Industrial electrical connector having a data diode module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12475071-B2
Application number	US-202218577212-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2022
Priority date	Jul 6, 2021
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

A modular industrial electrical connector is provided having a holding frame; at least two electrical connector modules which can be inserted into the holding frame; a data diode module which is designed for communication with the at least two electrical connector modules; wherein, for at least one of the two electrical connector modules, unidirectional data transfer can be established by the data diode module. REPLY BLOCKING is carried out in that data are sent from an electrical connector module to an electrical device via the data diode module, wherein data are sent back from an electrical device to the data diode module and are blocked by the data diode module, and/or CONTROL BLOCKING is carried out in that data are transmitted from an electrical device to the data diode module and are forwarded by the data diode module to an electrical connector module, wherein data are sent back from the electrical connector module to the data diode module and are blocked by the data diode module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A modular industrial plug connector, comprising:
a retaining frame; at least two plug-connector modules which are capable of being inserted into the retaining frame; and a data-diode module which has been set up for communication with the at least two plug-connector modules, wherein a unidirectional transmission of data in at least one of the two plug-connector modules is set via the data-diode module by carrying out a RESPONSE BLOCKING by data being sent from the plug-connector module to an electrical device via the data-diode module, wherein data is sent back from the electrical device to the data-diode module and is blocked by the data-diode module, and/or by carrying out a CONTROL BLOCKING by data being sent from an electrical device to the data-diode module and being relayed from the data-diode module to the plug-connector module, wherein data is sent back from the plug-connector module to the data-diode module and is blocked by the data-diode module.

2 . The modular industrial plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data-diode module is capable of being inserted into the retaining frame in a manner analogous to that for the plug-connector modules.

3 . The modular industrial plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communication between the data-diode module and the at least two plug-connector modules takes place via a bus system integrated within the retaining frame.

4 . The modular industrial plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the bus system exhibits at least one data bus and an associated data-conducting path for electronic transmission of data.

5 . The modular industrial plug connector as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the retaining frame has a rectangular cross-section with two opposing short sides and two opposing long sides, and in that the data-conducting path extends over at least one of the two long sides.

6 . The modular industrial plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data-diode module has substantially the same basic shape as the at least two plug-connector modules.

7 . The modular industrial plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a data-flow direction of the entire industrial plug connector is capable of being set and capable of being switched over by the data-diode module.

8 . A method for unidirectional transmission of data in a modular industrial plug connector that includes at least two plug-connector modules and a data-diode module, the method comprising:
carrying out a RESPONSE BLOCKING by data being sent from a plug-connector module to an electrical device via the data-diode module, wherein data is sent back from the electrical device to the data-diode module and is blocked by the data-diode module, and/or carrying out a CONTROL BLOCKING by data being sent from an electrical device to the data-diode module and being relayed from the data-diode module to a plug-connector module, wherein data is sent back from the plug-connector module to the data-diode module and is blocked by the data-diode module.

9 . The method for unidirectional transmission of data in a modular industrial plug connector, as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising, with the aid of the data-diode module:
setting a response blocking or a control blocking in a first and a second plug-connector module; or setting a response blocking in the first plug-connector module, and setting a control blocking in the second plug-connector module; or setting a response blocking or a control blocking in the first plug-connector module, and the second plug-connector module carries out a bidirectional transmission of data.

Assignees

• Harting Electric Stiftung & Co Kg

Inventors

• Meyer Thorsten
• Riechmann Till
• Friesen Markus

Classifications

• H01R13/518

  for holding or embracing several coupling parts, e.g. frames · CPC title

• H04L63/0209

  Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones · CPC title

• H04L63/18

  using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215) · CPC title

• G06F13/4081 Primary

  Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging (current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004) · CPC title

• H01R13/514 Primary

  composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them · CPC title