1. Field of the Invention
This present disclosure relates to electronic systems and, more particularly, to apparatuses for providing input/output connectors capable of use with a plurality of physical connector arrangements.
2. Description of Related Art
Many modern vehicle applications utilize electronic sensors and controllers in their standard operations. In a typical vehicle, many of the components will require data from sensors or other components to perform their designated function. To facilitate the data transfer between components, most vehicles use a bundle of wires and interconnects, referred to as an electrical harness. The harness can contain thousands of data lines, typically constructed of copper wires, and can be heavy. In such a construction each data line has an interconnect on each end. The interconnects can be plugged into the vehicle components, and data can then be communicated through the harness to a component connected at the opposite end of the data line.
Current state of the art electrical harnesses utilize analog data transmission, requiring dedicated wires in the harness for each component. Analog signals are used because most sensors and other components require analog data or take analog measurements.
In order to reduce the weight of the harness, attempts have been made to utilize digital communications between the components. These attempts have typically been met with failure at least in part because many of the sensors and other components in existing systems have not been modified to allow for digital communications.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved devices for input/output connections. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds