MODULAR ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AND BUS SUBSCRIBER

• US 20150289394A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Kalhoff, Johannes, Scholz, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,674,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/052 Mounting on rails
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0082 specially adapted for transmission control units, e.g. gearbox controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1427 Housings

Abstract

A modular electronic system for receiving, processing or forwarding information. Devices comprise a housing including flat electromagnetically effective transfer elements in or on an insulating housing wall and at least one circuit board including flat electromagnetically effective transfer elements and electronic components.

Claims

1. A modular electronic system for receiving, processing or forwarding information, comprising:

at least one circuit board including electronic components and one or more electromagnetically effective transfer elements;

a housing having a cavity for accommodating the at least one circuit board and comprising electronic components and/or electromagnetically effective transfer elements on or in at least one wall of the housing;

connection means for feeding electrical power and/or for information transfer purposes,

wherein the connection means are electrically or electromagnetically coupled with electromagnetically effective transfer elements of the housing and/or of the at least one circuit board; and

wherein the electromagnetically effective transfer elements of the housing and of the at least one circuit board are arranged for electromagnetic coupling.

2. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electromagnetically effective transfer elements of the housing and of the circuit board are flat in a region where they face each other.

3. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one circuit board is part of the housing wall or of an element accommodating transfer elements and produced in MID technology.

4. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is electrically insulative, at least in the region of the transfer elements.

5. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the primary component of the electromagnetically effective transfer elements is arranged in the housing and the secondary component is arranged on the at least one circuit board.

6. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least one circuit board has a further connection means.

7. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic components include an RFID component which is accommodated in an insulating wall of the housing.

8. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a bus system;

a number of subscriber devices each one connected to the bus system via a respective connection means, which subscriber devices can be mounted and accommodated side by side on a support rail;

an energy transfer wall forming part of the respective subscriber device and including at least one flat electromagnetically effective primary transfer element enclosed therein; and

the at least one circuit board which in addition to the electronic components includes at least one flat electromagnetically effective secondary transfer element for feeding rectifier components for power supply of the electronic components, which secondary transfer element is arranged so as to closely face the at least one primary transfer element in the subscriber device for interaction by being coupled through an electromagnetic alternating field.

9. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the subscriber device includes a housing comprising housing parts, one part thereof being the energy transfer wall.

10. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the energy transfer wall includes a second primary transfer element closely facing a second secondary transfer element of the at least one circuit board for interaction by being coupled through an electromagnetic alternating field and used for signal transfer.

11. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 8, wherein each primary transfer element is connected to respective associated feed electronics encapsulated in the energy transfer wall.

12. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the support rail supports power supply lines and signal lines which belong to the bus system and which are connected to respective subscriber devices via the connection means.

13. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the support rail supports power supply lines and signal lines which belong to the bus system and which are connected to respective subscriber devices via the connection means;

and

wherein the connection means comprise plug-in connectors and lines leading to the feed electronics.

14. The modular electronic system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the connection means comprise primary and secondary transfer elements so as to be effective as an inductive or capacitive transformer.

15. A bus subscriber device for a modular electronic system, comprising:

a housing made of electrically insulating material, comprising an energy transfer wall and at least one circuit board including electronic components, and which can be mounted to a support rail;

wherein the energy transfer wall includes at least one flat electromagnetically effective primary transfer element encapsulated therein for power transfer purposes, and at least one flat electromagnetically effective primary transfer element encapsulated therein for signal transfer purposes; and

wherein the circuit board includes at least one flat electromagnetically effective secondary transfer element for power supply purposes and one flat electromagnetically effective secondary transfer element for reception and transmission of signals, which secondary transfer elements are arranged so as to closely face the primary transfer elements, for coupling purposes.