beam or halogen lighting. The light source in fiber optic automotive lighting is also typically easily accessible. Moreover, fiber optics allows for the light source to be considerably separated from the output location, thereby reducing the physical space requirements over many conventional lighting techniques.
Fiber optic panels are constructed from many optical fibers, at least some of which are configured to emit light transversely to their optical axes. Fiber optic panels can be formed into different shapes allowing lighting designers considerable freedom in their designs. Fiber optic panels are becoming more widely used as more diverse lighting configurations are implemented.
Sensing various phenomena in automotive settings plays an important role in onboard safety, automotive control, convenience and environmental systems. With each subsequent model year, more and more automotive functions are implemented that require particular sensors. Optical signals are immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) and optical sensors have relatively low cost. Accordingly, more and more manufacturers are utilizing fiber optics as the sensing method of choice for various automotive applications.