Byteflight

byte flight
The increasing complexity of in-car electronics and the growing amount of sensors, actuators and electronic control units place higher demands on the high-speed data communication protocols.
None of the communication solutions available until now have been able to fulfill all these demands.
BMW together with several semi-conductor companies have developed byte flight a new protocol for safety-critical applications in automotive vehicles.
The byte flight is the bus system used exclusively for the ASK System (Intelligent Safety Integration System). This ASK System of the (E85) Z4 contains the Safety and Information Module (SIM) and 4 additional satellite control modules.The ASK System is a bus composed of Fiber Optic cables and control modules arranged in a STAR pattern with the SIM at the center of the system.





Since the byte flight is a star structure as opposed to the continuous ring structure of the MOST bus, the fiber optic cables carry the data bi-directionally, a single fiber optic cable connects each satellite directly to the SIM.
Each satellite contains a transmitter/receiver module for receiving and sending data to the SIM. The SIM contains 4 transmitter receiver modules for communication with the satellites simultaneously.
All information from each satellite is made available to every other satellite by the SIM.

Note: Repairs to the byte flight fiber-optic cable are not permitted. Damaged cables must be replaced with new fiber optic cables.

Because of the use of byte flight, the ASK system has the following advantages:
^ High communication speed
^ Highest level of system security
^ Faster trigger decisions
^ Redundant information provided by the sensor
^ Software update via bus
^ Self-diagnostic procedure
^ Mechanical safety switch is unnecessary
^ No electromagnetic disturbances due to fiber-optic communication
^ No electrical connection between transmitter and receiver module
^ Simple system upgrade