Harting Features New Connectivity And RFID Solutions For Rail Applications

New products include the Han(R) HC Individual: a new industrial connector family providing flexible contact arrangement options, allowing individually sealed 350 A contacts (to protection class IP 66) to be arranged in configurations with up to ten adjacent connections on one supporting rail. This interface can be very easily separated thanks to a stainless steel lever system with integrated contact guide. Each individual connection can be assembled separately, and engaged and exchanged individually.

Depending on the application demands, the supporting rails can be stacked one above the other to create a high-voltage block with a variety of extension options in the vertical and horizontal planes. The current version is capable of supporting a cable range of between 25 mm² and 120 mm² with up to 350 A rated current and 3600 V rated voltage.

All components are subjected to the vibration and shock tests specified in railway standard IEC 61 373 and are in flammability class I2/F2 of the NFF 16-101/102 standard. These performance indicators in combination with the individual arrangement options qualify this product family for railway applications involving carriage connections, traction motors and converters.

Another new development is a range of new fixing elements to extend the flexibility of the D20 full metal housings used with the company’s DIN 41612 connector family. The robust and vibration-proof D20 housing range is the system of choice for railway applications. The new fixing element is designed to be vibration-proof, and the plastic used for the ejection lever has the fire classification and smoke index suitable for railway applications: I2/F1 under NFF 16-101.

Also applicable to rail use are two new modules in the Han-Modular(R) industrial connector family. The new fully screened Han(R) Megabit module is especially suited for applications in railway technology. Two data cables can be connected per module, and the product combines assembly convenience with product compactness. The screening design is independent of that of the housing, and the proven Han® D crimp contacts are used. These can be installed into the inserts and arranged to be easily accessible.

Because its mechanical properties meet those of the established Han(R) Quintax connector, the Han(R) Megabit module is ideally suited for applications with the highest mechanical specifications, for example for use as an Ethernet interface in railway carriage connections – with the module taking up only half as much space as conventional solutions. The module is designed for data rates of up to 100 Mbit/s, meets Cat.5e performance requirements, and can be used with stranded wires with cross-sections between 0.14 and 2.5 mm2 and cable diameters between 5 and 12 mm.

The new Han(R) Shielded module is specifically intended for applications in which shielded signal cables are to be designed to function free of interference and to mate securely. Up to 20 shielded signal contacts can be connected with a minimum space requirement, and the metallic shielding reduces to zero any interference from directly adjacent power modules.

A potential problem with applications involving frequency converters is that the power cables can often transfer interference to signal cables. With the new Han(R) Shielded module, the signal contacts are now shielded against any such adverse effects. This now enables power and signal modules to be transferred in a connector without interference and securely, even in extreme electrical signal conditions.

HARTING is also featuring its family of RFID (radio-frequency identification) systems, which offer a high degree of flexibility to simplify the implementation of scalable solutions in different application sectors including railway rolling-stock monitoring. These systems combine rugged, high-performance RFID readers with powerful data pre-processing to ensure high-speed data transmission and optimum dynamic network performance. HARTING’s UHF RFID technology stands up to harsh environmental conditions, and also reliably registers rapidly moving objects with metal surfaces, such as railway wagons. A read range of from 5 cm to 12 m ensures a high degree of flexibility.