Plug connector system

Abstract

In order to equip a high-current-capacity plug connector system, which is common in the market, with a plug connector (1) and a mating plug connector (2), with an RFID system, it is proposed that a transponder antenna (32) is arranged in or on a bushing housing (21) of the mating plug connector (2), furthermore, the reader antenna (31) is arranged in the mounting plug connector (1) or on the mounting plug connector (1) as a circumferential coil around the contact carrier (12) of the mounting plug connector (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention is based on a plug connector system of the type according to independent claim 1 .

[0002] Such a plug connector system usually has at least one mounting plug connector and a mating plug connector as well as an RFID (" R adio F requency I identification", "radio frequency identification" (RFID) system, and can also be used to identify a mating plug connector by means of an installation plug connector. It is thus also possible to monitor a device connected to a mating plug connector on the cable connection side by means of an installation plug connector or by means of an electrical device to which the installation plug connector is mounted. In particular, so-called "access control" can thereby be performed, that is, only permitted devices can be operated with the aid of their mating plug connector at the installation plug connector provided for this purpose - and thus at their corresponding electrical device. In particular, the plug connector system can be of high current capability. The term "high current capability" is to be understood here as meaning that the installation plug connector and the mating plug connector are designed for current intensities greater than 16 A ("amperes"), for example at least 24 A, in particular at least 32 A, preferably at least 48 A and greater, for example 56 A and greater. Background Art

[0003] In the prior art, for example, a smart socket is known from document DE 10 2015 009 361A1, which is also called a “smart socket”. The smart socket is usually used between a power supply network, preferably a 220V AC power grid, and an electrical device, the installation plug connector of the electrical device being connected to the socket box of an intermediate connector.

[0004] To this end, the document also discloses that the plug of the electrical device to be inserted into the socket insert is equipped with a radio tag, on which data related to the device type of the electrical device to be connected to the smart socket is stored. The radio tag can be an RFID transponder or an NFC transponder.

[0005] It is also disclosed that the smart socket is provided with a reading device, which realizes communication between the radio tag and the reading device when the connector is inserted, so that the reading device detects a signal with modeled data about the device type of the electrical device from the radio tag of the electrical device inserted into the socket without contact, and transmits the signal to a remote data processing device.

[0006] A disadvantage of the known prior art is that there is no cost-effective solution that is sufficient for integrating such RFID systems, in particular NFC systems, into plug connector systems already available on the market. In particular, in the field of industrial plug connectors with high current capabilities, there is a high demand for simple and cost-effective solutions for integrating such RFID systems into corresponding installation plug connectors. The term "high current capability" is understood here to mean that the installation plug connector is designed for current intensities greater than 16 A ("amperes"), for example at least 24 A, in particular at least 32 A, preferably at least 48 A and more, for example 56 A and more.

[0007] In the priority application of the present application, the German Patent and Trademark Office searched the following prior arts: DE 196 15221A1, DE 10 2005 022 281A1, DE 10 2005 044 918A1, DE 10 2006 030 077A1, DE 10 2020 111 610A1, US2006 / 0 049 942A1, US2006 / 0072 271A1 and WO 2014 / 037 586A2. Summary of the invention

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a design for a plug connector system having a mounting plug connector and a mating plug connector, the plug connector system having an RFID ("RFID tag") integrated therein in a cost-effective manner. R adio F requency I identification”, radio frequency identification) system. Here, the structural form used for the RFID system should ensure reliable data transmission between the RFID reader of the installed plug connector and the RFID transponder of the mating plug connector. In particular, the structural form should prevent the above-mentioned RFID system from crosstalking other RFID systems of adjacent and similarly constructed plug connector systems as effectively as possible.

[0009] This object is achieved by the subject matter of independent claim 1 .

[0010] The plug connector system has an installation plug connector and a mating plug connector. The installation plug connector has an installation housing, by means of which the installation plug connector can be placed at a wall opening of a housing wall of a device housing of an electrical device. The installation plug connector also has a contact carrier and at least one plug contact portion accommodated in the contact carrier, which can be conductively connected to an electrical conductor of a device cable of the electrical device on the connection side. The mating plug connector has a sleeve housing, on which another cable can be fixed on the connection side. The mating plug connector has a mating contact carrier and at least one mating contact portion accommodated in the mating contact carrier, which is used to be conductively connected to the plug contact portion of the installation plug connector on the plug side. The mating contact portion can be conductively connected to another electrical conductor of another cable on the connection side.

[0011] The plug connector system has an RFID ("Radio Frequency Identification") system, in particular an NFC ("Near Field Communication") system. The RFID system has an RFID transponder, which is preferably an NFC ("Near Field Communication") transponder. The RFID transponder has a transponder microchip and a transponder antenna which is electrically conductively connected to the transponder microchip. Furthermore, the RFID system has an RFID reader, which is preferably an NFC reader, and which has a reader microchip and a reader antenna which is electrically conductively connected to the reader microchip.

[0012] The transponder microchip is arranged in or on the mating plug connector, in particular in or on a sleeve housing or a contact carrier of the mating plug connector. In addition, a transponder antenna electrically conductively connected to the transponder microchip is arranged in or on the mating plug connector, in particular in or on a mounting housing of the mating plug connector.

[0013] Furthermore, a reader antenna in the form of a surrounding coil which is electrically conductively connected to the RFID reader is arranged in or on the mounting plug connector, in particular in or on a mounting housing of the mounting plug connector.

[0014] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and in the following description.

[0015] It is particularly advantageous that such an RFID system can be integrated into an already existing plug connector system with a high current capability. The term "high current capability" is to be understood here as meaning that the plug connector system is designed to transmit a current strength of more than 16 A ("ampere"), for example at least 24 A, in particular at least 32 A, preferably at least 48 A and more, for example 56 A and more.

[0016] A particular advantage of the invention is that relatively small installation housings with a diameter of less than 5 cm, preferably less than 4 cm, in particular even less than 3.5 cm, for example 3 cm and even less, can also be used.

[0017] Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous that existing plug connector systems can be retrofitted with such an RFID system, for example by implementing the reader antenna as an inlay, for example in the form of a flexible printed circuit board, to which the coil in the form of a conductor track is applied.

[0018] It is advantageously possible to introduce additional RFID / NFC functionality into already existing different plug connector systems by adapting the dimensions of the reader antenna to the dimensions of the corresponding mounting plug connector.

[0019] It is particularly advantageous here to maintain the advantageous properties of the corresponding plug connector system, for example its sealing concept and thus its tightness with respect to environmental influences such as dust, dirt and moisture.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the reader antenna has a coil axis which is oriented in the plug-in direction.

[0021] In a further preferred embodiment, both the transponder antenna and the reader antenna are each designed as a magnetic field antenna.

[0022] In a further preferred embodiment, the transponder antenna is oriented parallel to the coil axis of the reader antenna in the plug-in direction and is arranged in particular in the extension of the coil edge.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting housing and the contact carrier are implemented in one piece. This is advantageous because it simplifies production. In addition, the arrangement of the RFID reader and its reader antenna is particularly flexible in the manner described.

[0024] In another advantageous embodiment, the contact carrier and the mounting housing are separate components. This has the advantage that the plug connector housing can be made of a magnetically shielding material, thereby more effectively preventing crosstalk to the RFID system of an adjacent plug connector system of a similar design. At the same time, the contact carrier can be made of an electrically insulating material.

[0025] In an advantageous embodiment, the reader antenna, which is designed as a circumferential coil, can be fastened internally or externally to the mounting housing in such a way that the coil follows the contour of the mounting housing surrounding the contact carrier in a uniform circumferential manner.

[0026] In an advantageous embodiment, the reader antenna can be injected and / or injection molded into the contact carrier / mounting housing during the manufacturing process. In particular, the coil can be injected onto the surrounding seal or injection molded with a sealing material, ie, arranged in the seal.

[0027] In a further preferred embodiment, the mounting plug connector, in particular the mounting housing or the contact carrier, has a circumferential groove, in which the reader antenna, which is designed in the form of a coil as already mentioned, can be placed.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting housing and / or the contact carrier are implemented as 3D-MID (three-dimensional molded interconnect device) devices. The reader antenna is then introduced or mounted in the mounting housing or on the contact carrier in the form of MID printed conductors.

[0029] It is particularly advantageous here if the reader antenna and the transponder antenna are protected from external environmental influences by the installation housing.

[0030] In an alternative configuration, the reader antenna may be arranged outside the installation housing.

[0031] In a further embodiment, the RFID transponder can be fastened with its transponder antenna to the outer side of the mating plug connector.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the reader microchip is arranged, in particular fastened, in or on the mounting plug connector, in particular arranged, in particular fastened, in or on a mounting housing or a contact carrier of the mounting plug connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in detail below. The drawings show:

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a plug connector system having an RFID system integrated therein;

[0035] Figure 2 A 3D illustration of a mounting housing of a plug connector system is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The drawings contain partially simplified schematic diagrams. In some cases, the same reference numerals are used for identical, but possibly different, elements. Different views of the same element may be scaled differently. Directional indications, such as "left", "right", "upper" and "lower", are to be understood with reference to the corresponding figures and may vary in the individual figures relative to the objects shown.

[0037] Figure 1 A plug connector system is shown which has an RFID (“Radio Frequency Identification”) system, namely an NFC (“Near Field Communication”) system, integrated therein.

[0038] The plug connector system has a mounting plug connector 1 and a mating plug connector 2. The mounting plug connector 1 has a mounting housing 11. The mounting housing 11 has a mounting flange 115 for fastening to a housing wall (not shown) of a device housing of an electrical device. In addition, the mounting plug connector 1 has a contact carrier 12 arranged in the mounting housing and a plurality of plug contacts 13 accommodated in the contact carrier 12, one of which is visible and represented in the following figure.

[0039] In addition, Figure 1 In the figure, a plurality of electrical conductors 53 are shown at the bottom. The electrical conductors 53 belong to the device cable of the electrical device. Usually, each plug contact 13 is connected to one of the electrical conductors 53 in an electrically conductive manner.

[0040] The mating plug connector 2 has a sleeve housing 21 into which a further cable (not shown) can be introduced on the connection side (from above in the drawing). The further cable can be fixed to the sleeve housing 21, for example, by a cable screw connection.

[0041] Furthermore, the mating plug connector 2 has a mating contact carrier (not shown for reasons of clarity) arranged in the sleeve housing 21 and at least one mating contact accommodated in the mating contact carrier for electrically conductive, i.e. pluggable connection on the plug side to the plug contact 13 of the mounting plug connector 1. The mating contact can be electrically conductively connected on the connection side to another electrical conductor of another cable.

[0042] The plug connector system has an RFID "specifically for near field communication" R adio F requency I dentification”, namely NFC (“ N ear F ield CThe present invention relates to an "RFID" system, wherein it is clear to a person skilled in the art that everything described here with respect to the NFC system is also generally applicable to the RFID system.

[0043] The NFC system has an NFC transponder and an NFC reader. The NFC transponder has a transponder microchip (not shown) and a transponder antenna 32 conductively connected to the transponder microchip. The NFC reader has at least one reader microchip (not shown) and a reader antenna 31 conductively connected to the reader microchip.

[0044] The transponder microchip and the transponder antenna 32 are each accommodated in or on the mating plug connector 2 .

[0045] The reader antenna 31, which is shown symbolically in cross section here, is arranged in the form of a winding coil in the installation housing 1. It can already be seen here, but it can be seen better in the following figures, that the reader antenna 31, which is designed as a winding coil, is fastened to the installation housing 11 from the inside, so that it follows the contour of the installation housing 11 that is wound around the contact carrier 12. In this case, the reader antenna 31 is introduced into the electrical device housing via an antenna connection line 33 that is guided downward in the figure, in which the NFC reader can be arranged, for example. As an alternative to this, the NFC reader can also be arranged in or at the installation plug connector, which makes installation easier.

[0046] The transponder antenna 32 is arranged orthogonally to the reader antenna 31 and thus in a more uncommon position.

[0047] However, in this case, data transmission between an NFC transponder with this more unusual arrangement and an NFC reader is very good, since its transponder antenna 32 is located, at least in a good approximation, in the extension of the edge of the reader antenna 31, which is designed as a coil. The magnetic field 34 runs almost optimally at this location, since the magnetic field lines 34 run at right angles to the transponder antenna 32.

[0048] For this purpose, the transponder antenna 32 is oriented parallel to the coil axis of the reader antenna 31 , thus in the plug-in direction, and is also arranged in the extension of the coil edge, ie from the inside on the sleeve housing 21 .

[0049] exist Figure 2, the arrangement of the reader antenna 31 in the mounting housing 11 can be seen particularly clearly in the 3D illustration. In this case, the reader antenna 31 is designed as an inlay, wherein the coil is formed by conductor tracks of a flexible printed circuit board. The inlay is glued into the mounting housing 11 from the inside, so that the reader antenna 31, which is thus designed as a surrounding coil, follows the surrounding contour of the mounting housing 11 around the contact carrier 12.

[0050] Furthermore, the plug-in contact 13 can be seen, which is located in the contact receptacle 120 of the contact carrier. The contact receptacle 120 is a through-opening of the contact carrier 12, so that the contact 13 can be connected to the electrical line 53 of the device cable in an electrically conductive manner on the connection side (from below in the figure), that is, can be connected thereto.

[0051] Furthermore, a screw 7 is shown, which is inserted through a threaded hole of the mounting flange 115. On the opposite side, the mounting flange 15 has another screw 7, which is inserted through another threaded hole, but is not visible because it is covered by the plug connector housing. Thus, the mounting housing 11 can be screwed onto the housing wall of the device housing.

[0052] Reference numerals list

[0053] 1 Install the plug connector

[0054] 11 Install the housing

[0055] 115 Mounting flange

[0056] 12 Contact carrier

[0057] 120 Contact receptacle / through opening

[0058] 13 Plug contacts

[0059] 18 Locking hoop

[0060] 2 Mating connectors

[0061] 21 Casing housing

[0062] 31 Reader Antenna

[0063] 32 Transponder Antenna

[0064] 33 Antenna connection line

[0065] 34 Magnetic Field / Magnetic Field Lines

[0066] 53 Electrical conductors for equipment cables

[0067] 7 Bolts

Claims

1. A plug connector system, the plug connector system comprising a mounting plug connector (1) and a mating plug connector (2), wherein the mounting plug connector (1) comprises a mounting housing (11) for fastening to a housing wall of a device housing of an electrical device, and the mounting plug connector further comprises a contact carrier (12) and at least one plug contact portion (13) accommodated in the contact carrier (12), the plug contact portion being able to be electrically conductively connected to an electrical conductor (53) of a device cable of the electrical device on a connection side, and wherein the mating plug connector (2) comprises a sleeve housing (21), to which another cable can be fixed on the connection side, and wherein the mating plug connector (2) comprises a mating contact carrier and at least one mating contact portion accommodated in the mating contact carrier, the mating contact portion being used to be electrically conductively connected to the plug contact portion (13) of the mounting plug connector (1) on the plug side, and wherein the mating contact portion is able to be electrically conductively connected to another electrical conductor of the other cable on the connection side; in The plug connector system also has an RFID ("Radio Frequency Identification") system, wherein the RFID system has an RFID transponder, which has a transponder microchip and a transponder antenna (32) which is electrically conductively connected to the transponder microchip, and wherein the RFID system also has an RFID reader, which has at least one reader microchip and a reader antenna (31) which is electrically conductively connected to the reader microchip, wherein The transponder microchip and the transponder antenna (32) are each accommodated in or on the sleeve housing (21), and the reader antenna (31) is also accommodated in or on the mounting plug connector (1) in the form of a surrounding coil. 2 . The plug connector system according to claim 1 , wherein the reader antenna ( 31 ) is arranged circumferentially around the contact carrier ( 12 ).

3. A plug connector system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the reader antenna (31) implemented as a circumferential coil is fastened internally or externally to the mounting housing (11) so as to follow the circumferential contour of the mounting housing (11) around the contact carrier (12). 4 . The plug connector system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein both the transponder antenna ( 32 ) and the reader antenna ( 31 ) are each designed as a magnetic field antenna.

5. The plug connector system according to claim 1, wherein the reader antenna (31) has a coil axis which is oriented in the plug-in direction. 6 . The plug connector system according to claim 5 , wherein the transponder antenna ( 32 ) is oriented parallel to the coil axis of the reader antenna ( 31 ) in the plug-in direction.

7. The plug connector system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting housing (11) and the contact carrier (12) are designed jointly in one piece.

8. A plug-in connector system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the contact carrier (12) and the mounting shell (11) are separate components, wherein the mounting shell (11) is made of a magnetically shielding material and the contact carrier (12) is made of an electrically insulating material.

9. The plug connector system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the reader antenna (31) is injected or sprayed onto the mounting housing (11). 10 . The plug connector system according to claim 1 , wherein the reader antenna ( 31 ) has a flexible printed circuit board, to which the coil is applied in the form of a conductor track.

11. The plug connector system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mounting housing (11) or the contact carrier (12) has a circumferential groove in which the reader antenna (31) is arranged.

12. In a preferred embodiment of the plug connector system, the mounting housing (11) and / or the contact carrier (12) are implemented as 3D-MID (" M oulded I Interconnect D device”).

13. The plug connector system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transponder antenna (32) is oriented orthogonally to the reader antenna (31) in a plugged state of the system.

14. A plug connector system according to any of the above claims, wherein the reader microchip is arranged in or at the mounting plug connector (1), in particular in or at the mounting shell (11) or the contact carrier (12) of the mounting plug connector (1).

15. The plug connector system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the RFID system is NFC (" N ear F ield C The RFID transponder is an NFC transponder and the RFID reader is an NFC reader.

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