Abstract:
An electrical connector includes a plug ( 20 ) and a socket ( 40 ). The plug ( 20 ) and the socket ( 40 ) have identical numbers of at least two plug contacts ( 201  to  208 ) and at least two socket contacts ( 401  to  408 ). At least two of the plug contacts ( 201  to  208 ) and at least two of the socket contacts ( 401  to  408 ) are conductively connected.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This claims priority of German Patent Application No. 10 2008 022 610.6, filed on May 8, 2008 and hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an electrical connector including a plug and a socket. 
         [0003]    The RJ45 plug has become the established standard for Ethernet networks. The connecting technology consisting of socket and RJ45 plug is specified according to IEC 60603-7, 11-1996. 
         [0004]    The abbreviation RJ is short for “Registered Jack”, wherein “connector” may be used instead of “jack”. Such connectors are also referred to as “Western plugs” and include a series of plugs developed in the United States, which were initially used for connecting telephones only. 
         [0005]    In addition to the 4-pole variants RJ11 and RJ14, RJ45 is the American technical term for the 8-pole Western plug. In Germany, it is mainly used for connecting ISDN terminals to the S0 bus, as well as in Ethernet or ATM LAN applications and hubs. 
         [0006]    German published application DE 101 37 703 A1 discloses a plug-in connector having redundant soldered, welded or other connections. The disclosed plug-in connector is, for example, provided for connecting electromagnetic actuators, although it does not have a defined standard. 
         [0007]    German patent application DE 10 2005 060 798 A1 discloses a plug connector for Ethernet connections consisting of a socket and a plug, wherein the plug connector is compatible with RJ45 such that a known RJ45 standard plug may be plugged into the socket. The patent application further discloses two additional power contacts via which a supply voltage may be transmitted. The contacts for voltage transmission are positioned next to the contacts for data transmission. 
         [0008]    A similar plug-in connection is disclosed in patent document DE 100 53 843 C1. It is also a plug-in connection designed according to the RJ45 standard, wherein the additional power contacts for the voltage supply are arranged in the upper portions of the plug and the socket. Redundant interconnection between the contacts is not provided. 
         [0009]    There are further disclosed techniques which are supposed to ensure the transmission of electrical data signals by means of structural modifications or additions to the plugs and/or sockets of the connectors. The published application DE 101 13 529 A1 discloses a plug-in connector using a standard RJ45 plug that is locked to the socket by a lock. This structural addition to the socket is supposed to ensure that the plug cannot become detached from the socket. 
         [0010]    A further mechanical lock for securing an RJ45 plug is disclosed in patent document DE 10 2004 038 123 B4. The housing of the plug is prevented from slipping out of the socket by a latching element. The plug is further provided with a closure piece preventing undesired opening of the plug so that the electrical connections cannot be manipulated. 
         [0011]    The German translation of European patent document DE 601 24 727 T2 discloses a technique connecting the housing halves of a plug to each other and simultaneously fixing the cable. This object is achieved by a rotatable clamping ring at the end of the plug. By turning the clamping ring, the housing halves are connected to each other such that they can no longer be opened. The rotation of the clamping ring further narrows the cross-section at the location where the cable enters the plug. Due to the narrowed cross-section, the insulation of the cable is compressed and the cable is fixed. 
         [0012]    European patent application EP 1 128 494 A1 discloses an adapter and a plug to be used in communication and control networks. Several sockets are provided in the adapter to allow the connection of several devices, such as telephone, fax machine and network, within a small space using the available copper cables. The adapter is designed such that various types of plugs, preferably plugs according to the RJ45 or RJ11 standards, may be used. 
         [0013]    German patent document DE 10 2006 039 799 B3 describes a plug according to the RJ45 standard consisting of two housing halves pivotably connected to each other. As the plug consists of several housing halves connected by a hinge mechanism, the plug may be quickly opened and closed. The plug is further designed such that it may be opened and closed without any tools. A further embodiment describes a mechanism by which the conductors of the cables may be easily connected to the plug. By closing the housing halves, the contact elements are pressed through the insulation of the conductors and the electrically conductive connection between plug and line is established. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    It is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector for secure, robust and undisturbed data transmission, preferably for industrial applications. 
         [0015]    This object is achieved by an electrical connector comprising: a plug provided with a cable; a socket provided with a cable, wherein the plug and the socket have an identical number of at least two plug contacts and at least two socket contacts; and an electrical conductive connection between at least two plug contacts and an electrical conductive connection between at least two socket contacts. 
         [0016]    The inventive electrical connector is a connector primarily ensuring secure signal and/or data transfer. The electrical connector includes a plug and a socket. The plug and the socket each have an identical number of at least two contacts. The plug and the socket are each provided with a cable, the cables having identical numbers of conductors. A special feature of this embodiment is that at least two contacts in the plug and at least two contacts in the socket are conductively connected. 
         [0017]    In a further embodiment, the plug and the socket each have eight contacts for signal and/or data transmission. This embodiment may be used for transmitting signals and/or data in Ethernet networks or in controls. Various embodiments having eight or less contacts are known and used for connectors employed in Ethernet networks. 
         [0018]    The preferred embodiment of the plug is the interconnection of always any two of the plug contacts to form a plug contact pair, wherein the two interconnected plug contacts transmit the same signal in parallel. In previous plugs, the first contact, the second contact, the third contact and the sixth contact are each connected to a conductor of a cable. In the plug of the present invention, the first plug contact and the fourth plug contact, the second plug contact and the fifth plug contact, the third plug contact and the seventh plug contact, and the sixth plug contact and the eighth plug contact are conductively connected to each other in pairs. This interconnection ensures that the signal and/or data stream is transmitted even if one contact of the paired, interconnected contacts does not have an electrically conductive connection. 
         [0019]    The matching element for the plug is a socket whose contacts are interconnected analogously to the plug contacts. The interconnection of the socket contacts ensures that the signals and/or data transmitted from the plug to the socket are securely transmitted. The interconnection of the socket contacts further prevents signal and/or data loss in case of failure of a socket contact. 
         [0020]    The embodiments described above are preferably realized by connecting an electric cable to each of the plug and the socket, the cables comprising fewer conductors than there are plug and/or socket contacts. This requires at least two contacts to be connected to each other. The potential combinations for interconnecting the plug and/or socket contacts depend on the number of conductors provided by the cable. 
         [0021]    In one embodiment for the 10/100 Mbit Ethernet technology, the cables for the plug and the socket each have four conductors. The use of four conductors represents the maximum of conductors if, for security reasons, each contact is to be conductively connected to at least one second contact for signal and/or data transmission. 
         [0022]    Another possible embodiment of the connector includes using a cable comprising as many conductors as plug and/or socket contacts. This embodiment allows connecting always two conductors in parallel to the corresponding plug and/or socket contacts. This interconnection ensures signal and/or data transmission not only when a plug and/or socket contact fails, but also when a conductor of the cable is damaged. 
         [0023]    In order to ensure compatibility with other electrical connectors and to cover other fields of application, another embodiment includes designing the plug and the socket according to the RJ standard. The RJ standard permits several embodiments. If a plug and a socket are to be equipped with four contacts, the RJ9, RJ10 or RJ22 standards may be used. These standards are mainly used in communication technology. 
         [0024]    The preferred standard for the inventive electrical connector is the RJ45 standard. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]    The inventive subject matter will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to the schematic drawings, in which: 
           [0026]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic front view of the plug; 
           [0027]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic front view of the socket; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic illustration of the interconnections within the plug; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic illustration of the interconnections within the socket. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]    Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements and components. 
         [0031]      FIG. 1  shows a plug  20  compatible with the RJ45 standard. The plug  20  is provided with eight plug contacts  201  to  208 , via which the control signals and/or data streams are transmitted. A plug lock  24  is arranged opposite to the plug contacts  201 ,  202 ,  203 ,  204 ,  205 ,  206 ,  207  and  208  on the plug housing  22 , which allows locking the plug  20  in a suitably formed matching element (such as a socket  40 ). By locking the plug lock  24 , the plug  20  is prevented from becoming detached and thus interrupting the control signals and/or data streams. 
         [0032]      FIG. 2  shows a socket  40  compatible with the RJ45 standard. The socket  40  matches the plug  20  described in  FIG. 1 . The socket  40  essentially consists of two basic components, the socket housing  42  and the plug receptacle  46 . The socket  40  is provided with eight socket contacts  401  to  408  arranged in the plug receptacle  46 . The control signals and/or data streams are transmitted via the socket contacts  401 ,  402 ,  403 ,  404 ,  405 ,  606 ,  407  and  408 . A socket lock  44  arranged in the socket housing  42  receives the plug lock  24  described in  FIG. 1 . By locking the socket lock  44  with the plug lock  24 , the plug  20  is prevented from becoming detached and thus interrupting the control signals and/or data streams. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  shows the plug  20  and the cable  12  comprising a plurality of conductors  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17 . It further shows the plug contacts  201  to  208  and the interconnections among the plug contacts  201  to  208 . The first conductor  14  of the cable  12  is connected to the first plug contact  201  conductively connected to the fourth plug contact  204 . The second conductor  15  is connected to the second plug contact  202  conductively connected to the fifth plug contact  205 . The third conductor  16  is connected to the third plug contact  203  conductively connected to the seventh plug contact  207 . The fourth conductor  17  is connected to the sixth plug contact  206  conductively connected to the eighth plug contact  208 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  shows the socket  40  with the cable  12 , which is also provided with a plurality of conductors  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17 . It further shows the socket contacts  401  to  408  and the interconnections among the socket contacts  401  to  408 . The first conductor  14  is connected to the first socket contact  401 , which is connected to the fourth socket contact  404 . The second conductor  15  is connected to the second socket contact  402 , which is connected to the fifth socket contact  405 . The third conductor  16  is connected to the third socket contact  403 , which is connected to the seventh socket contact  407 . The fourth conductor  17  is connected to the sixth socket contact  406 , which is connected to the eighth socket contact  408 . 
         [0035]    The present invention comprises both a connector where the plug and socket each have their own cables, and thus a connection may be formed between the two, and a connector where the plug and socket can be attached to the same cable, for use for example an extension.