Caterpillar Global Mining Europe Gmbh

Karsten Schwinne

Johannes Wesselmann

Markus Lenzing

Helmut Hermann

Henner Ruschkamp

Johannes WEßELMANN

Henner RÜSCHKAMP

An intrinsically safe connection unit with a network interface for intrinsically safe appliances in explosion-risk areas, having a housing, a voltage supply connection, plug connection for connecting an intrinsically safe appliance via a transmission cable, and a decoupling circuit. For allowing even a multiplicity of network subscribers to be connected in the explosion-risk area with less wiring complexity, a plurality of plug connections of the same type are provided as network interface, each being preceded by a separate decoupling circuit, and the voltage supply connection builds a central feed connection with separate supply cores for each plug connection each having at least two plug contacts for data communication and at least two plug contacts for supplying power to the connectable appliances via the transmission cable. The invention relates also to a Controller and a network interface for use therewith.

Intrinsically safe connection unit with a network interface, intrinsically safe appliance and network interface for it

A network infrastructure for mobile machines which are usable in explosive areas, having inherently safe participants and not inherently safe network participants the latter being arranged in pressure-resistant housings. The machine has at least one controller for actuating at least one not inherently safe participant. In order to provide a network infrastructure which avoids the drawbacks of the prior art, the machine has, outside the pressure-resistant housing for the first controller, at least one second, inherently safe controller for actuating at least one inherently safe participant, wherein the first controller forms a data distributor for a plurality of not inherently safe participants and the second controller forms a data distributor for a plurality of inherently safe participants, and wherein the first data distributor and the second data distributor are linked via an electrically decoupled data communication link.

Network infrastructure for mobile machines which can be used in areas at risk of explosion

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Hamm, Germany

Karsten Schwinne