Manufacturability and Assembly Issues for Implementing Fiber Optic Distributed Lighting Systems in Automotive Applications

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.