Data connectors for commercial vehicles - The next generation of trailer connectors

With plug and socket as well as spiral cable and data channel, the connector system includes all components necessary for transmitting digital data for example from the back end of a semi-trailer to the driver's cab and back. Developped in cooperation with ZF Friedrichshafen, the system, which is based on the Automotive Ethernet 1000BASE-T1 standard, achieves a data transmission rate of 1 Gbit/s over a channel length of 40 meters.
The General Safety Regulation (GSR) provides for the introduction of various driver assistance and safety systems - including an improvement in the immediate field of vision for the driver. However, current connectors for trailer operation do not offer the necessary data transfer rates required for such applications. In cooperation with the automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen, ERICH JAEGER has addressed this problem.
The cooperation between the two automotive supplier companies came about through their joint participation in the Research Association of Automotive Technology (Forschungsvereinigung Automobiltechnik – FAT) under the umbrella of the VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie). The research work that was started at the FAT should naturally also result in a concrete application. Therefore, ZF Friedrichshafen AG decided to develop a system for data transmission between towing vehicle and trailer that meets all requirements of the GSR. For the data channel and the plug-in connections, the company decided to cooperate with ERICH JAEGER.
Technical features of the new plug-in system for data transmission
Interested parties can examine the result of the cooperation at the IAA Transportation on the ERICH JAEGER booth (Hall 26, Booth D05). The connector has two shielded 2-pin data lines with a transmission rate of 1Gbit/s according to 1000BAS-T1 Ethernet. In addition, there are several power contacts with a diameter of 1.5 to 6 mm², the number and composition of which can vary depending on the application and customer requirements.