Bus system comprising a feed module and a load module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10469285-B2
Application number	US-201715784000-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A bus system comprises a data line having a first channel with a first pair of wires and a second channel with a second pair of wires. The first channel connects a physical feed module interface to a physical consumer module interface and a first DC voltage source to a first consumer module DC voltage consumer, to transmit a first differential data signal between the feed module interface and the consumer module interface and a first direct current from the first DC voltage source to the first consumer module DC voltage consumer. The second channel connects the feed module interface to the consumer module interface and a second DC voltage source to a second consumer module DC voltage consumer, to transmit a second differential data signal between the feed module interface and the consumer module interface and a second direct current from the second DC voltage source to the second consumer module DC voltage consumer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bus system comprising
a feed module which is connected to a first DC voltage source and to a second DC voltage source and has a physical interface, a first transformer, a second transformer, a first inductive assembly, a second inductive assembly, a first capacitive assembly and a second capacitive assembly, a consumer module which has a first DC voltage consumer, a second DC voltage consumer, a physical interface, a first transformer, a second transformer, a first inductive assembly, a second inductive assembly, a first capacitive assembly and a second capacitive assembly,
a data line which has a first channel with a first pair of wires and a second channel with a second pair of wires,
wherein the first channel of the data line connects the physical feed module interface to the physical consumer module interface via the first feed module transformer, the first capacitive feed module assembly, the first capacitive consumer module assembly and the first consumer module transformer, and connects the first DC voltage source to the first consumer module DC voltage consumer via the first inductive feed module assembly and the first inductive consumer module assembly, in order to transmit a first differential data signal between the physical feed module interface and the physical consumer module interface and to transmit a first direct current from the first DC voltage source to the first consumer module DC voltage consumer, and
wherein the second channel of the data line connects the physical feed module interface to the physical consumer module interface via the second feed module transformer, the second capacitive feed module assembly, the second capacitive consumer module assembly and the second consumer module transformer, and connects the second DC voltage source to the second consumer module DC voltage consumer via the second inductive feed module assembly and the second inductive consumer module assembly, in order to transmit a second differential data signal between the physical feed module interface and the physical consumer module interface and to transmit a second direct current from the second DC voltage source to the second consumer module DC voltage consumer.

2. The bus system according to claim 1 , wherein the first direct current and the second direct current are carried DC-isolated from one another via the four-wire data line to provide a separate energy supply to first consumer module DC voltage consumer by the first DC current source and the second consumer module DC voltage consumer by the second DC voltage source.

3. The bus system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two direct currents which is transmitted from the first DC voltage source or from the second DC voltage source to the first consumer module DC voltage consumer or to the second consumer module DC voltage consumer can be switched, wherein the feed module further has a current limiter for the DC voltage source which is associated with the switchable direct current.

4. The bus system according to claim 3 , wherein the current limiter has a series circuit comprising a transistor and a measurement resistor, through which the second direct current flows, and has a controller, wherein the controller is designed to detect the direct current flowing through the measurement resistor and to drive the transistor such that the direct current flowing across the transistor does not exceed a prespecified limit value.

5. The bus system according to claim 3 , wherein a low-bounce switch is arranged between the second DC voltage source and the current limiter of the feed module.

6. The bus system according to claim 1 , wherein the consumer module has a processing unit, a further physical interface, a third transformer, a fourth transformer, a third inductive assembly and a fourth inductive assembly, a third capacitive assembly and a fourth capacitive assembly,
wherein the processing unit connects the physical consumer module interface to the further physical consumer module interface in order to transmit the first differential data signal and the second differential data signal,
wherein the first consumer module DC voltage consumer connects the first inductive consumer module assembly to the third inductive consumer module assembly in order to transmit the first direct current, and
wherein the second consumer module DC voltage consumer connects the second inductive consumer module assembly to the fourth inductive consumer module assembly in order to transmit the second direct current.

7. The bus system according to claim 1 , wherein the consumer module has a voltage monitoring assembly which is connected to the first consumer module DC voltage consumer and to the second consumer module DC voltage consumer in order to monitor whether the first consumer module DC voltage consumer and the second consumer module DC voltage consumer are each operating in a specified range of the operating voltage.

8. The bus system according to claim 1 , wherein the first differential data signal and the second differential data signal are each differential Ethernet signals.

9. The bus system according to claim 1 for use in industrial automation, wherein the first consumer module DC voltage consumer is any of a sensor or a controller, and the second consumer module DC voltage consumer is an actuator.

10. A feed module for a bus system which has a first DC voltage source and a second DC voltage source, comprising
a physical interface, a first transformer, a second transformer, a first inductive assembly, a second inductive assembly, a first capacitive assembly, a second capacitive assembly and a connection for a data line which has a first contact point for a first channel with a first pair of wires and has a second contact point for a second channel with a second pair of wires,
wherein the physical feed module interface is designed to transmit a first differential data signal to or from the first contact point for the first channel of the data line via the first feed module transformer and the first capacitive feed module assembly, and to transmit a second differential data signal to or from the second contact point for the second channel of the data line via the second feed module transformer and the second capacitive feed module assembly,
wherein the first DC voltage source is designed to apply a first DC voltage to the first contact point for the first channel of the data line via the first inductive feed module assembly, and
wherein the second DC voltage source is designed to apply a second DC voltage to the second contact point for the second channel of the data line via the second inductive feed module assembly.

11. The feed module according to claim 10 , wherein the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage are DC-isolated from one another.

12. The feed module according to claim 10 ,
wherein at least one of the two direct currents which is transmitted from the first or from the second DC voltage source can be switched, and
wherein a current limiter is provided for the DC voltage source which is associated with the switchable direct current.

13. The feed module according to claim 12 ,
wherein the current limiter has a series circuit comprising a transistor and has a measurement resistor, through which the second direct current flows, and has a controller,
wherein the controller is designed to detect the direct current flowing through the measurement resistor and to drive the transistor such that the direct current flowing across the transistor does not exceed a prespecified limit value.

14. The feed module according to claim 12 , wherein a lo

Assignees

• Beckhoff Automation Gmbh

Inventors

• Prüssmeier Uwe
• Rettig Thomas
• Pohl Christopher
• Künne Johannes

Classifications

• H04L2012/4026

  Bus for use in automation systems · CPC title

• H04L12/40045 Primary

  Details regarding the feeding of energy to the node from the bus · CPC title

• H04L12/10 Primary

  Current supply arrangements · CPC title