The Optical Harness: a light-weight EMI-immune replacement for legacy electrical wiring harnesses

Jason B. Stark; B. Scott Jackson; William Trethewey

doi:10.1117/12.666583

12 May 2006 The Optical Harness: a light-weight EMI-immune replacement for legacy electrical wiring harnesses

Jason B. Stark, B. Scott Jackson, William Trethewey

Proceedings Volume 6243, Enabling Photonics Technologies for Defense, Security, and Aerospace Applications II; 624309 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.666583
Event: Defense and Security Symposium, 2006, Orlando (Kissimmee), Florida, United States

Abstract

Electrical wiring harnesses have been used to interconnect control and communication equipment in mobile platforms for over a century. Although they have served this function successfully, they have three problems that are inherent in their design: they are mechanically heavy and stiff, and they are prone to electrical faults, including arcing and Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI), and they are difficult to maintain when faults occur. These properties are all aspects of the metallic conductors used to build the harnesses. The Optical Harness^TM is a photonic replacement for the legacy electrical wiring harness. The Optical Harness^TM uses light-weight optical fiber to replace signal wires in an electrical harness. The original electrical connections to the equipment remain, making the Optical Harness^TM a direct replacement for the legacy wiring harness. In the backshell of each connector, the electrical signals are converted to optical, and transported on optical fiber, by a deterministic, redundant and fault-tolerant optical network. The Optical Harness^TM: * Provides weight savings of 40-50% and unsurpassed flexibility, relative to legacy signal wiring harnesses; * Carries its signals on optical fiber that is free from arcing, EMI, RFI and susceptibility to HPM weapons; * Is self-monitoring during operation, providing non-intrusive predictive and diagnostic capabilities.

Citation Download Citation

Jason B. Stark, B. Scott Jackson, and William Trethewey "The Optical Harness: a light-weight EMI-immune replacement for legacy electrical wiring harnesses", Proc. SPIE 6243, Enabling Photonics Technologies for Defense, Security, and Aerospace Applications II, 624309 (12 May 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.666583

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