Patent Application
20240303212
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a modular industrial plug connector and a method for unidirectional transmission of data in a modular industrial plug connector.
Plug-connector modular systems are needed in order to be able to adapt a plug connector—in particular, a heavy rectangular plug connector-flexibly to specific requirements regarding the transmission of signals and energy, for example, between two electrical devices. A modular plug connector is employed in order to generate, evaluate or relay, in decentralized machine control systems or plant control systems, electrical, electronic, optoelectronic or pneumatic control signals directly in the unit to be triggered within a plug connector.
Data diodes are used for unidirectional transmission of data in sensitive networks. In this case, it is a question of electronic components that have been set up via software for unidirectional transmission of data.
In the prior art, plug-connector modular systems using a modular frame—also known as a retaining frame or module frame—are disclosed in numerous printed documents and publications, are presented at trade fairs, and are in use, particularly in the industrial environment, in the form of heavy-duty plug connectors. For instance, they are described in printed documents DE 10 2013 106 279 A1, DE 10 2012 110 907 A1, DE 10 2012 107 270 A1, DE 20 2013 103 611 U1, EP 2 510 590 A1, EP 2 510 589 A1, DE 20 2011 050 643 U1, EP 860 906 A2, DE 296 01 998 U1, EP 1 353 412 A2, DE 10 2015 104 562 A1, EP 3 067 993 A1, EP 1 026 788 A1, EP 2 979 326 A1, EP 2 917 974 A1. As a rule in these cases, several like or different plug-connector modules are retained jointly in a modular frame and are incorporated into a plug-connector housing. The functionality of a plug connector formed by this means is accordingly very flexible. For example, pneumatic modules, optical modules, modules for transmitting electrical energy and/or electrical analog and/or digital signals may find application in the plug-connector modular system. Plug-connector modules are also increasingly undertaking metrological tasks and data-processing tasks.
Machine data—in particular, also sensitive data for monitoring and/or controlling the corresponding machine—are often communicated via plug connectors of such a type. In the meantime, machines or entire machine plants are falling victim to so-called hacker attacks. In the course of these attacks, electronic points of weakness are discovered and are often employed to cause damage. As a result, machine stoppages and associated losses of production may arise.
In order to ward off such hacker attacks, firewalls for the company networks are frequently employed. If the firewalls are overcome, the machines can be manipulated by the attacker, and/or sensitive data can be diverted away from the machines.
Embodiments of the disclosure provide for a secure operation of machines, in particular, of production machines.
The modular industrial plug connector according to an embodiment of the invention may be summarized as including: a retaining frame into which diverse plug-connector modules are capable of being inserted and fixed and are also capable of being detached and removed. Such retaining frames may have been variably configured. Such retaining frames have already been sufficiently described above.
The modular industrial plug connector may include at least two plug-connector modules which are capable of being inserted into the retaining frame. As a rule, the retaining frame, together with the plug-connector modules, is fixed into a plug-connector housing or ancillary housing which in this case is then likewise associated with the industrial plug connector. But there are also fields of application—in a switch cabinet, for instance—where a plug-connector housing or ancillary housing is dispensed with.
The plug connector may further include a data-diode module which has been set up for communication with the at least two plug-connector modules. This means that the data-diode module is able to communicate with the plug-connector modules either via a data line or in wireless manner.
By virtue of the data-diode module, a unidirectional transmission of data is capable of being set in at least one of the two plug-connector modules. This means that data are relayed in only one direction via this plug-connector module or via the plug-connector modules. By this means, individual and, in particular, very sensitive industrial plants or facilities can be protected, even when the firewall of the network being employed fails.
The data-diode module is preferentially likewise capable—in a manner analogous to that for the plug-connector modules—of being inserted into the retaining frame and fixed therein. For this purpose, the data-diode module preferentially has substantially the same basic shape as the at least two plug-connector modules. The basic shape of a plug-connector module has already been elucidated above. The data-diode module has substantially been configured in the form of a right parallelepiped and includes on two opposing narrow sides fastening lugs or mounting means which are capable of being fitted into corresponding recesses or windows in the retaining frame. The necessary electronics—which substantially consist of a printed circuit board, a processor and, where appropriate, also a data memory—are then located within a right-parallelepipedal housing.
In one embodiment, the data-diode module may contain contact elements for communication. In this case, the data-diode module can be interposed if a plug-connector module of the industrial plug connector is communicating with a mating-plug-connector module of an electrical device. The plug-connector modules communicate with one another via the data diode, the data diode being able to block one data-flow direction.
A data-flow direction of the industrial plug connector is preferentially capable of being set and capable of being switched over by the data-diode module. The data-diode module can carry out a so-called:
In this case, no data can get away from the electrical device and also cannot be intercepted in an undesirable manner.
The data-diode module can also carry out a so-called:
In one embodiment, the communication between the data-diode module and the at least two plug-connector modules may take place via a bus system integrated within the retaining frame. The bus system may include at least one data bus and an associated data-conducting path for electronic transmission of data. The retaining frame preferentially has a rectangular cross-section with two opposing short sides and two opposing long sides, the data-conducting path extending over at least one of the two long sides. The plug-connector modules and the data-diode module include appropriate electrical points of contact with, or interfaces to, the data-conducting path.
By virtue of the data-diode module, the corresponding plug-connector modules of two communication partners—for instance, plug connectors and mating plug connectors-no longer communicate directly with one another. The data-diode module is electronically interposed, without the communication partners noticing this.
Some embodiments provide a method for unidirectional transmission of data in a modular industrial plug connector that may include at least two plug-connector modules and a data-diode module,
In the case of the unidirectional transmission of data, the data-diode module offers the following possibilities: a) A response blocking or a control blocking is set in a first and a second plug-connector module; b) A response blocking is set in the first plug-connector module, and a control blocking is set in the second plug-connector module; and c) A response blocking or a control blocking is set in the first plug-connector module, and the second plug-connector module carries out a bidirectional transmission of data.
An embodiment of the disclosure is represented in the drawings and will be described in more detail in the following:
The figures may contain partially simplified, schematic representations. In part, identical reference symbols are used for like, but possibly not identical, elements. Various views of like elements might have been scaled differently.
The differing plug-connector modules 1 offer the possibility to adapt an optimal module plug to differing transmission signals, possibly to differing current intensities, to differently combined units or to differing physical signal quantities, such as electrical, optical or pneumatic signals.
In the frame is a data-diode module 3 which contains a plug-in side 4 corresponding to a plug-in face of a plug-connector module 1 and also comprises a coupling side with pins 5.
An electronic data-diode circuit which is able to set a unidirectional data transfer in individual and/or in all plug-connector modules 1 has been implemented in the data-diode module 3.
In the embodiment example shown here, there are two data-diode modules 3 arranged opposite one another, both of which comprise pin-shaped coupling elements. Either the pins have been directly connected to the data-diode circuit permanently, or the pins are contacted therewith by a screw-terminal connection 6.
A bus system has been integrated within the retaining frame 2, with the aid of which the plug-connector modules 1 and the data-diode module 3 are communicatively connected to one another.
In the course of the data communication of an electrical device, the data-diode modules 3 have always been interposed. On the basis of an external specification, which has been installed in the respective data-diode module 3 via software, individual plug-connector modules 1 are subjected to a unidirectional transmission of data by the data-diode module 3.
To be seen in
Even though various aspects or features of the disclosure have been shown in the Figures in combination in each instance, to a person skilled in the art it is obvious-unless otherwise stated—that the combinations represented and discussed are not the only ones possible. In particular, units or complexes of features corresponding to one another from differing embodiment examples can be interchanged with one another. In other words, aspects of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2021 117 400.7 | Jul 2021 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE2022/100464 | 6/23/2022 | WO |
