Vehicular communication system

A communication system (10), comprising:

• a set of electromagnetic/electrical transducers, which set may contain as few as one electromagnetic/electrical transducer, for transducing signals between free space and at least one electrical port associated with each said electromagnetic/electrical transducer:
• a plurality of sources and sinks of optical communications signals, which communications signals may include control signals, said sources and sinks of optical communications signals including optical ports;
• a set of transmitters and receivers, which set may include only one of a transmitter and a receiver, each one of said transmitters and receivers of said set of transmitters and receivers including a first electrical port and a light port each one of said transmitters converting light signals applied to said light port into electrical signals at said first electrical port and each one of said receivers converting electrical signal applied to said electrical port into light signals at said light port;
• an optical communication bus coupled to said light signal ports of said sources and sinks of optical communications signals, and of said light ports of said transmitters and receivers, for coupling said communications signals, and associated control signals, among said sources, sinks, transmitters and receivers, whereby light signals can be communicated at least from said sources to said transmitters and receivers and from said receivers to said sinks;
• a plurality of electrical-to-light converters, each of said electrical-to-light converters including an electrical port and a light port, for converting electrical signals applied to said electrical port into light signals at said light port, some of said electrical-to-light converters having their electrical ports coupled to said electromagnetic/electrical transducers, and others of said electrical-to-light converters having their electrical ports coupled to said first electrical ports of said transmitters;
• a plurality of light-to-electrical converters, each of said light-to-electrical converters including a light port and an electrical port, for converting light signals applied to said light port into electrical signals at said electrical port, some of said light-to-electrical converters having their electrical ports coupled to said electromagnetic/electrical transducers, and others of said light-to-electrical converters having their electrical ports coupled to said electrical ports of said receivers;
• and
• a bidirectional optical communication link extending between said light ports of said electrical-to-light converters and said light ports of said light-to-electrical converters.