Device for transmitting data and/or signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10683020-B2
Application number	US-201615559669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A device for transmitting data and/or signals between a first car body of a multi-member vehicle mechanically connected a second car body. The device includes an interface element having at least one optical fiber transmission medium for a line-connected communication system of the vehicle. The interface element displaceable in the longitudinal coupling direction relative to a coupling head of the first car body from a first position, wherein the interface element with the optical fiber is fully accommodated in the coupling head of the first car body, into a second position and vice versa, wherein in the second position of the interface element, at least the frontal end region of the interface element projects from the coupling head of the first car body to establish a data connection between the optical fiber and a contact terminal of a coupling head of the second car body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical contact coupling for a track-guided vehicle, the electrical contact coupling comprising:
a coupling housing having at least one frontal housing opening;
a first contact terminal support comprising at least one contact terminal arranged in the coupling housing; and
a device for transmitting data and/or signals between a first car body of the track guided vehicle and a second car body of the track guided vehicle mechanically connected to the first car body, the device comprising:
an interface element having an optical waveguide arrangement, the optical waveguide arrangement further comprising:
an optical fiber as a transmission medium for a line-connected communication system of the track guided vehicle;
a first terminal assigned to the first car body; and
a second terminal assigned to the second car body, wherein the interface element is displaceable in a longitudinal coupling direction relative to a coupling head of the first car body from a first position, in which the interface element with the optical waveguide arrangement is fully accommodated in the coupling head of the first car body, into a second position and vice versa, wherein in the second position, at least the second terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement projects from the coupling head of the first car body to establish a data connection between the optical fiber of the optical waveguide arrangement and a contact terminal of a coupling head of the second car body, wherein the interface element is a plate-shaped contacting support having at least one optical fiber extending in a longitudinal direction of the contacting support.

2. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber of the optical waveguide arrangement has an optical fiber core signal-connecting the first terminal and the second terminal.

3. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 2 , wherein the optical fiber core is a thin glass core.

4. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 , wherein in the second position of the interface element, the first terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement assigned to the first car body is arranged with respect to a contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body such that a data connection can be established between the first terminal and the contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body; and/or wherein in the second position of the interface element, the second terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement assigned to the second car body is arranged with respect to the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body such that a data connection can be established between the second terminal and the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body.

5. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 4 , wherein the contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body is a transmitting and/or receiving terminal and the first terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement is a receiving and/or transmitting terminal formed correspondingly complementary thereto for establishing a data connection in the second position of the interface element, and/or wherein the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body is a receiving and/or transmitting terminal and the second terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement is a transmitting and/or receiving terminal formed correspondingly complementary thereto for establishing a corresponding data connection in the second position of the interface element.

6. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 5 , wherein the contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body is signal-connected to an optical fiber to conduct the data and/or signals to be transmitted via the interface element to the contact terminal, and/or wherein the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body is signal-connected to an optical fiber to relay the data and/or signals transmitted via the interface element and received by the contact terminal.

7. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 4 , wherein the contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body is signal-connected to a copper line to conduct the data and/or signals to be transmitted via the interface element to the contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body, and/or wherein the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body is signal-connected to a copper line to relay the data and/or signals transmitted via the interface element and received by the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body.

8. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 4 , wherein in the second position of the interface element, the contact terminal of the coupling head of the first car body and the first terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement lie one above another vertically; and/or wherein in the second position of the interface element, the contact terminal of the coupling head of the second car body and the second terminal of the optical waveguide arrangement lie one above another vertically.

9. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second terminal is/are arranged on a lower side of the contacting support.

10. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact terminal support or the first contact terminal respectively is a receiving part in which at least part of the interface element is accommodated.

11. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 , wherein the interface element is displaceable relative to the first contact terminal support, or relative to the first contact terminal respectively, from the first position into the second position and vice versa.

12. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 11 , wherein a guide is further provided to control a movement of the interface element relative to the first contact terminal support or relative to the contact terminal respectively.

13. An arrangement comprising a first electrical contact coupling and an identically constructed second electrical contact coupling serving as a mating coupling to the first electrical contact coupling, wherein the first electrical contact coupling is an electrical contact coupling in accordance with claim 1 .

Assignees

• Voith Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Narberhaus Markus

Classifications

• B61G5/10 Primary

  for electric cables · CPC title

• B61L15/0036

  Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres · CPC title

• B60D1/64

  Couplings or joints therefor · CPC title

• G02B6/3821

  with axial spring biasing or loading means (G02B6/3847 takes precedence) · CPC title