The present invention relates generally to slip rings for communicating electrical power and/or signal(s) between a rotor and stator, and, more particularly, to improvements in large-diameter slip rings that allow higher current densities, longer life, and higher rotor surface speeds to be achieved at lower costs then with conventional slip ring technology.
Electrical slip rings are used to transfer electrical power and/or signals between a rotor and a stator. These devices are used in many different military and commercial applications, such as solar array drive mechanisms, aircraft and missile guidance platforms, undersea robots, CATSCAN systems, and the like. In some of these applications, slip rings are used in conjunction with other rotary components, such as torque motors, resolvers and encoders. Electrical slip rings must be designed to be located either on the platform axis of rotation, or be designed with an open bore which locates the electrical contacts off-axis. Hence, the designations “on-axis” and “off-axis” slip rings, respectively. The diameter of slip ring rotors may range from a fraction of an inch to multiple feet, and the angular speed may vary from one revolution per day to as much as 20,000 revolutions per minute. In all of these applications, the electrical contacts between the rotor and stator must: (1) transfer power and/or signal(s) without interruption at high surface speeds, (2) have long wear life, (3) maintain low electrical noise, and (4) be of a physical size that allows multiple circuits to be packaged in a minimum volume.
The most efficient management of the electrical and mechanical contact physics allows the most demanding requirements to be met. For example, if the application is an off-axis slip ring that allows the x-ray tube in a CATSCAN gantry to rotate about the patient's body, the electrical contacts must be designed to carry about 100-200 amps (with surges of hundreds of amps), operate at surface speeds on the order of 500 inches per second, last for 100 million revolutions, and occupy a minimal volume within the gantry. In order to meet the 100 million revolution requirement for a device that is about six feet in diameter, the brush force must be low to minimize frictional heating and to maintain a large number of contact points between brush and ring to achieve the required current density.
Four types of electrical contacts between a rotor and stator include: (1) a composite solid material brush on a cantilevered spring, (2) a monofilament metal alloy brush that tangentially engages the rotor, (3) a fiber brush having a plurality of individual fibers, with the bundle tangentially engaging the rotor, and (4) a tip-of-fiber contact between the brush and rotor. The contact force, surface speeds and type of lubrication for each contact type is summarized in Table I. Table I also shows the types of lubricants heretofore typically required to reduce the contact frictional heating if the brush force is above one gram.
The tribological properties of electrical contacts and the right choice of lubricant to meet the requirements of the application are extremely important. For example, if the contacts are to be used in a space application, then the lubricant must meet all of the requirements of a ground-based application, and have a low vapor pressure. If the contacts have a long life requirement, then dust, wear debris and other contaminants may accumulate in the contact zone and create problems with life and signal transfer. However, if the electrical contact members can be brought together with a force of about one gram or less, then the lubricant and the associated complications are eliminated.
For several years, fiber brushes with a tangential orientation to the ring have been successfully used to meet high surface speeds without the use of a lubricant.
Under certain conditions, it may be desirable to provide lubrication during the initial brush run-in process. Moreover, the added fluid may be a lubricant, or a chemical vapor emitter, or an anti-corrosion inhibitor, or a material having a high dielectric strength to retard electrical arcing.
Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide a fiber-on-tips brush with a fluid-dispensing reservoir for selectively dispensing a fluid, particularly during the brush run-in process.
With parenthetical reference to the corresponding parts, portions or surfaces of the disclosed embodiment, merely for purposes of illustration, and not by way of limitation, the present invention broadly provides an improvement in a slip ring (20) adapted to provide electrical contact between a stator (21) and a rotor (22). The improvement broadly comprises: a current-carrying conductor (23) mounted on the stator; a brush tube (24) mounted on the conductor; a fiber bundle composed of a number of individual fibers (26), the upper marginal end portions of the fibers being received in the brush tube, a portion of the brush tube being crimped or swaged to hold the upper marginal end portions of the fibers therein, the lower ends of the fibers in the bundle extending beyond the brush tube and being adapted to engage the rotor; a collimator tube (25) surrounding a portion of the brush tube and extending therebeyond, the lower end of the collimator tube being adapted to limit lateral movement of the lower marginal end portions of the fibers in the bundle when the rotor rotates relative to the stator; and a fluid reservoir (28) mounted on the collimator tube.
The reservoir may be mounted on the inside of the collimator tube, and may be concentric with the brush tube. The length of overlap of the collimator and brush tubes may be adjustable.
The reservoir may be formed of a porous material, such as nylon, a suitable cloth-filled phenolic, a porous graphite, a ceramic, a bearing bronze, etc. The reservoir may contain a fluid, and be arranged to dispense the fluid over a period of time. The fluid may be a lubricant, a corrosion inhibitor, a fluid having a high dielectric strength additive, or some other fluid.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the foregoing and ongoing written specification, the drawings, and the appended claims.
At the outset, it should be clearly understood that like reference numerals are intended to identify the same structural elements, portions or surfaces consistently throughout the several drawing figures, as such elements, portions or surfaces may be further described or explained by the entire written specification, of which this detailed description is an integral part. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read (e.g., cross-hatching, arrangement of parts, proportion, degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
Referring now to the drawings, the present invention broadly provides an improved slip ring having a fluid-dispensing reservoir.
This general type of slip ring is disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/871,090, filed on Jun. 18, 2004, the aggregate disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
As best shown in
The improvement comprises an annular fluid reservoir, generally indicated at 28, that is mounted on the collimator tube beneath the brush tube, so as to surround an intermediate portion of the individual fibers.
This fluid reservoir may be formed of a suitable porous material, such as nylon. One possible form of such apparatus is sold under the trademark “Nylasint” by Polytron Kunststofftechnik GmbH & Co., KG, An der Zinkhütte 17, 51469 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. “Nylasint” is generically referred to as a pressed or centered article, both porous and nonporous, formed from filled or unfilled synthetic polymeric powders, in the form of synthetic polymeric powders. This porous material may be impregnated with a suitable fluid, such as a lubricant, a corrosion inhibitor, a fluid having a high dielectric strength additive to prevent arcing, or the like. Other types of materials, including (but not limited to) cloth-filled phenolics, porous graphites, ceramics and bearing bronzes, etc., might be substituted for “Nylansint”. The size and shape of the fluid reservoir is considered to be a matter of design choice. In other words, the size and shape of the reservoir may be adjusted so as to dispense the fluid during the initial run-in period of the brush, or a longer period, as desired. If a lubricant is used, this can aid in the initial brush run-in process, and allows the brush face to wearin or become contoured to the shape of the rotor.
Modifications
The present invention expressly contemplated that many modifications and changes may be made. For example, where as the fluid reservoir is shown as being an annular cylindrical ring having a substantially rectangular cross-section, the reservoir could be formed in other shapes and configurations as well. While it is presented preferred that the reservoir be formed of a porous material, such as a porous nylon, the reservoir may be formed of other materials as well. The service fluid may be a lubricant, a source of chemical vapor, a fluid having a high dielectric strength to retard electrical arcing, or the like. The reservoir may be impregnated with other types of fluids as well. The size of the slip ring should not be regarded as being a limitation on the scope of the appended claims.
Therefore, while the present invention has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/871,090, filed Jun. 18, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,105,983.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10871090 | Jun 2004 | US |
Child | 11499289 | US |