Detecting decoupling of a first connector part from a second connector part of an electrical plug connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10790622-B2
Application number	US-201715473203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

A technique is provided for detecting decoupling of a first connector part, connected to a first device, of an electrical plug connector from a second connector part, connected to a second device, of the electrical plug connector. A corresponding method, a corresponding apparatus, a corresponding electrical plug connector as well as the first connector part and the second connector part of the plug connector, a corresponding device and a computer program product are stated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for detecting decoupling of a first connector part, connected to a first device, of an electrical plug connector from a second connector part, connected to a second device, of the electrical plug connector,
the first connector part comprising at least two first contacts being configured for coupling a communication line to the first device,
at least two second contacts being configured for coupling an electrical line to the first device, and
a protective conductor contact;
the second connector part comprising at least two first mating contacts assigned to the at least two first contacts of the first connector part, the two first mating contacts being configured for coupling a further communication line to the second device,
at least two second mating contacts which are assigned to the at least two second contacts of the first connector part, the two second contacts being configured for coupling a further electrical line to the second device and
a protective conductor mating contact which is assigned to the protective conductor contact of the first connector part;
the plug connector being configured as a multistage plug connector having a first stage, a second stage and a third stage, the first stage comprising the first contacts and the first mating contacts, the second stage comprising the second contacts and the second mating contacts, the third stage comprising the protective conductor contact and the protective conductor mating contact,
wherein the first stage, the second stage and the third stage are configured for successively disconnecting from one another during an unplugging operation and for successively coupling during a plugging-in operation with the result that, during the unplugging operation, the first contacts are first disconnected from the first mating contacts, the second contacts are then disconnected from the second mating contacts, and finally the protective conductor contact is disconnected from the protective conductor mating contact,
the first and second devices each have an Ethernet physical layer for communication via the data connection,
the method comprising the following steps of:
providing a first electrical power for the second device by the first device and a data connection between the first device and the second device via the communication lines during the plugging-in operation of the first stage,
providing a second electrical power for the second device by the first device via the electrical lines during the plugging-in operation of the second stage,
monitoring at least one communication line for the unplugging operation of the first stage the monitoring comprising determining a discontinuation in the data connection, wherein the Ethernet physical layer detects an error in the data connection to determine that there is a discontinuation in the data connection,
terminating the provision of the second electrical power on the basis of the monitoring of the at least one communication line.

2. The method according to claim 1 , a frame comprising useful data and one or more checksums for the useful data being transmitted between the first device and the second device via the data connection, the useful data being checked for an error by checking the checksum, a discontinuation in the data connection being detected if the checking has revealed that the useful data have an error or have exceeded a predetermined number of errors or a predetermined number of errors inside the frame.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data connection comprises a communication connection according to an EtherCAT standard.

4. The method according to claim 1 ,
the first connector part comprising at least four first contacts being configured for coupling a four-core communication line to the first device, the at least two second contacts being configured for coupling a two-core electrical line to the first device, and
the second connector part comprising at least four first mating contacts assigned to the at least four first contacts of the first connector part, four first mating contacts being configured for coupling a four-core communication line to the second device, the at least two second mating contacts which are assigned to the at least two second contacts of the first connector part, the two second contacts being configured for coupling a two-core electrical line to the second device.

5. A bus system comprising a first device, a second device and an electrical plug connector for electrically connecting the first device to the second device, the electrical plug connector comprising a first connector part and a second connector part,
the first connector part comprising at least four first contacts being configured for coupling a four-core communication line to the first device,
at least two second contacts being configured for coupling a two-core four electrical line to the first device, and
a protective conductor contact;
the second connector part comprising at least four first mating contacts assigned to the at least four first contacts of the first connector part, the at least four first mating contacts being configured for coupling a further four-core communication line to the second device,
at least two second mating contacts which are assigned to the at least two second contacts of the first connector part, the at least two second contacts being configured for coupling a further two-core electrical line to the second device, and
a protective conductor mating contact which is assigned to the protective conductor contact of the first connector part;
the electrical plug connector being configured as a multistage plug connector having a first stage, a second stage and a third stage, the first stage comprising the first contacts and the first mating contacts, the second stage comprising the second contacts and the second mating contacts, the third stage comprising the protective conductor contact and the protective conductor mating contact wherein the first stage, the second stage and the third stage are configured for successively disconnecting from one another during an unplugging operation and for successively coupling during a plugging-in operation with the result that, during the unplugging operation, the first contacts are first disconnected from the first mating contacts, the second contacts are then disconnected from the second mating contacts, and finally the protective conductor contact is disconnected from the protective conductor mating contact, the first stage being configured for providing a first electrical power for the second device by the first device and a data connection via the four-core communication lines, wherein two supply voltages are applied to the four-core communication lines, one supply voltage for each respective pair of cores, the second stage being configured for providing a second electrical power for the second device by the first device via the electrical line; and
the first device comprising a monitoring device for monitoring the communication line to the first device, the monitoring device being configured to monitor the unplugging operation of the first stage by determining a discontinuation in the data connection, the occurrence of the discontinuation in the data connection indicating an automatic termination of the provision of the first electrical power, and a switching-off device for terminating the provision of the second electrical power for the second device by the first device via the electrical lines on the basis of the monitoring of the communication line to the first device.

6. The bus system according to claim 5 , the monitoring device being configured to check a useful data for an error by checking one or more checksums for useful data in a frame which is transmitted betwee

Assignees

• Beckhoff Automation Gmbh

Inventors

• Pohl Christopher
• Rettig Thomas
• Beckhoff Hans
• Bechtel Dirk

Classifications

• G06F1/30 Primary

  Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) · CPC title

• G01R31/69

  of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances · CPC title

• H02H9/004

  in connection with live-insertion of plug-in units (involving communication with a central processing unit G06F13/40) · CPC title

• H01R13/02

  Contact members · CPC title

• H01R13/6683

  with built-in sensor · CPC title