Alternative standard to MOST and Ethernet provides long life cycles along with performance, security, flexibility, and economy
By Max Bassler and Bill Rose, 1394 Trade Association; Ricardo Wong, Nissan; and Mike Gardner, Molex
Cost is of primary importance. Many factors such as the number of silicon players, maturity in a technology base, harness flexibility, and licensing fees come into play in understanding applied cost.
1394 Auto benefits from synergistic deployment in the computer and entertainment space that continues to drive down silicon costs. There are 1394-based industrial control cameras and hard drives that can be adapted for use in autos. All of the connector and automotive harness systems (as illustrated below) selected for 1394 Auto already are shipping worldwide with multiple sourcing.
The 1394 specification makes it possible to implement a simple, versatile, and cost-effective wiring harness throughout the vehicle.
Automakers also favor mature technologies. 1394 specifically offers a decade of usage in video-centric applications. Automotive-grade 1394 components for 800-Mbps are widely available.
1394 is reliable. It has been deployed in very difficult environments. For example, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter relies on 1394b technology to link more than 60 nodes in systems that provide real-time mission information, weapon systems control, and engine and flight controls. And 1394 is continuing to be applied in this critical, tough, and unforgiving aerospace environment,
The 1394 Auto Standard offers another vital advantage: flexibility. A 1394 Auto network lets engineers provide flexible harnessing and allows 1394 connectors at various locations around the car. As such, dealers can take advantage and easily add or upgrade devices by simply plugging them in and letting the 1394 Auto network identify and automatically configure them. These same harnesses can be used in an entry-level model and a luxury platform for many years to come with greater economies of scale.
All of the 1394 protocols are well defined and proven. For a look at the stack, see below.
1394 Automotive's core protocol stack includes the PHY and LINK layers, transaction and bus management capabilities, and software APIs, all ready for implementation.
When you consider Ethernet, MOST and 1394 Auto from the system level, it's clear that 1394 answers the needs of the automakers and provides excellent performance. It meets all of the major demands that automotive networks face today and far into the future with a cost effective, mature, proven technology with a long-term road map. 1394 Auto, with its long history, secure content protection, proven standards-based automotive protocols, wide variety of topologies, and various flexible wiring harnessing, offers a future-proof solution to a vehicle network design for entertainment, navigation, information, and driver assistance applications.
