Electrical contact component

Abstract

An electrical contact assembly comprises: at least one contact pair formed by a primary and a secondary contact ring (11, 12), the contact rings being twistable relative to one another about a longitudinal central axis (16) and each having a conical flank-shaped contact surface (11d, 12d) about the longitudinal central axis (16); and at least one roller (27) rolling between the primary and secondary contact rings (11, 12), the roller being rotatably supported about a rotational axis (28) at right angles to the longitudinal central axis (16). The roller (27) has a conical flank-shaped contact surface (27a) about the rotational axis (28), which contact surface forms a line contact extending along corresponding contact lines (31, 32) with the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) of the primary and secondary contact rings (11, 12) respectively.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical contact assembly (Kontaktanordnung) comprising: at least one contact pair formed by a primary and a secondary contact ring, the contact rings being twistable relative to one another about a longitudinal central axis and each having a conical side-shaped contact surface about the longitudinal central axis, wherein the secondary contact ring is arranged at a rotor which is rotatably supported relative to a housing; at least one roller (Laufrolle) rolling between the primary and secondary contact rings of a respective contact pair, the roller being rotatably supported about a rotational axis perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis, wherein the roller has a conical side-shaped contact surface about the rotational axis, the contact surface being configured as a line contact extending along a respective contact line with the contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings; and at least one spring element by means of which the contact surface of the roller is pressed against the contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings, wherein the elastic force of at least one spring element acts parallel to the longitudinal central axis. Background Art

[0002] Electrical contact assemblies for transmitting electrical energy or electrical signals to a rotating part are known in various embodiments. For example, such electrical contact assemblies are used in particularly multi-axis processing machines, for example for operating electrically operated clamping devices. If the contact assembly is used for transmitting electrical energy, depending on the application, a relatively high current intensity to be transmitted may occur, for example in the range above 50 A, where the current intensity may be direct current or alternating current depending on the application. Also depending on the application, the rotational speeds occurring may be high, and additionally energy transmission in the stationary state may be required if necessary.

[0003] In normal applications, in addition to electrical contact, fluid transmission is also required. Therefore, in addition to the electrical contact assembly, a rotary feedthrough (Drehdurchführung) is also required.

[0004] It is also common that on the one hand electrical energy must be transmitted, for example as drive energy for an electric unit, while on the other hand electrical signals must be transmitted, for example for controlling the electric unit.

[0005] For transmitting direct current to a rotating part, carbon brush systems are known, which have disadvantages especially with regard to maintenance effort and energy transmission in the stationary state.

[0006] Furthermore, non-contact transmitters are known, which can only transmit low power and alternating current.

[0007] Furthermore, the so-called gold wire system (Golddrahtsystem) is known. In the gold wire system, fixed contact fingers are pressed onto a circular surface. The achievable rotational speeds are low and the wear is high.

[0008] Electrical contact assemblies are also known in which current is conducted via rolling elements that roll between contact surfaces. Thus, from one of the embodiments shown in WO 2016 / 032336 A1, a contact assembly is known in which a contact roller presses against an opposing contact ring, one of the contact rings being arranged fixedly and the other being rotatable about a longitudinal central axis. The contact roller is rotatably supported about a rotational axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis. The contact ring has a conical lateral surface contact surface, and the roller has a contact surface in the contact area that is curved spherically when viewed in a longitudinal central section. The pressing of the contact surface of the roller against the opposing contact surface of the contact ring is effected by a spring acting in the axial direction along the rotational axis. The constructed contact is essentially a point contact, and due to the centrifugal force acting on the roller, the contact force depends on the rotational speed.

[0009] From DE 31 50 427 A1, an electrical contact assembly is known in which balls are arranged as rolling elements between bearing shells. This contact assembly is not suitable for high rotational speeds, and due to the use of balls as rolling elements, only provides a Hertzian point contact surface for low currents.

[0010] In the contact assembly known from DE 192 16 855B4, contact rollers are arranged between an inner conductor and an outer conductor arranged coaxially therewith, the contact rollers having elastically contacting pieces that project spirally outwards. These contacting pieces are prone to wear and are also not very favorable in terms of contact. Further contact assemblies with rolling elements are known, for example, from DE 32 14 083 C2, WO98 / 05104A1, and DE 19 41 309 A.

[0011] From WO 02 / 01682A1, a contact assembly of the type described at the beginning is known. The roller that rolls between the primary and secondary contact rings of the contact pair has a conical lateral surface contact surface about the rotational axis. This contact surface respectively forms a line contact that extends along the corresponding contact line with the contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings. The contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings are pressed against the contact surface of at least one roller by spring force. However, the manufacturing must be carried out with very high precision in order to actually form a line contact. In practice, the formation of such a line contact will be disturbed by manufacturing tolerances and / or wear during operation. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is to provide an advantageous electrical contact assembly of the type described at the beginning, which can also be used for relatively high currents and is preferably suitable for both low and high rotational speeds as well as for current conduction in a stationary state. According to the invention, this is achieved by a contact assembly according to the invention.

[0013] In the contact assembly according to the invention, the bearing section of the secondary contact ring abuts against the rotor basic part of the rotor, and the contact section of the secondary contact ring having a contact surface adjoins the bearing section at the radially outer side. The bearing section of the primary contact ring abuts against a pressure plate which is loaded by at least one spring element and is supported axially displaceably relative to the housing part of the electrical contact assembly. The contact section of the primary contact ring having a contact surface adjoins the bearing section at the radially outer side. The angle measured on the side surface of the contact surface between the contact section and the bearing section of the respective primary and secondary contact rings is larger in the assembled state than in the unloaded state. The inclination of the contact section thus coincides with the inclination of the contact surface of the respective roller (with which the contact section coacts) in the assembled state.

[0014] With the construction according to the invention, reliable contact and high-current transmission are achieved.

[0015] The contact surface of at least one roller is preferably pre-tensioned against the contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings by at least one spring element acting on one of the contact rings, wherein the spring force acts parallel to the longitudinal central axis. Thereby it can be achieved that the contact pressure is at least substantially independent of the rotational speed. Thus, the contact assembly according to the invention is also suitable for high rotational speeds.

[0016] The contact assembly according to the invention advantageously is also suitable for current transmission in the stationary state.

[0017] The contact line formed by the contact surfaces of one roller or of a respective one of a plurality of rollers with the contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings advantageously lies on a straight line intersecting the longitudinal central axis of the contact assembly, wherein the contact line forms a common intersection point with the axis of rotation (about which the respective roller is rotatably supported). Thereby, when the primary and secondary contact rings are twisted relative to each other, the roller rolls on the contact surfaces of the primary and secondary contact rings at least substantially without slipping over the entire width of the constructed line contact.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment form of the invention, there are at least three rollers having contact surfaces with a conical lateral surface configuration, which rollers are preferably arranged evenly spaced apart around the longitudinal central axis and are rotatably supported about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis, and which rollers roll between the primary and secondary contact rings. In this way it can be achieved that the roller carrier ring (about which the rollers are rotatably supported about the respective axis of rotation) is oriented coaxially with the longitudinal central axis of the contact assembly solely by the rolling of the rollers on the primary and secondary contact rings. Thus, an additional support of the roller carrier ring about the longitudinal central axis can be dispensed with.

[0019] The electrical contact assembly according to the invention can additionally have a spherical contact unit for transmitting electrical signals (low current intensity). The spherical contact unit can advantageously have: at least one contact disk having a plurality of annular conductor circuits; at least one set of a plurality of coaxially arranged annular mating contacts, the diameters of the mating contacts corresponding to the diameters of the annular conductor circuits; at least one ball guide disk arranged between at least one contact disk and the mating contacts cooperating with the contact disk; and a contact ball guided by the ball guide disk, which rolls between a respective one of the conductor circuits and the annular mating contact belonging to the conductor circuit. Here, preferably, at least one spring element acts together with each of the annular mating contacts, which presses the annular mating contact against the ball rolling between the mating contact and the associated conductor circuit.

[0020] The electrical contact assembly according to the invention can be combined with a rotary feedthrough for fluids.

[0021] The contact assembly according to the invention can advantageously be used for transmitting electrical energy to a rotating electrical unit, in particular an electric drive rotating with a rotating part, such as, for example, a clamping device of a multi-axis processing machine. The contact assembly according to the invention is also suitable for transmitting electrical energy from a rotating part (such as the rotor of a generator) to a stationary part.

[0022] With the aid of the contact assembly according to the invention, a relatively large current can be transmitted, which can be, for example, greater than 50 A, or, depending on the application, also greater than 200 A.

[0023] Unless otherwise specified in this document, the "axial direction" refers to the longitudinal central axis of the contact assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The following describes other advantages and details of the invention with reference to the drawings. Among them:

[0025] Figure 1 A perspective view of an embodiment of the electrical contact assembly according to the invention, in combination with a rotary feedthrough for fluids, is shown;

[0026] Figure 2 A longitudinal central section is shown;

[0027] Figure 3 An exploded view of the conical contact unit is shown, wherein the rotor is shown without being disassembled;

[0028] Figure 4 An exploded view of the rotor of the conical contact unit is shown;

[0029] Figure 5 An exploded view of the spherical contact unit is shown, wherein the rotor of the spherical contact unit is shown without being disassembled;

[0030] Figure 6 Shows an exploded view of the rotor of the spherical contact unit. Detailed implementation

[0031] The following is based on Figures 1 to 6 to describe an embodiment of the contact assembly according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the contact assembly 1 according to the present invention is combined with a rotating lead-through portion 2 for a fluid. The rotating lead-through portion 2 has a housing portion 3 in a known manner, which housing portion substantially has the shape of a hollow cylinder. Axially spaced channels 4 extend radially through the housing portion 3 for leading through a fluid (such as air or water). The channels 4 start from the outer peripheral surface and open into an annular groove 5 extending around the inner peripheral surface. In the housing portion 3, a rotating portion 6 is rotatably supported by means of ball bearings 7, 8. The rotating portion 6 has an axially extending channel 9 for leading through a fluid, and the channel opens at the axial end of the rotating portion 6. The corresponding channels 9 are connected to one of the annular grooves 5 via corresponding holes 10.

[0032] The rotating portion 6 is implemented in a hollow cylindrical shape. The electric wires of the electric contact assembly 1, which will be described more precisely below, are led through the inner space of the rotating portion 6.

[0033] However, the electric contact assembly according to the present invention can also be implemented without the rotating lead-through portion 2, that is, the rotating lead-through portion 2 can be omitted.

[0034] In this embodiment, the electric contact assembly 1 has a conical contact unit 1a and a spherical contact unit 1b. The spherical contact unit 1b can also be omitted, so that the electric contact assembly 1 will only be formed by the conical contact unit 1a.

[0035] The conical contact unit 1a includes two contact pairs, and each contact pair is respectively composed of a primary contact ring 11 and a secondary contact ring 12. The primary contact ring 11 is non-twistable relative to the housing. In this embodiment, the housing is formed by two housing portions 13, 14.

[0036] The secondary contact ring 12 is arranged at the rotor 15, which is rotatably supported relative to the housing formed by the housing portions 13, 14, that is, rotatably supported around the longitudinal central axis 16 of the contact assembly.

[0037] If the contact assembly is combined with a rotating lead-through portion for a fluid, the rotating portion 6 is also rotatably supported around the longitudinal central axis 16, and the rotating portion 6 is non-rotatably connected to the rotor 15. For example, the rotor housing portion 17 can have teeth (Zinke) 17a and recesses therebetween, which engage into corresponding recesses and teeth of the rotating portion 6.

[0038] In this embodiment, the rotor 15 has rotor housing parts 17, 18 and a rotor basic part 19. The secondary contact rings 12 are positioned and held by these parts.

[0039] The rotor housing parts 17, 18 can be connected to the rotor basic part 19 via a snap connection, for example, as shown. For this purpose, snap arms 17b, 18b with locking noses can be arranged at the rotor housing parts 17, 18, and the snap arms are latched with locking recesses of the rotor basic part 19. For example, a screw connection is also possible.

[0040] More or less differently configured rotors 15 are conceivable and possible.

[0041] In order to rotatably support the rotor 15 relative to the housing parts 13, 14, inner rings of ball bearings 20, 21 are arranged on the rotor housing parts 17, 18, and outer rings of the ball bearings are held in supports 13a, 14a of the housing parts 13, 14.

[0042] Each secondary contact ring 12 respectively has an annular bearing section 12a and an annular contact section 12b adjacent to it radially outside, and the bearing section is located in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis 16. Contact tabs 12c protrude from the bearing section 12a, especially in the axial direction of the longitudinal central axis 16, and the electrical conductors 22a of the cable 22 are connected to the contact tabs, for example, by welding. In this embodiment, each secondary contact ring 12 has two contact tabs 12c, and for each secondary contact ring 12, there can also be, for example, only one contact tab 12c connected to the electrical conductor 22a. The contact tabs 12c can also be omitted, and at least one electrical conductor can be directly fixed at the bearing section 12a of the corresponding secondary contact ring 12.

[0043] The bearing section 12a is placed on the rotor basic part 19. In this embodiment, the bearing section is clamped between the corresponding rotor housing parts 17, 18 and the rotor basic part 19. Other ways of fixing the secondary contact rings 12 to the rotor basic part and / or the rotor housing parts are conceivable and possible.

[0044] The contact section 12b of the secondary contact ring 12 is angled relative to the corresponding bearing section 12a. The surface of the corresponding contact section 12b that cooperates with the roller 27 forms a contact surface 12d. This contact surface has the shape of a conical side surface.

[0045] The contact section 12b of the secondary contact ring 12 is free in the assembled state. Therefore, the contact section 12b of the secondary contact ring 12 can be bent relative to the corresponding bearing section 12a, that is, the angular position of the contact section 12b can be changed relative to the angular position of the bearing section 12a.

[0046] The primary contact rings 11 each have an annular bearing section 11a which lies in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal central axis 16. The contact sections 11b adjoin the bearing sections 11a radially externally respectively, and the contact sections are angled with respect to the bearing sections 11a. The sides of the respective primary contact rings 11 which cooperate with the rollers 27 form contact surfaces 11d. The contact surfaces have the shape of a conical side surface.

[0047] In this embodiment, two contact tabs 11c each project axially from the bearing section 11a in particular, and the contact tabs are connected to the electrical conductors 23a of the cable 23, for example by welding. For each primary contact ring 11, only one contact tab 11c can also be provided, or at least one conductor can be connected directly to the respective bearing section 11a. In this embodiment, the primary contact rings 11 are also fixed against twisting about the longitudinal central axis 16 by connection to the electrical conductors 23a. Such anti-twisting can also be configured alternatively or additionally in other ways.

[0048] The bearing sections 11a of the primary contact rings 11 are each arranged on pressure plates 24, 25. The pressure plates 24, 25 are held axially displaceable but non-twistable relative to the housing parts 13, 14, for example by ribs of the housing parts 13, 14 extending into cutouts 24a, 25a of the pressure plates. Spring elements 26 are arranged between the pressure plates 24, 25 and the respectively assigned housing parts 13, 14. In this embodiment, these spring elements are configured in the form of helical springs, and a plurality of spring elements 26 are respectively arranged around the longitudinal central axis 16. For example, at least one annular leaf spring can also be used alternatively as the spring element.

[0049] The contact sections 11b of the primary contact rings 11 are free in the assembled state. Thus, the contact sections 11b of the primary contact rings 11 can be bent relative to the respective bearing sections 11a, that is, the angular position of the contact sections 11b can be changed relative to the angular position of the bearing sections 11a.

[0050] The rollers 27 travel between the primary and secondary contact rings 11, 12 of the respective contact pairs. The rollers 27 are rotatably supported about a rotational axis 28 which is at right angles to the longitudinal central axis 16. For each contact pair, there are a plurality of rollers 27 which are arranged distributed around the longitudinal central axis 16, preferably at equal angular intervals. The rotational axes 28 of the rollers 27 are thus angled with respect to each other, and the angle between successive rotational axes 28 is preferably the same.

[0051] The rollers 27 are composed of a conductive material at least in the region of the travel surface.

[0052] The roller bearing rings 29 are each used to rotatably support a roller 27. In this embodiment, the roller bearing ring has a radially inwardly projecting journal 29a, and the rollers 27 are each preferably rotatably supported on the journal by means of a ball bearing 30.

[0053] The respective rollers 27 are configured in the form of a frustum of a hollow cone. The running surface of the roller forms a contact surface 27a, which has the shape of a conical side surface.

[0054] In the assembled state, the contact surfaces 11d, 12d of the primary and secondary contact rings abut against the contact surface 27a of the respective roller 27 over the entire axial extent of the contact surface 27a of the respective roller 27 with respect to the axis of rotation 28. Accordingly, a line contact is respectively formed between the contact surface of the respective roller 27 and the contact surfaces 11d, 12d of the associated primary and secondary contact rings 11, 12. Accordingly, this contact respectively takes place along a contact line 31, 32, which is the line of contact between the respective contact surfaces 11d, 12d of the primary or secondary contact rings 11, 12 and the contact surface 27a of the respective roller 27. The contact lines 3, 32 are respectively visible in a longitudinal central section of the contact assembly passing through the axis of rotation 28 of the respective roller 27, see Figure 2 .

[0055] Each of the rollers 27 thus forms a primary contact line 31 with the associated primary contact ring 11 and a secondary contact line 32 with the associated secondary contact ring 12. The primary and secondary contact lines between the respective roller 27 and the associated primary and secondary contact rings 11, 12 lie on straight lines that are angled with respect to each other, and the intersection point of these straight lines lies on the longitudinal central axis 16, see Figure 2 . The intersection point of these two straight lines also lies on the axis of rotation 28 of the roller 27. These two straight lines, the longitudinal central axis 16 and the axis of rotation 28 thus have a common intersection point. In this embodiment, the angle 33 enclosed by these two straight lines is approximately 35°, and this angle 33 preferably lies in the range from 25° to 45°, particularly preferably in the range from 30° to 40°.

[0056] The primary and secondary contact rings 11, 12 and the rollers 27 are thus pressed against each other by a spring element 26. The spring element 26 acts axially (with respect to the longitudinal central axis 16) on the primary contact ring 11 via pressure plates 24, 25.

[0057] In principle, the spring element can also be arranged on only one side. Accordingly, one of the pressure plates 24, 25 can also be omitted, and the associated primary contact ring 11 can directly abut against the associated housing parts 13, 14 with its bearing section 11a.

[0058] In the assembled state, compared with the unloaded state of the contact rings 11, 12, due to the elastic force of the spring element 26, the angle 48 between the bearing sections 11a, 12a and the contact sections 11b, 12b of the contact rings 11, 12 is slightly increased, where the angle 48 is measured on the side where the contact surfaces 11d, 12d of the corresponding contact rings 11, 12 are located. This increase in the angle 48 is preferably less than 5°. A value exceeding 0.5° is preferred. Thus, in the assembled state, the inclination of the contact sections 11b, 12b exactly coincides with the inclination of the contact surface 27a of the corresponding roller 27.

[0059] The thickness of the sheet material forming the contact rings 11, 12 is also selected according to the following current intensity for which the contact assembly is constructed. The thickness of the sheet material advantageously lies in the range from 0.5 mm to 2 mm. For example, for a maximum current intensity of 100 amperes, the thickness of the sheet material lies in the range from 0.5 mm to 1 mm, and for a maximum current intensity of 1000 amperes, the thickness of the sheet material lies in the range from 1 mm to 2 mm.

[0060] In order to cooperate with the corresponding contact pairs, at least three rollers 27 distributed around the circumference are preferably provided. For space reasons, the number of three rollers is preferred, while more than four rollers are less preferred. The roller carrier ring 29 is thus self-centering by the common action of the rollers 27 with the primary and secondary contact rings 11, 12. No additional support for the roller carrier ring is required.

[0061] The cable 23 which rotates together with the rotor 15 and is connected to the secondary contact ring 12 is axially (with respect to the longitudinal central axis 16) led out through the opening 13b in the housing part 13. If the electrical contact assembly is combined with the rotating through-portion 2 as shown in this embodiment, the cable 23 can be led through the central opening of the rotating part 6.

[0062] In this embodiment, the cable 22 connected to the primary contact ring 11 is led out through the edge-side groove 14b in the housing part 14.

[0063] If, for example, the rotor 15 is twisted relative to the housing formed by the housing parts 13, 14 by driving the rotating part 6 of the rotating through-portion 2, the roller carrier ring 29 rotates together at half the speed.

[0064] The housing parts 13, 14 are interconnected by axially oriented threaded elements (not shown). The housing of the conical contact unit 1a can also have other or differently constructed housing parts.

[0065] In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical contact assembly is constructed bipolar, i.e., there are two contact pairs each consisting of a primary and a secondary contact ring, and at least one roller rolls between them, wherein the secondary contact ring is arranged at a common rotor. The contact assembly according to the invention can also have only one pole, or more than two poles. In a configuration with only one pole, the rotor 15 would thus have only one secondary contact ring 12. For example, the contact assembly according to the invention for transmitting alternating current (three-phase and neutral conductor) can be constructed quadrupolar. The conical contact unit 1a shown in this embodiment can be doubled, for example, for this purpose.

[0066] In the illustrated embodiment, the contact assembly according to the invention also has a spherical contact unit 1b. This spherical contact unit is used in particular for transmitting electrical signals (data). Therefore, the current intensity to be transmitted is relatively low, and this current intensity is preferably less than 1 A.

[0067] The spherical contact unit has a rotor 34 which is rotatably supported about a longitudinal central axis 16 and which has two contact disks 35 in this embodiment. The contact disks 35 are arranged on interconnected rotor parts 36, 37 which together form the base body of the rotor 34. Such a base body can also have more than two parts, or be constructed in one piece. The rotor base body is rotatably supported relative to the housing of the ball contact assembly. This housing is formed by housing parts 38, 39 in this embodiment. The connection of the housing parts 38, 39 can be effected by threaded elements. Such a housing can also have more than two or differently constructed parts. In order to rotatably support the rotor 34 relative to the housing, ball bearings 40, 41 are provided in this embodiment, which are arranged with their inner rings on the rotor parts 36, 37. The outer rings of the ball bearings are held in the supports 38a, 39a of the housing parts 38, 39.

[0068] Each of the contact disks 35 has a plurality of annular conductor circuits 35a which are coaxial with the longitudinal central axis 16. The conductor circuits are arranged on the mutually facing sides of the contact disks 35.

[0069] Furthermore, the spherical contact unit 1b has a set of mating contacts 42 for each of the contact disks 35. A corresponding set of mating contacts 42 is formed by a plurality of annular mating contacts 42 which are coaxial with the longitudinal central axis 16 and have different diameters. The diameters of the corresponding sets of mating contacts 42 correspond to the diameters of the conductor circuits 35a of the associated contact disks 35.

[0070] The mating contacts 42 extend into the annular grooves 38b, 39b of the housing parts 38, 39 on their sides remote from the contact disks. A spring element 43 is arranged between the mating contacts 42 and the bottoms of the grooves 38b, 39b, and the spring element is configured in the form of a helical spring in this embodiment. For each of the mating contacts 42, there are a plurality of helical springs distributed circumferentially around the longitudinal central axis 16, four in this embodiment.

[0071] The electrical conductors 44a of the cable 44 are connected to the mating contacts 42, for example, by welding. The electrical conductors of the cable 45 are connected to the conductor circuit 35a of the contact disk 35.

[0072] A plurality of contact balls 46 distributed circumferentially around the longitudinal central axis 16 roll between the respective conductor circuits 35a of the respective contact disks 35 and the associated annular mating contacts 42. These contact balls 46 are arranged in the openings in the respective ball guide disks. A ball guide disk 47 is provided between the respective contact disk 35 and the associated annular mating contact 42, and the ball guide disk has the contact balls 46 guided thereby.

[0073] The contact balls 46 are generally made of a conductive material or are coated with such a material.

[0074] In this embodiment, three contact balls 46 are assigned to each conductor circuit 35a and the associated mating contact 42, and the contact balls are arranged at uniform intervals (i.e., offset by 120° each) around the longitudinal central axis 16. At least three contact balls are preferred, and more than three contact balls are conceivable and possible.

[0075] In order to increase the spacing between the contact balls 46 assigned to adjacent conductor circuits 35a and adjacent mating contacts 42, these contact balls are preferably arranged offset from each other in terms of their angular positions around the longitudinal central axis 16.

[0076] Therefore, the ball guide disk 47 is a kind of ball bearing cage for the contact balls 46 The contact balls 46 are preferably held in the openings of the ball guide disk 47 such that the contact balls 46 do not fall out during assembly.

[0077] The mating contacts 42 are thus pressed against the contact balls 46 by the spring element 43, and the contact balls 46 are thus pressed against the conductor circuit 35a of the contact disk 35.

[0078] Due to the respective spring-supported mating contacts 42, dimensional tolerances of the contact balls 46 can be tolerated, especially in combination with the fact that three contact balls 46 are provided for each conductor circuit 35a or mating contact 42 respectively.

[0079] The mating contact 42 is held against twisting about the longitudinal central axis 16 by its connection to the electrical conductor 44a of the cable 44. Anti-twisting can also be achieved additionally by further measures.

[0080] The cables 45, whose electrical conductors are connected to the conductor circuit 35a of the contact disk 35, are preferably axially guided out through the ball guide disk 47 and the opening in the housing part 38. These cables 45 can also be led through the central axial opening of the conical contact unit 1a. On the other hand, the cables 45 can also be guided out on the opposite sides of the spherical contact unit 1b through another ball guide disk 47 and the opening in another housing part 39.

[0081] In principle, it is also conceivable and possible that only one of the two sets of mating contacts 42 is assigned a spring element 43, and the contact balls 46 arranged in the two ball guide disks 47 are pressed against the conductor circuit 35 and the opposite mating contact 42 by means of this spring element.

[0082] Instead of a helical spring, other spring elements can also be provided, for example, there can be at least one annular leaf spring for each mating contact 42.

[0083] The rotor 34 of the spherical contact unit 1b can also have only one single contact disk 35 with the associated mating contact 42, and there is only one single ball guide disk 47 with contact balls 46. On the other hand, there can also be more than two contact disks 35, for example, the shown spherical contact unit 1b can exist in duplicate.

[0084] The rotors 15 and 34 of the conical contact unit 1a and the spherical contact unit 1b are connected in a rotationally mating manner. For example, the rotor housing part 18 of the rotor 15 has teeth 18a with recesses therebetween, and the rotor part 36 of the rotor 34 has teeth 36a with recesses therebetween, and the teeth 18a, 36a of one part engage into the recesses of the other part.

[0085] In principle, in this sense, a kinematic inversion is also conceivable and possible, that is, the rotors 15 of the conical contact unit and 34 of the spherical contact unit (if present) are arranged non-rotatably about the longitudinal central axis 16, and the housings of the conical contact unit 1a and the spherical contact unit 1b (if present) rotate about the longitudinal central axis 16.

[0086] List of reference numerals

[0087] 1 Contact assembly

[0088] la Conical contact unit

[0089] 1b Spherical contact unit

[0090] 2 Rotating threading part

[0091] 3 Housing part

[0092] 4 Channel

[0093] 5 Annular groove

[0094] 6 Rotating part

[0095] 7 Ball bearing

[0096] 8 Ball bearing

[0097] 9 Channel

[0098] 10 Hole

[0099] 11 Primary contact ring

[0100] 11a Bearing section

[0101] 11b Contact section

[0102] 11c Contact tab

[0103] 11d Contact surface

[0104] 12 Secondary contact ring

[0105] 12a Bearing section

[0106] 12b Contact section

[0107] 12c Contact tab

[0108] 12d Contact surface

[0109] 13 Housing part

[0110] 13a Support

[0111] 13b Opening

[0112] 14 Housing part

[0113] 14a Support

[0114] 14b Groove

[0115] 15 Rotor

[0116] 16 Longitudinal central axis

[0117] 17 Rotor housing part

[0118] 17a Tooth

[0119] 17b Locking arm

[0120] 18 Rotor housing part

[0121] 18a teeth

[0122] 18b locking arm

[0123] 19 rotor basic part

[0124] 20 ball bearing

[0125] 21 ball bearing

[0126] 22 cable

[0127] 22a electrical conductor

[0128] 23 cable

[0129] 23a electrical conductor

[0130] 24 pressure plate

[0131] 24a notch

[0132] 25 pressure plate

[0133] 25a notch

[0134] 26 spring element

[0135] 27 roller

[0136] 27a contact surface

[0137] 28 axis of rotation

[0138] 29 roller carrier ring

[0139] 29a journal

[0140] 30 ball bearing

[0141] 31 contact line

[0142] 32 contact line

[0143] 33 angle

[0144] 34 rotor

[0145] 35 contact disk

[0146] 35a conductor circuit

[0147] 36 rotor part

[0148] 36a teeth

[0149] 37 rotor part

[0150] 38 housing part

[0151] 38 support

[0152] 38b groove

[0153] 39 housing part

[0154] 39a support

[0155] 39b groove

[0156] 40 ball bearing

[0157] 41 ball bearing

[0158] 42 mating contact

[0159] 43 spring element

[0160] 44 cable

[0161] 44a electrical conductor

[0162] 45 cable

[0163] 46 contact ball

[0164] 47 ball guide plate

[0165] 48 Angle.

Claims

1. An electrical contact assembly, comprising: - at least one contact pair formed by a primary contact ring (11) and a secondary contact ring (12), the contact rings being able to twist relative to each other about a longitudinal central axis (16) and each having a conical lateral surface contact surface (11d, 12d) about the longitudinal central axis (16), wherein the secondary contact ring (12) is arranged at a rotor (15) which is rotatably supported relative to a housing; - at least one roller (27) rolling between the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12) of the respective contact pair, the roller being rotatably supported about a rotational axis (28) perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis (16), wherein the roller (27) has a conical lateral surface contact surface (27a) about the rotational axis (28), and the contact surfaces are respectively configured as line contacts extending along respective contact lines (31, 32) with the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) of the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12); and - at least one spring element (26) by which the contact surface (27a) of the roller (27) is pressed against the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) of the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12), wherein the elastic force of the at least one spring element (26) acts parallel to the longitudinal central axis (16), characterized in that a bearing section (12a) of the secondary contact ring (12) abuts against a rotor basic part (19), and a contact section (12b) of the secondary contact ring (12) having the contact surface (12d) adjoins the bearing section (12a) radially externally, and a bearing section (11a) of the primary contact ring (11) abuts against a pressure plate (24, 25) which is loaded by at least one spring element (26) and is axially movably supported relative to a housing part (13, 14) of the electrical contact assembly, wherein a contact section (11b) of the primary contact ring (11) having the contact surface (11d) adjoins the bearing section (11a) radially externally, wherein an angle (48) measured on the side of the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) between the respective contact sections (11b, 12b) and the bearing sections (11a, 12a) of the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12) is larger in the assembled state than in the unloaded state, and the inclination of the respective contact sections (11b, 12b) is consistent with the inclination of the contact surface (27a) of the respective roller (27) in the assembled state, and the contact sections cooperate with the rollers.

2. The electrical contact component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotational axis (28) of the at least one roller (27) and the straight line on which the contact lines (31, 32) are located have a common intersection point on the longitudinal central axis (16), and the contact surface (27a) of the roller (27) and the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) of the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12) form the contact lines.

3. The electrical contact assembly according to claim 1, wherein At least three rollers (27) having conical lateral surface contact surfaces (27a) roll between the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12) of the respective contact pair. The rollers are arranged spaced apart around the longitudinal central axis (16) and are rotatably supported about rotational axes (28) that are respectively perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis (16).

4. The electrical contact component according to claim 3, characterized in that, Three rollers (27) arranged at intervals of 120° respectively around the longitudinal central axis (16) roll between the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12) of the respective contact pair.

5. The electrical contact component according to claim 4, characterized in that, The roller (27) is rotatably supported at a roller carrier ring (29) about the respective rotational axis (28), wherein the roller carrier ring (29) is centered relative to the longitudinal central axis (16) by the combined action of the roller (27) and the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) of the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12).

6. The electrical contact assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The contact assembly has a first contact pair and a second contact pair, and the contact pairs are respectively formed by a primary contact ring (11) and a secondary contact ring (12). The rotor (15) is provided with the secondary contact rings (12) of the first contact pair and the second contact pair, and the primary contact ring (11) is non-rotatably connected to the housing parts (13, 14) arranged on opposite sides of the rotor (15).

7. The electrical contact assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The angle (48) measured on the side of the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) between the contact sections (11b, 12b) and the bearing sections (11a, 12a) of the respective primary contact ring (11) and secondary contact ring (12) is more than 0.5° and less than 5° larger in the assembled state than in the unloaded state.

8. The electrical contact assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The angle (48) measured on the side of the contact surfaces (11d, 12d) between the contact sections (11b, 12b) and the bearing sections (11a, 12a) of the respective primary contact ring (11) and secondary contact ring (12) is less than 5° larger in the assembled state than in the unloaded state.

9. The electrical contact assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, In the assembled state, the contact sections (11b, 12b) of the primary contact ring (11) and the secondary contact ring (12) are angularly oriented relative to the respective bearing sections (11a, 12a), and the contact sections start from the bearing sections.

10. The electrical contact assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The electrical contact assembly for transmitting electrical signals has a spherical contact unit (1b), and the spherical contact unit includes: - At least one contact disk (35), the contact disk having a plurality of annular conductor circuits (35a) coaxial with the longitudinal central axis (16); - At least one set of a plurality of mating contacts (42) concentric with the longitudinal central axis (16), the diameter of the mating contacts corresponding to the diameter of the annular conductor circuits (35a) of the contact disk (35); - At least one ball guide disk (47), the ball guide disk being arranged between the at least one contact disk (35) and the mating contacts (42) acting together with the contact disk (35); and - Contact balls (46) guided by the ball guide disk (47), the contact balls rolling between a respective one of the conductor circuits (35a) and the mating contacts (42) assigned to the conductor circuit (35a).

11. The electrical contact assembly according to claim 10, wherein, At least one spring element (43) acts together with each of the mating contacts (42), the spring element pressing the mating contacts (42) against the contact balls (46) rolling between the mating contacts (42) and the associated conductor circuit (35a).

12. The electrical contact component according to claim 11, characterized in that, In order to be able to axially movably guide the mating contacts (42), the mating contacts (42) extend into annular grooves (38b, 39b) of the housing parts (38, 39) of the spherical contact unit (1b).

Images