Switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact

Abstract

This invention provides a switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan, comprising a housing, a conductive ring, a switchable control assembly, and a sliding contact. The conductive ring is sleeved on a first positioning shaft and rotates around it; the sliding contact is rotatably connected to a second positioning shaft, the two positioning shafts being parallel and offset. The sliding contact is located outside the conductive ring and extends radially along the second positioning shaft to form a first contact and a second contact. The switchable control assembly includes a compression spring and a top block, the top block having an inclined surface facing the conductive ring and slidingly engaging with the sliding contact. The sliding contact has two operating states: in the first state, the compression spring causes the first contact to abut against the conductive ring, and the second contact separates; in the second state, the top block moves, driving the sliding contact to rotate, the second contact abuts against the conductive ring, and the first contact separates. This application has the advantage of enabling long-term continuous and stable operation with only a single rapid switch, thus extending the lifespan of the conductive slip ring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of conductive slip ring technology, specifically, it relates to a switchable conductive slip ring device with an extended lifespan sliding contact element. Background Technology

[0002] A conductive slip ring mainly consists of a conductive ring, contacts, and a fixed support. It transmits electrical signals between two relatively rotating bodies through the sliding contact between the conductive ring and the contacts. It is particularly suitable for applications involving continuous rotation where power or data from stationary equipment needs to be transmitted to rotating equipment, and is widely used in aerospace, shipbuilding, and wind power industries. The working principle of a conductive slip ring is that the conductive ring rotates around its center, and the sliding contacts are pressed against the outside of the conductive ring by a certain preload to achieve signal or power transmission. Because the sliding contacts and the conductive ring are constantly in a state of friction during operation, wear is inevitable, thus reducing the service life of the conductive slip ring. The issue of extending the lifespan of conductive slip rings has always been a key bottleneck restricting their application scenarios and performance, and has been a focus of research for domestic and foreign enterprises and research institutions.

[0003] The paper "Transmission Reliability Assessment of Long-Life Spaceborne Conductive Slip Rings" (Optics & Precision Engineering, Vol. 27, No. 9, 2019) addresses the long-life design and evaluation of conductive slip rings capable of 2 million revolutions in space. Based on two friction pair structures—brush bundle and single brush filament—life tests were conducted under a thermal vacuum environment to evaluate wear, voltage drop, bit error rate, and dynamic contact resistance throughout the lifespan, verifying the product reliability at the end of the lifespan test. The results show that the brush bundle structure conductive slip ring is superior to the single brush filament structure. Compared to this invention, the brush bundle structure mentioned in the paper can only mitigate the risk of complete brush filament breakage to a certain extent, extending the service life to a limited degree.

[0004] The article "A Long-Life Conductive Slip Ring for Easier Center-of-Gravity Balancing" (Science and Technology Innovation and Application, No. 10, 2020) proposes a conductive slip ring that facilitates center-of-gravity balancing of rotating components. By adding a balancing wheel to the shaft end of the rotating component of the conductive slip ring, the dynamic balancing test and balancing of the rotating component of the conductive slip ring can be performed more precisely. This makes the center of gravity of the conductive slip ring more symmetrical during high-speed rotation, delaying the wear of the slip ring bristles and improving the life of the conductive slip ring. Compared with this invention, the method mentioned in the paper essentially keeps the pressure between the bristles and the ring plate stable during normal operation, delaying the wear of the slip ring bristles, but with limited improvement in slip ring life.

[0005] As described in the invention patent CN109599732B (A signal transmission slip ring device and antenna equipment, 2020), the contact pressure between the ball and the shielding ring can be readjusted through the adjustment component. This effectively prevents the weakening of the shielding effect caused by poor contact of the shielding ring after long-term rotational wear, and also effectively prevents transmission instability caused by poor contact between the sliding contact and the conductive ring after long-term rotational wear. This invention has the technical characteristics of long service life, low transmission interference, stable signal transmission, and high transmission efficiency. Compared with this invention, the adjustment method of the invention patent CN109599732B is more complex, requiring multiple adjustments throughout its lifespan based on signal transmission quality needs, resulting in limited improvement in the overall service life of the slip ring device after adjustment.

[0006] As described in the invention patent CN109378665A (Conductive Slip Ring with Multi-groove and Multi-wire Structure and Method for Achieving Long Life of Conductive Slip Ring, 2019), the brush filaments are improved from single brush filaments to multiple brush filaments. Two brush filaments can be accommodated in the first ring, and three brush filaments can be accommodated in the second ring. This avoids the problem of brush filament wear affecting the service life of the conductive slip ring during operation, thus achieving a long service life. Compared with this invention, the invention patent CN109378665A increases the number of brush filaments in the ring. However, during slip ring operation, these brush filaments wear simultaneously, only preventing the risk of complete brush filament breakage to a certain extent and extending the service life to a certain extent. On the other hand, the increased number of brush filaments also increases the metal abrasion, increasing the risk of short circuits.

[0007] As described in the invention patent CN117578149A (A Long-Life Slip Ring that Disconnects at High Speeds, 2024), a long-life slip ring that can change the on / off state of the friction contact point can separate the friction contact point during the significant downtime in some equipment operation, preventing the annular contact ring from contacting the elastic metal wire, thereby extending its lifespan. In contrast, the slip ring disclosed in the invention patent CN117578149A has significantly limited application scenarios. Disconnecting the friction contact point means stopping the transmission of electrical signals, making this slip ring unsuitable for components or instruments requiring continuous operation for extended periods.

[0008] The methods for achieving long lifespan of conductive slip rings described in the above papers and patents can all be summarized as reducing wear between the contact element and the conductive ring, and maintaining a good contact state between them as much as possible. The first method is to adjust the contact pressure between the contact element and the conductive ring; the second method is to increase the number of brush filaments in the contact element; and the third method is to reduce the contact time between the contact element and the conductive ring. However, these three methods cannot fundamentally solve the problem of long lifespan for conductive slip rings, and their improvement on slip ring lifespan is limited compared to the methods disclosed in this invention.

[0009] To address the issue of long lifespan in conductive slip rings, this invention presents a switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contacts. This device enables long-term continuous and stable operation with only a single rapid switch, effectively solving the aforementioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a switchable conductive slip ring device with an extended lifespan for sliding contacts.

[0011] According to the present invention, a switchable conductive slip ring device with extended service life includes: a device housing, a conductive ring, a switchable control component, and a sliding contact. The conductive ring is sleeved around its center and rotates about a first positioning shaft fixed to the device housing. The sliding contact is rotatably connected to a second positioning shaft fixed to the device housing. The second positioning shaft is parallel to and offset from one side of the first positioning shaft. The sliding contact is disposed on the outside of the conductive ring and extends radially along the second positioning shaft toward both sides of the conductive ring to form a first contact and a second contact. The switchable control component includes a compression spring and a top block. The compression spring elastically abuts against the sliding contact, and one side of the top block forms an inclined surface that gradually approaches the conductive ring. The inclined surface abuts against and is slidably connected to the sliding contact. The sliding contact includes at least a first working state and a second working state. In the first working state, the compression spring elastically supports the first contact point to abut against the conductive ring, and a gap is formed between the second contact point and the conductive ring. In the second working state, the top block moves and abuts against the sliding contact to rotate, the second contact point abuts against the conductive ring, and a gap is formed between the first contact point and the conductive ring.

[0012] Preferably, the switchable control assembly further includes a slide, a guide rod, a seesaw, a motor drive shaft, a linear motor, and a hinge; The slide groove 1 is fixed to the device housing. The guide rod 2 is slidably connected to the slide groove 1 along an axis parallel to the conductive ring 7; the seesaw is fixedly connected to the sliding contact, the hinge is the second positioning axis, and the seesaw is rotatably connected to the hinge; The linear motor is fixed to the device housing; the motor drive shaft is connected in parallel to the guide rod and the linear motor; one end of the compression spring is fixed to the device housing, and the other end is connected to the seesaw; the top block is fixed to the guide rod, and one side of the inclined surface of the top block abuts against the end of the seesaw opposite the compression spring.

[0013] Preferably, the sliding contact includes a main sliding contact A and a backup sliding contact B, wherein the main sliding contact A is a first contact and the backup sliding contact B is a second contact. The main sliding contact A is fixed to the seesaw, with one end facing the hinge direction of the seesaw and the other end extending towards the side of the conductive ring near the compression spring; the backup sliding contact B is fixed to the seesaw, with one end facing the hinge direction of the seesaw and the other end extending towards the side of the conductive ring near the top block.

[0014] Preferably, the inclined surface of the top block extends along the guide rod direction near the end of the seesaw, forming a working surface that is continuous with the inclined surface; the working surface is arc-shaped, with the arc apex extending along the guide rod direction.

[0015] Preferably, the hinge is located at the center of the seesaw, and the main sliding contact A and the backup sliding contact B are oriented towards the center of the seesaw.

[0016] Preferably, a groove is provided in the middle of the outer ring of the conductive ring along the circumference, and the main sliding contact A or the backup sliding contact B abuts against the groove of the outer ring of the conductive ring.

[0017] Preferably, the linear motor is intermittently energized by pulses.

[0018] Preferably, the contact surface between the main sliding contact A or the backup sliding contact B and the conductive ring is a cross-section of the conductive ring.

[0019] Preferably, at least two conductive rings are coaxially spaced, and the seesaw, compression spring, top block, main sliding contact A and backup sliding contact B are arranged along the axial direction of the conductive rings and matched in number.

[0020] Preferably, four conductive rings are arranged coaxially at intervals, and four seesaws, compression springs, top blocks, main sliding contact A, and backup sliding contact B are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the conductive rings.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The switchable control component is simple and reliable to implement. The tilt of the top block and the driving distance of the linear motor together determine the displacement of the seesaw, which in turn determines the contact pressure between the sliding contact backup B and the conductive ring. The contact pressure can be adjusted by adjusting the stroke of the linear motor.

[0022] 2. When the main sliding contact component A reaches the end of its wear life due to long-term friction, switch to the backup sliding contact component B. The backup sliding contact component B has the same material and working environment as the main sliding contact component A. The main sliding contact component A and the backup sliding contact component B work in turn, thereby doubling the life of the slip ring device. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a lateral schematic diagram of the main component of the sliding contact provided by the present invention during operation.

[0024] Figure 2 This is an axial schematic diagram of the main component of the sliding contact provided by the present invention during operation.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a lateral schematic diagram of the sliding contact component during backup operation provided by the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 This is an axial schematic diagram of the sliding contact component during backup operation provided by the present invention.

[0027] The diagram shows: 1. Slide groove; 2. Guide rod; 3. Seesaw; 4. Top block; 5. Backup sliding contact B; 6. Main sliding contact A; 7. Conductive ring; 8. Motor drive shaft; 9. Linear motor; 10. Compression spring; 11. Hinge. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan includes: a device housing, a conductive ring 7, a switchable control component, and a sliding contact. The conductive ring 7 is sleeved around its center and rotates about a first positioning shaft fixed to the device housing. The sliding contact is rotatably connected to a second positioning shaft fixed to the device housing. The second positioning shaft is parallel to and offset from one side of the first positioning shaft. The sliding contact is located on the outside of the conductive ring 7 and extends radially along the second positioning shaft toward both sides of the conductive ring 7 to form a first contact and a second contact. The switchable control component includes a compression spring 10 and a top block 4. The compression spring 10 elastically abuts against the sliding contact. One side of the top block 4 forms an inclined surface that gradually approaches the conductive ring 7, and the inclined surface abuts against and slides against the sliding contact.

[0030] The sliding contact includes at least a first working state and a second working state. In the first working state, the compression spring 10 elastically supports the first contact point to abut against the conductive ring 7, and a gap is formed between the second contact point and the conductive ring 7, which is in a non-working state. In the second working state, the top block 4 moves and abuts against the driving sliding contact to rotate, the second contact point abuts against the conductive ring 7, and a gap is formed between the first contact point and the conductive ring 7.

[0031] The working principle of this application is that the switchable control component realizes the switching between primary and backup sliding contacts. Through a constant drive structure spring 10 and a controllable drive structure top block 4, the sliding contact in contact with it is driven to rotate, so as to realize the alternating contact between the first and second contacts and the conductive ring 7, and complete the switching of working states.

[0032] The switchable control assembly also includes a slide 1, a guide rod 2, a seesaw 3, a motor drive shaft 8, a linear motor 9, and a hinge 11. The slide 1 is fixed to the device housing. The guide rod 2 is slidably connected to the slide 1 along an axis parallel to the conductive ring 7. The seesaw 3 is fixedly connected to the sliding contact, and the hinge 11 serves as a second positioning shaft, with the seesaw 3 rotatably connected to the hinge 11. The linear motor 9 is fixed to the device housing, and its drive shaft extends when the linear motor 9 is in operation. The motor drive shaft 8 is connected in parallel to the guide rod 2 and the output end of the linear motor 9. One end of the compression spring 10 is fixed to the device housing, and the other end is connected to the seesaw 3. A top block 4 is fixed to the guide rod 2, and one side of the inclined surface of the top block 4 abuts against the end of the seesaw 3 opposite to the compression spring 10. Initially, the top block 4 does not contact the seesaw 3, and the inclined surface of the top block 4 faces the seesaw 3. The seesaw 3 provides stable support for the sliding contact and transmits the driving force between the compression spring 10 and the top block 4.

[0033] In one embodiment, the linear motor 9 is intermittently energized in pulses. When energized, it generates thrust, keeping the guide rod 2 in the extended state.

[0034] The sliding contact includes a main sliding contact A6 and a backup sliding contact B5. The main sliding contact A6 is the first contact, and the backup sliding contact B5 is the second contact. The main sliding contact A6 is fixed to the seesaw 3, with one end facing the hinge 11 of the seesaw 3 and the other end extending towards the conductive ring 7 near the compression spring 10. The backup sliding contact B5 is fixed to the seesaw 3, with one end facing the hinge 11 of the seesaw 3 and the other end extending towards the conductive ring 7 near the top block 4.

[0035] By employing the combination of guide rod 2 and top block 4, the displacement of the downward-pressing seesaw 3 can be controlled by the thickness of top block 4, thereby precisely controlling the displacement of the sliding contact. Pure mechanical motion is more reliable and further controls the contact pressure between the sliding contact backup B5 and the conductive ring 7. If the seesaw 3 is directly driven by linear motor 9, the impact force generated by the linear motor 9 is larger, making it difficult to control the movement distance of the seesaw 3 and easily causing uncontrollable damage between the sliding contact backup B5 and the conductive ring 7.

[0036] The switching of the primary and backup sliding contact components is controlled and precisely achieved through mechanical design. The positional coordination of the top block 4, the seesaw 3, and the backup sliding contact component B5 involves the transmission of forces. In actual manufacturing, the size of the top block 4 needs to be precisely calculated and verified, and the force exerted by the top block 4 pressing down on the seesaw 3 needs to be accurately measured. To control the contact pressure between the backup sliding contact component B5 and the conductive ring 7 and avoid accelerated wear or poor contact, the movement distance of the top block 4, the corresponding downward pressing distance of the seesaw 3, and the fixed angle between the backup sliding contact component B5 and the seesaw 3 need to be specified based on the range of contact pressure.

[0037] In one embodiment, the contact surface between the main sliding contact A6 or the backup sliding contact B5 and the conductive ring 7 is a cross-section of the conductive ring 7.

[0038] In one embodiment, the inclined surface of the top block 4 extends along the direction of the guide rod 2 near the end of the seesaw 3, forming a working surface that is continuous with the inclined surface, so that the seesaw 3 can form a stable contact with the top block 4 after reaching the predetermined position. The working surface is arc-shaped, and the apex of the arc extends along the direction of the guide rod 2.

[0039] In one embodiment, the hinge 11 is located at the center of the seesaw 3, and the main sliding contact A6 and the backup sliding contact B5 are oriented toward the center of the seesaw 3.

[0040] In one embodiment, a groove is provided circumferentially in the middle of the outer ring of the conductive ring 7, and the main sliding contact A6 or the backup sliding contact B5 abuts against the groove of the outer ring of the conductive ring 7.

[0041] In one embodiment, at least two conductive rings 7 are coaxially spaced. The seesaw 3, compression spring 10, top block 4, main sliding contact A6 and backup sliding contact B5 are arranged along the axial direction of the conductive ring 7 and matched with the number of conductive rings 7. The guide rod 2 can simultaneously control the four main sliding contact A6 that are in contact with the conductive ring 7 to switch to the backup sliding contact B5.

[0042] In one embodiment, four conductive rings 7 are coaxially spaced, and four rocker arms 3, compression springs 10, top blocks 4, main sliding contact A6 and backup sliding contact B5 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of conductive rings 7. The guide rod 2 can simultaneously control the four main sliding contact A6 that are in contact with conductive rings 7 to switch to backup sliding contact B5.

[0043] The working process of this application is as follows: When the main sliding contact A6 reaches the end of its wear life due to long-term friction, the switching process to the backup sliding contact B5 is as follows: The linear motor 9 operates, causing the motor drive shaft 8 to extend and push the guide rod 2 to move to the left. The top block 4 moves accordingly, pressing down one end of the seesaw 3, causing the seesaw 3 to swing around the hinge 11. This causes the main sliding contact A6 to move away from the conductive ring 7, while the backup sliding contact B5 contacts the conductive ring 7, completing the switching from the main sliding contact to the backup. The contact pressure between the backup sliding contact B5 and the conductive ring 7 is controlled by the compression spring 10.

[0044] The above embodiments illustrate that the conductive slip ring device of the present invention significantly improves its lifespan by relying on the main / standby switching method of the sliding contact element, and the implementation method is simple and reliable.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0046] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element, characterized in that, include: The device housing, conductive ring (7), switchable control components and sliding contact are included. The conductive ring (7) is fitted around the ring center and rotates around the first positioning shaft fixed to the device housing. The sliding contact is rotatably connected to the second positioning shaft fixed to the device. The second positioning shaft is parallel to and offset from the first positioning shaft on one side. The sliding contact is located on the outside of the conductive ring (7). The sliding contact extends radially along the second positioning shaft toward both sides of the conductive ring (7) to form the first contact and the second contact. The switchable control component includes a compression spring (10) and a top block (4). The compression spring (10) elastically abuts against the sliding contact. One side of the top block (4) forms an inclined surface that gradually approaches the conductive ring (7). The inclined surface abuts against and slides against the sliding contact. The sliding contact includes at least a first working state and a second working state. In the first working state, the compression spring (10) elastically supports the first contact point to abut against the conductive ring (7), and a gap is formed between the second contact point and the conductive ring (7). In the second working state, the top block (4) moves and abuts against the driving sliding contact to rotate, and the second contact point abuts against the conductive ring (7), and a gap is formed between the first contact point and the conductive ring (7).

2. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switchable control assembly also includes a slide (1), a guide rod (2), a seesaw (3), a motor drive shaft (8), a linear motor (9), and a hinge (11). The slide groove (1) is fixed to the device. The guide rod (2) is slidably connected to the slide groove (1) along the axis parallel to the conductive ring 7; the seesaw (3) is fixedly connected to the sliding contact, the hinge (11) is the second positioning axis, and the seesaw (3) is rotatably connected to the hinge (11); The linear motor (9) is fixed to the device housing; the motor drive shaft (8) is connected in parallel to the guide rod (2) and the linear motor (9); one end of the compression spring (10) is fixed to the device housing, and the other end is connected to the seesaw (3); the top block (4) is fixed to the guide rod (2), and one side of the inclined surface of the top block (4) abuts against one end of the seesaw (3) opposite to the compression spring (10).

3. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sliding contact includes a main sliding contact A (6) and a backup sliding contact B (5), wherein the main sliding contact A (6) is the first contact and the backup sliding contact B (5) is the second contact; The main sliding contact A (6) is fixed to the seesaw (3), with one end facing the hinge (11) of the seesaw (3) and the other end extending towards the side of the conductive ring (7) near the compression spring (10); the backup sliding contact B (5) is fixed to the seesaw (3), with one end facing the hinge (11) of the seesaw (3) and the other end extending towards the side of the conductive ring (7) near the top block (4).

4. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inclined surface of the top block (4) extends along the direction of the guide rod (2) near the end of the seesaw (3) to form a working surface that is continuous with the inclined surface; the working surface is arc-shaped, and the top of the arc extends along the direction of the guide rod (2).

5. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hinge (11) is located at the center of the seesaw (3), and the main sliding contact A (6) and the backup sliding contact B (5) are positioned toward the center of the seesaw (3).

6. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 3, characterized in that, The conductive ring (7) has a groove in the middle of its outer ring along the circumference, and the main sliding contact A (6) or the backup sliding contact B (5) abuts against the groove of the outer ring of the conductive ring (7).

7. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 2, characterized in that, The linear motor (9) is intermittently energized in a pulsed manner.

8. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 3, characterized in that, The contact surface between the main sliding contact A (6) or the backup sliding contact B (5) and the conductive ring (7) is the cross-section of the conductive ring (7).

9. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least two conductive rings (7) are coaxially spaced. The seesaw (3), compression spring (10), top block (4), main sliding contact A (6) and backup sliding contact B (5) are arranged along the axial direction of the conductive rings (7) and the number of conductive rings (7) is matched.

10. The switchable conductive slip ring device with extended lifespan sliding contact element according to claim 9, characterized in that, The conductive ring (7) is arranged in four coaxial intervals, and the seesaw (3), compression spring (10), top block (4), main sliding contact A (6) and backup sliding contact B (5) are arranged in four intervals along the axial direction of the conductive ring (7).

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