With increasing data rates, copper-based Automotive Ethernet Physical Layer (PHY) channel components are prone to face numerous challenges. Some of the expected challenges are in relation to electrical specification limitations of the components to accommodate stringent Automotive requirements. In relation to ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) robustness, improper Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Printed Circuit Board (PCB) shield-ground implementation also serves as another factor for a potentially compromised system performance. Optical Ethernet connectivity has in other industries shown several advantages in terms of improved system performance and EMC robustness. This therefore serves as a baseline to consider for Automotive Ethernet system implementations. So far, optical Automotive Ethernet system implementation and validation aspects have only been minimally investigated. This study commences with characterizing and defining an optimum EMC measurement approach to ensure worst-case (WC) ECU ElectroMagnetic radiated Emissions (EME) for an optical Ethernet in-vehicle connectivity. To emulate ECU-ECU Point-to-Point (P2P) channel topology, this study further defines a so-called Quasi-Point-to-Point (Q-P2P) channel topology. This topology specifically targets optical Automotive Ethernet connectivity EMC measurements in an anechoic chamber. In a subsequent section of this study, an approach is defined to characterize optical Automotive Ethernet Fiber Optical Transceiver (FOT) photocurrent noise sources. This study is further extended by defining a methodology that application specific can determine the contribution of photocurrent noises to in-vehicle EME. The defined method aims at pre-validating on-board radio systems at risk to be impacted by such noise sources.

BMW Group: Jamila Josip Borda; TU Berlin: Prof. Dr.-Ing Friedel Gerfers