DEVICE FOR THE WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF A SIGNAL

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a device for the wireless transmission of a signal transmitted from a sensor to a supply apparatus (for example a control system) via at least one line, having electrical connections for the line and having an electronic transmitter apparatus that has an electronic circuit for tapping the signal and a transmitter with which the tapped signal can be wirelessly transmitted. The device is in the form of a plug adapter that has a plug housing, wherein a first plug part and a second plug part are attached to the plug housing, wherein the first plug part is connected to the second plug part via at least one signal conductor arranged within the plug housing for wired transmission of the signal, and wherein the electronic transmitter apparatus is arranged in the plug housing in order to tap off the signal.

Claims

1. A device for wireless transmitting a signal transferred from a sensor to a supply apparatus via a line, with electrical connections and an electronic transmitting apparatus, the electronic transmitting apparatus having an electronic circuit for tapping the signal from the line and a transmitter, with which the tapped signal can be wirelessly transmitted, wherein the device is formed as an adapter plug having a plug housing, wherein a first plug part and a second plug part are attached to the plug housing, wherein the first plug part is connected to the second plug part via a signal conductor arranged within the plug housing for wired transfer of the signal, wherein the electronic transmitting apparatus is arranged in the plug housing in order to tap the signal from the signal conductor, and wherein a first cable plug is plugged into the first plug part, the first cable plug being connected to a first cable on a sensor side of the first cable plug, and wherein a second cable plug is plugged into the second plug part, the second cable plug being connected to a second cable on a supply side of the second cable plug.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supply apparatus is a supply and indicator apparatus with a visual and/or audible indication of a measurement signal.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supply apparatus is a supply and control apparatus with a control system of a machine.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterised in that the plug housing has a length of less than 10 cm and/or a width less than 5 cm.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the length of the plug housing is less than 7 cm and/or the width of the plug housing is less than 3 cm.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterised in that the first and second plug parts are formed as mutually corresponding, complementary plug parts, wherein the first plug part is formed as a male plug part and the second plug part is formed as a complementary female plug part.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first plug part and/or the second plug part are formed as round plug connectors.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the first plug part and/or the second plug part are formed as M12 round plug connectors with a screw locking.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein supplying power to the electronic transmitting apparatus integrated into the plug housing takes place exclusively via a cable that can be plugged into the first and second plug parts, wherein no additional power supply is integrated into the plug housing and/or no additional power supply can be connected or is connected to the plug housing.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug housing, outside of besides the first plug part and the second plug part, is absent of further plug parts or connections configured to provide an additional power supply.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is formed as a two-conductor sensor such that two signal conductors are provided in the plug housing between the first and second plug parts, the two signal conductors being formed simultaneous to supply conductors and are connected to the first and second plug parts.

12. The device according to claim 1, characterised in that the sensor is formed as a three-conductor sensor, wherein a current-carrying signal conductor, a voltage-carrying supply conductor, and a ground conductor or neutral conductor are arranged in the plug housing between the first and second plug parts, and wherein the current-carrying signal conductor, the voltage-carrying supply conductor, and the ground conductor or the neutral conductor are connected to the first and second plug parts.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic transmitting apparatus is configured to produce a radio signal.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the radio signal is a Bluetooth signal or a mobile radio signal produced via a radio chip.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein an additional functional apparatus is integrated into the plug housing, and wherein a signal produced with the additional functional apparatus is transmitted wirelessly with the electronic transmitting apparatus.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the additional functional apparatus is a temperature sensor or a vibration sensor.

17. A measuring apparatus comprising the device according to claim 1, the sensor, and the supply apparatus, wherein the adapter plug of the device is connected to the sensor with a first cable and is connected to the supply apparatus with a second cable.

18. A mechanical apparatus comprising a machine and the measuring apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the supply apparatus is formed as a machine control system or is integrated into a machine control system, wherein a machine parameter is monitored with the sensor, and wherein the machine control system is connected to the sensor via the device.

19. The mechanical apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the mechanical apparatus is formed as a pump apparatus including a pump, the machine control system formed as a pump control system, and the sensor for determining or monitoring an operating parameter of the pump.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The disclosure will be described below with the aid of drawings, which merely represent an example embodiment. In the drawings: [0032] FIGS. 1A-1E illustrate, in a diagrammatically very simplified manner, different variants of a measuring apparatus according to the disclosure with an adapter plug according to the disclosure, [0033] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate one possible embodiment of an adapter plug according to the disclosure in two different (perspective) views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] In FIGS. 1A to 1E, depicted in each case in a diagrammatically very simplified manner is a sensor 1, which is connected by wire to an (electronic) supply apparatus 2, for example to a control system 2. The sensor 1 can be a pressure sensor, for example. The supply apparatus or control system 2 can be a PLC control system, which is a component of a mechanical installation, for example a pump installation.

[0035] The sensor 1 is connected (by cable) to the control system 2 with the interconnection of a device 3, which serves for the wireless transmission of the analogue sensor signal. This device 3 is provided with electrical connections via which, on the one hand, the line or cable 10 from the sensor 1 and, on the other hand, the line or cable 12 from the control system 2 can be connected. Furthermore, the device has an electronic transmitting apparatus 8, which in turn, on the one hand, has an electronic circuit for tapping the sensor signal and, on the other hand, a transmitter, so that the tapped signal can be transmitted wirelessly with the transmitter.

[0036] According to the disclosure, the device 3 is formed as an adapter plug 3, which has a plug housing 4 to which a first plug part 5 and a second plug part 6 are attached. The first plug part 5 is connected to the second plug part 6 via at least one signal conductor 7, arranged within the plug housing 4, for wired transfer of the sensor signal. The electronic transmitting apparatus 8 already mentioned, with which the sensor signal is tapped from the signal conductor 7, is integrated into the plug housing 4.

[0037] In this case, FIG. 2A shows that a first cable plug 9 can be plugged into the first plug part 5, which first cable plug 9 in turn is connected to a first line or a first cable 10, wherein this first cable 10 is connected to the sensor 1, for example.

[0038] Correspondingly, a second cable plug 11 can be plugged into the second plug part 6, which second cable plug 11 in turn is connected to a second line or a second cable 12. This second cable 12 can be connected to a second apparatus 2, for example, to the control system 2 for example.

[0039] A comparative viewing of FIGS. 1A to 1E and 2A and 2B makes it clear that, in a generally known pump installation, the measuring apparatus or sensor 1 can be connected directly to the control system 2 via conventional standard plug connectors (without the device 3). The adapter plug 3 according to the disclosure can now be integrated very simply, and without wiring outlay, into this/these connecting line(s) between the sensor 1 and the control system 2. This basically maintains a wired connection between the measuring apparatus 1 and the control system 2 for faultless real-time control. However, the sensor signal transferred by wire can additionally be tapped electronically via the adapter plug 3 and made available for wireless remote interrogation via the electronic transmitting apparatus 8. The radio chip of the transmitting apparatus 8 can provide a Bluetooth signal or a mobile radio signal, for example, which transmits the tapped sensor data into the cloud either directly or via a gateway.

[0040] The plug parts 5, 6 of the adapter plug 3 are preferably formed as standard plug connectors, for example as M12 round plug connectors with screw locking. This is indicated in FIG. 2A in particular. Since also the cable plugs 9, 11 of the normal connecting cables 10, 12 and also the connecting lines for the sensor 1 and the control system 2 are equipped with such M12 round plug connectors, the adapter plug 3 can be integrated in a straightforward manner into existing installations. The adapter plug 3 can be incorporated into an (existing) installation with minimal installation time. It can be used universally, regardless of the specific configuration of the control system.

[0041] Moreover, it is expedient if one of the plug parts, for example the first plug part 5, is formed as a male plug part and the other plug part, for example the second plug part 6, is formed as a (complementary) female plug part (cf. FIGS. 2A, B).

[0042] It is particularly important, within the context of the disclosure, that the supply of power to the transmitting device 8 integrated into the plug housing 4 takes place exclusively via the cables 10, 12 which are provided anyway, so that no additional power supply is integrated into the plug housing 4. Also no additional power supply is connected to or can be connected to the plug housing 4, meaning that the plug housing 4 has no further plug parts or connections, in addition to the first plug part 5 and the second plug part 6, for an additional power supply. The supply of power always takes place via the supply apparatus 2 of the sensor 1 and consequently via the connection cable 10 or 12 that is provided anyway. This is true for all the depicted example embodiments in FIGS. 1A to 1E, which will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

[0043] FIG. 1A shows a first embodiment of the disclosure with a conventional loop-powered 4 to 20 mA two-wire sensor, which is normally connected to a supply apparatus or a corresponding control system with a 24 V connection. In the interconnected adapter plug 3 or in the plug housing 4 thereof, only the two signal conductors 7 are arranged between the first plug part 5 and the second plug part 6, which two signal conductors 7 at the same time serve as supply conductors for a parasitic power supply of the electronic transmitting apparatus 8. Therefore, in FIG. 1A it is indicated that the electronic transmitting apparatus 8 for tapping the sensor signal is integrated into one of the signal conductors 7 or connected to one of these signal conductors 7. This is typically an integrated circuit 14 that, on the one hand, taps the signal of the signal line and, on the other hand, is equipped with a radio chip with which a radio signal, for example a Bluetooth signal or a mobile radio signal, can be produced. Also indicated in FIG. 1A is the parasitic power supply 13 for the transmitting apparatus 8 or the integrated circuit 14. The voltage supply of the adapter plug 3 is consequently generated from the current that the sensor 1 superimposes, without affecting the measurement signal itself.

[0044] FIGS. 1B to 1E show different variants of a three-wire sensor.

[0045] In FIG. 1B, a variant with a (current-driven) 4 to 20 mA three-wire sensor is depicted. The three-wire sensor has, in addition to the current-carrying signal conductor 7a, a voltage-carrying 24 V line 7b and a ground line 7c. FIG. 1B shows an embodiment in which the transmitting apparatus 8 in the adapter plug 3 is actively supplied with a voltage via the 24 V line 7b, so that a voltage supply is produced independently of the current superimposed from the sensor 1. An active voltage supply such as this enables a higher transmission power or a kind of intermediary node, which could pass on the data packets from more distant adapter plugs, indeed as far as to a data gateway. However, also in this active variant, the supply of power takes place exclusively via the cables 10 or 12 with which the sensor 1 is connected to the control system 2. Additional voltage supplies or connections are not provided at the adapter plug 3. In this embodiment, on the one hand a current-carrying signal conductor 7a, on the other hand a voltage-carrying supply conductor 7b and finally a ground or neutral conductor 7c are consequently arranged in the plug housing 4 between the first plug part 5 and the second plug part 6, which in each case are connected to the plug parts 5, 6. The electronic transmitting apparatus 8 taps the measurement signal from the signal conductor 7a. The supply of voltage to the electronic circuit 14 takes place via the voltage-carrying supply conductor 7b and the ground conductor 7c.

[0046] FIG. 1C shows a 4 to 20 mA three-wire sensor. The sensor 1 according to FIG. 1C and the control system 2 thereof are consequently depicted identically as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1B. In contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 1B, however, the supply of power to the adapter plug 3 in the embodiment according to FIG. 1C again takes place parasitically and therefore not actively. The power supply of the adapter plug in the variant according to FIG. 1C is consequently comparable with the variant according to FIG. 1A.

[0047] FIG. 1D shows an embodiment of a three-wire sensor, which is not a 4 to 20 mA sensor however, but rather is formed as a (voltage-driven) 0 to 10 V sensor. In this respect, the measurement of the measurement variable differs from the previously described embodiments, since a voltage measurement is carried out and not a current measurement. The supply of voltage to the adapter plug, however, again takes place actively via the 24 V line 7b, that is to say actively via the control system or via the cables 10, 12.

[0048] Finally, an embodiment of a digital three-wire sensor is depicted in FIG. 1E, and indeed again with active voltage supply via the 24 V line 7b of the control system 2. The sensor 1 consequently offers a digital interface, for example a Modbus or an IO link, which can be read out from the adapter plug 3.

[0049] The disclosure is always characterised by the easy-to-integrate adapter plug 3.

[0050] Such an adapter plug is characterised by compact design and simple cabling via conventional M12 round plugs, for example.

[0051] It is within the scope of the disclosure that the plug housing 4 has a length of less than 10 cm, preferably less than 7 cm, for example up to 5 cm. The length preferably means the extension along the longitudinal direction, which extends for example from the first plug part 5 to the second plug part 6. In the case of a box-shaped housing, the width and/or the height are each less than 5 cm, preferably less than 3 cm, for example up to max. 2 cm. Preferably, a cylindrical plug housing is produced, which has a length in the dimension described and a diameter of less than 5 cm, preferably less than 3 cm, for example up to 2 cm.