Stabilized gold wire brush for sliprings

Abstract

A wire brush for a slipring includes a contact section, from which a stabilizer arm is extending backwards towards the brush block of the slipring. The stabilizer arm holds a friction section, which is in friction contact with the contact section at a friction contact area. Such contact, in operation, generates internal friction within the brush when the brush is moved and, therefore, suppresses oscillations of the brush.

Claims

1. A sliding brush for a slipring, the sliding brush comprising: a contact section that includes a metal wire or a metal sheet and that has a first end dimensioned to be held in a brush carrier of the slipring, and a second end opposite to the first end, a stabilizer arm having third and fourth ends, and a friction section, wherein the stabilizer arm is extending from the second end towards the first end, the third and second ends being affixed to one another, the fourth end being a free disconnected end of the stabilizer arm, the stabilizer arm further holding the friction section, the friction section being in friction contact with the contact section at a single friction contact area, the single friction contact area located at the fourth end.

2. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the friction contact area is located between the first end and a point at half a length of the contact section.

3. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the friction contact area is located between the first end and 30% of the length of the contact section.

4. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the friction section and the contact section in the friction contact area includes surfaces configured to generate predetermined friction.

5. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the friction section is configured to press with a predetermined force against the contact section in the friction contact area.

6. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the contact section includes metal having spring elastic properties.

7. The sliding brush according to claim 6, wherein the contact section includes spring steel or brass.

8. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the contact section has a surface comprising a highly conductive material.

9. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the stabilizer arm and the friction section includes the same material as that of the contact section.

10. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the stabilizer arm and the friction section form a one-piece unit with the contact section, wherein said metal wire or metal sheet is bent upon itself to extend towards the first end.

11. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the stabilizer arm is connected to the contact section by a connecting means including one of a crimping sleeve, a solder connection, a glued connection, and a welding connection.

12. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the sliding brush comprises the metal sheet and the contact section has a hole through which the friction section penetrates.

13. The sliding brush according to claim 1, wherein the sliding brush comprises the metal sheet, and the contact section is an attached metal contact piece comprising at least one of a highly conductive material and metal graphite.

14. A slip-ring brush block comprising a brush carrier holding a plurality of sliding brushes, each brush configured according to claim 1.

15. A slip-ring assembly comprising a slip-ring module and further comprising at least one sliding track and a slip-ring brush block according to claim 14.

16. The slip ring assembly according to claim 14, wherein the friction contact area is located between the first end and a location, at the contact section, where the contact section of the sliding brush contacts the sliding track, the sliding brush including a wire brush.

17. A sliding brush for a slipring, the sliding brush comprising: a contact section that includes a metal wire or a metal sheet and that has: a first end dimensioned to be held in a brush carrier of the slipring and a second end opposite to the first end; a stabilizer arm; and a friction section; wherein the stabilizer arm is extending from the second end, the stabilizer arm further holding the friction section, the friction section being in friction contact with the contact section at a friction contact area; and wherein the sliding brush comprises the metal sheet and the contact section has a hole through which the friction section penetrates.

18. A sliding brush for a slipring, the sliding brush comprising: a contact section that includes a metal wire or a metal sheet and that has: a first end dimensioned to be held in a brush carrier of the slipring and a second end opposite to the first end; a stabilizer arm; and a friction section; wherein the stabilizer arm is extending from the second end, the stabilizer arm further holding the friction section, the friction section being in friction contact with the contact section at a friction contact area; and wherein the friction contact area is located between the first end and a location, at the contact section, where the contact section of the sliding brush contacts the sliding track, the sliding brush including a wire brush or a metal sheet brush.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, the invention will be described by way of example, without limitation of the general inventive concept, on examples of embodiment and with reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a partial view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a basic wire brush.

(6) FIG. 5 shows an embodiment with a crimped connection.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment.

(9) FIG. 8 shows a side view of an embodiment comprising sheet metal brushes.

(10) FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of the previous embodiment.

(11) FIG. 10 shows a first sheet metal brush in a side view.

(12) FIG. 11 shows a first sheet metal brush in a top view.

(13) FIG. 12 shows a second sheet metal brush in a side view.

(14) FIG. 13 shows a second sheet metal brush in a top view.

(15) While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(16) In FIG. 1, a side view of a slip-ring assembly 100 is shown. A slip-ring assembly 100 includes a slip-ring module 110 and a slip-ring brush block 120. The slip-ring module 110 is configured to rotate about the rotation axis 15 and preferably includes an insulating body 10, having a plurality of sliding tracks. In side view f FIG. 1, four sliding tracks 11, 12, 13, and 14 are shown, but a different number of sliding tracks can be used in a related embodiment. The sliding tracks are embedded into and/or held by the insulating body. Preferably, the sliding tracks are electrically insulated against each other. There may also be configurations, where at least some of the sliding tracks are connected together electrically. (This latter configuration may be useful for transferring higher currents or signals at a lower noise level.) In this embodiment, sliding tracks are shown to have V-shaped grooves. The V-grooves provide the advantage of accommodating guide wires to sliding within the grooved and keeping the guide wires precisely on a predetermined track during the operation. However, any alternative type of sliding track may be used instead, such as, for example, tracks having multiple grooves or tracks without grooves, for instance those having a plane surface. The slip-ring module 110 is configured to rotate about the rotational axis 15.

(17) The slip-ring brush block 120 includes a brush carrier 20, which may include a printed circuit board or any other insulating material. The brush carrier may also include a conducting material such as a metal, with insulated portions dimensioned to hold the brushes. The brush block 120 preferably holds a plurality of sliding brushes. In this embodiment, four wire brushes 21, 22, 23, and 24 are shown (which have respectively-corresponding brushes on the other side of the insulating body 10). It is appreciated that a different number of brushes and/or different type(s) of brushes could be used in a related embodiment. For example, multi-fiber brushes or carbon brushes can be used. The brushes are spaced with respect to one another such that they fit to corresponding sliding tracks of the slip-ring module 100. There must not necessarily be one brush per sliding track but, instead, there may additionally or in the alternatively be a plurality of brushes contacting a given sliding track to increase current capability and/or reduce noise and/or contact resistance.

(18) In FIG. 2, a sectional view of the first embodiment is shown in a plane cut through lines A-A in FIG. 1. It is preferred, if the slip-ring module have a free bore, for example a bore dimensioned to carry cable(s). A connector 16 is shown, which may be a soldering point or a soldering pin or a soldering connector employed to form electrical contact with the first sliding track 11. In practice, a connecting cable may be soldered to this connector 16. Preferably, the other sliding tracks also have respectively-corresponding connectors formed to contact these sliding tracks from the inner side of the insulating body (such as insulating body 10 as shown). In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the first sliding brush 21 and the fifth sliding brush 25 (corresponding to the first sliding brush 21 and disposed on the other side from the brush 21 with respect to a plane that contains the axis 15 and traverses the carrier 20) are in contact with the first sliding track 11.

(19) In FIG. 3, a partial view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is shown. In FIG. 3, an additional structural detail is indicatedspecifically, two different states of the wire brush are indicated. Specifically, the same brush is shown in its normal position (as brush 200) and in its deformed position (as brush 300). First, a wire brush of the embodiment (indicated with a numeral 200 in FIG. 3) is shown in a normal state. The contact section 210, stabilizer arm 220 and friction section 230 of the wire brush 200 are in normal position(s). Both the normal state of the brush and the normal position(s) of the elements of the brush correspond to the situation when the sliding track does not move with respect to the brush. When, for example, a movement of the sliding track or a stick-slip-phenomenon occurs in operation, some force is exerted on the contact section 210, which may lead to minor bending of the contact section 210, as shown. This force and bending further cause an operational deformation of the brush 200, which now, it its deformed state, is shown in the same FIG. 3 as wire brush 300 with a contact section 310. The stabilizer arm 320 of the brush 300 (which represents the deformed in operation brush 200) is now in a position that is closer to the contact section 310 of the brush, and the friction section 330 has moved slightly, as compared to the previous normal position of the friction section. For simplicity of illustration, the degree of movement of the brush between the normal state and the deformed state may be shown exaggerated. The deformation and/or movement of the contact section may happen independently from the cause of the movement or deformation of the contact section. Such a cause may include a movement between the brush block and the sliding track, a stick-slip-phenomenon, and further mechanical forces, for example.

(20) In FIG. 4, a basic wire brush (here, 200) is shown in more detail. The contact section 210 includes a first end 211 by which the brush is usually held, and opposing thereto a second end 212. From the second end 212 extends a stabilizer arm 220. The stabilizer arm 220 holds a friction section 230, which is in friction contact with the contact section 210 in a friction contact area marked 231.

(21) In FIG. 5, an embodiment with a crimped connection made by a crimping sleeve 215 between the contact section 210 and the stabilizer arm 220 is shown. This configuration may allow to make the stabilizer arm 220 from a different material having different mechanical and/or electrical characteristics as compared to those of the contact section. For example, the contact section 210 may include a surface layer of a highly conductive material, such as gold or gold alloy. Such materials are comparatively expensive. Sincere it is not operationally required for the stabilizer arm of the brush to have such a conductive surface, the stabilizer arm may be made of simple spring steel or any other suitable material. Alternatively, instead of a crimping connection between the contact section 210 and the stabilizer arm 220, a soldering or welding connection/joint may be used.

(22) In FIG. 6, a further embodiment possessing a sharp bend between the contact section and the stabilizer arm is shown.

(23) In FIG. 7, a related embodiment is shown, where the friction section 230 is configured to intersect and contact the contact section 210 at a comparatively small angle, such that a small movement of the stabilizer arm 220 in a direction away from the contact section results in a comparatively large lateral movement between the friction section and the contact section.

(24) In FIG. 8, a side view of a slipring assembly having metal sheet brushes is shown. This embodiment is very similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but has brushes (shown as 421, 422 in this side-view) that are made of metal sheets or strips instead of the wire brushes. A slip-ring assembly 400 includes a slip-ring module 410 and a slip-ring brush block 420. The slip-ring module 410 may rotate, in operation, about the rotation axis 15 and preferably includes an electrically insulating body 410, having a plurality of sliding tracks. Here, two sliding tracks 411 and 412 are shown, but in a related implementation a different number of sliding tracks may be employed. The sliding tracks are embedded and/or held by the insulating body 419. Preferably, the sliding tracks are electrically insulated against each other. Here, a preferred embodiment of sliding tracks having a planar shape (rectangular cross-section) is shown. In contrast to the wire brushes mentioned above, the sheet metal brushes require no side stabilization or guidance and, therefore, may run on planar tracks that are easier to manufacture. Alternatively, differently-shaped sliding track(s) may be used instead.

(25) The slip-ring brush block 400 includes a brush carrier 420, which may include a printed circuit board or any other insulating material. It may also include a conducting material such as metal, portion of which are electrically insulated for holding the brushes. The brush block 400 preferably holds a plurality of sliding brushes. In this embodiment, two wire brushes 421, 422 are shown, but a different number of brushes and/or different types of brushes may be employed. The brushes are spaced such that they fit to corresponding sliding tracks 411, 412 of the slip-ring module. There must not necessarily be one brush per sliding track, but additionally or in the alternative there may be a plurality of brushes contacting a given sliding track to increase current capability and/or reduce noise and/or contact resistance.

(26) In FIG. 9, a sectional view of the embodiment 400 is shown in a plane cut through the center of the sliding track on the left in FIG. 8 (a plane that is perpendicular to the rotation axis 15). It is preferred, if the slip-ring module have a free bore, for example a bore dimensioned to carry cable(s). In the view of FIG. 9, a connector 16 is shown, which may be configured as a soldering point or a soldering pin or a soldering connector, which electrically contacts the first sliding track 411. A connecting cable may be soldered to this connector. Preferably, the other sliding tracks also have corresponding connectors to contact the sliding tracks from the inner side of the insulating body 410. In this embodiment, the first sliding brush 421 and the third sliding brush 425 (corresponding to the brush 421 and disposed on the other side of the track with respect to the plane that contains the axis 15 and that traverses the block 42) contact the same first sliding track 411.

(27) In FIG. 10, a basic sheet metal brush is shown in more detail. The contact section 510 of such brush includes a first end 511 (by which the brush is usually held) and opposing thereto a second end 512. From the second end 512 extends a stabilizer arm 520. The stabilizer arm is configured to hold a friction section 530 (which is in friction contact with the contact section 510 in a friction contact area marked 531). To establish such friction contact, a hole 540 may be provided in the body of the brush between the first end 511 and the second end 512 (as shown further in FIG. 11), through which hole the friction section 530 penetrates/passes through while forming a friction contact with at least one wall of the hole 540. The hole preferably has a rectangular or squared shape. Most preferably, friction is generated at that side of the hole 540 that is oriented towards the second end 512 or the side that is oriented towards the first end 511. A deformed (in operation) stabilizer arm and the corresponding movement of the friction section are shown with dashed lines as 550. Such deformation may occur, when for example the second end 512 is bent upwards (not shown).

(28) FIG. 11 shows the embodiment of FIG. 10 in a top view. As shown, in this embodiment the friction section 530 is narrower than the stabilizer arm 520 to fit into and through the hole 540.

(29) FIG. 12 shows an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 11, but without the hole 540. Instead, the end of the friction section 630 of the stabilizer arm 620 is arranged in contact with the top of the contact section 610 between the first end 611 and the second end 612, in contact area 631. A deformed stabilizer arm and the corresponding movement of the friction section are shown in dashed lines as 650. Such deformation may occur, when for example the second end 512 is bent upwards (not shown).

(30) FIG. 13 shows the embodiment of FIG. 12 in a top view. In this embodiment, the friction section 630 has the same width as the stabilizer arm 620 (but it may also be narrower if so modified).

(31) It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that this invention is believed to provide brushes for sliprings and sliprings. Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(32) 10 insulating body 11 first sliding track 12 second sliding track 13 third sliding track 14 fourth sliding track 15 rotation axis 16 connector 20 brush carrier 21 first sliding brush 22 second sliding brush 23 third sliding brush 24 fourth sliding brush 25 fifth sliding brush 100 slip-ring assembly 110 slip-ring module 120 slip-ring brush block 200 wire brush 210 contact section 211 first end of contact section 212 second end of contact section 215 crimping sleeve 216 bend 220 stabilizer arm 230 friction section 231 friction contact area 300 wire brush 310 contact section 320 stabilizer arm 330 friction section 400 slip-ring assembly 410 slip-ring module 411 first sliding track 412 second sliding track 419 insulating body 420 slip-ring brush block 429 brush carrier 421 first sliding brush 422 second sliding brush 425 third sliding brush 510 contact section 511 first end of contact section 512 second end of contact section 520 stabilizer arm 530 friction section 531 friction contact area 540 hole 610 contact section 611 first end of contact section 612 second end of contact section 620 stabilizer arm 630 friction section 631 friction contact area