Grounding brush assembly

Abstract

A grounding brush assembly includes a drive shaft seal mount configured to be coupled to a drive shaft seal assembly for a boat. A housing is coupled to the drive shaft seal mount. The housing includes an aperture at a bottom surface of the housing and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing. A conductive brush is positioned within the housing and extends at least partially through the aperture in the housing. A conductive contact is electrically connected to the conductive brush and extends through the slot in the housing. A biasing element is coupled to the housing and biasing the conductive brush away from a top surface of the housing.

Description

TITLE

[0001] Grounding Brush AssemblyCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 519,932 filed August 16, 2023, titled “Grounding Brush Assembly,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to grounding brush assemblies and, in some embodiments, to a grounding brush assembly for use with a marine bonding system and / or grounding system.SUMMARY

[0004] In one embodiment, there is a brush assembly including a drive shaft seal mount configured to be coupled to a drive shaft seal assembly for a boat, a housing coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture at a bottom surface of the housing and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing, a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing, a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing, and a biasing element coupled to the housing and biasing the conductive brush away from a top surface of the housing.

[0005] In some embodiment, the drive shaft seal mount includes a platform extending outwardly from a front surface of the drive shaft, and the housing is mounted on the platform. In some embodiments, the platform includes opposed sidewalls each defining a mounting surface, and the sidewalls of the housing abut the sidewalls of the platform and the bottom surface of the housing abuts the mounting surfaces. In some embodiments, the conductive contact is a threaded rod and includes at least two adjustable nuts coupled thereto. In some embodiments, the conductive contact is a grounding cable.

[0006] In some embodiments, the housing and conductive brush are detachably coupled to the drive shaft seal mount. In some embodiments, the housing includes a detachable front plate defining the slot. In some embodiments, the conductive contact is detachably coupled to the conductive brush. In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount is entirely exterior to the housing. In someembodiments, the biasing element is directly coupled to the housing and extends downwardly from a top inner surface thereof.

[0007] In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount includes apertures configured to be aligned with existing apertures in the drive shaft seal assembly for receiving fasteners coupling the drive shaft seal mount to the drive shaft seal assembly. In some embodiments, the housing is comprised of an electrically insulating material. In some embodiments, the brush assembly further includes a fastener detachably coupling the housing to the drive shaft seal mount. In some embodiments, the biasing element couples the conductive brush to the housing.

[0008] In another embodiment, there is a brush assembly for use with a drive shaft and drive shaft seal mount including a housing configured to be coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture at a bottom surface and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing, a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing, a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing, and a biasing element coupling the conductive brush to the housing and biasing the conductive brush away from a top surface of the housing.

[0009] In another embodiment, there is a brush assembly including a drive shaft seal mount including apertures configured to be aligned with existing apertures in a drive shaft seal assembly for receiving fasteners coupling the drive shaft seal mount to the drive shaft seal assembly, a housing detachably coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing, a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing, a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing, and a biasing element directly coupled to the housing and extending downwardly from a top inner surface thereof, the biasing element coupling the housing to the conductive brush and biasing the conductive brush away from the top inner surface of the housing.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The following detailed description of embodiments of the grounding brush assembly will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings of an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

[0011] In the drawings:

[0012] Fig. l is a perspective view of a grounding brush assembly coupled to an existing drive shaft seal in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the grounding brush assembly of Fig. 1 shown decoupled from the drive shaft seal;

[0014] Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of the grounding brush and drive shaft seal of Fig. 1;

[0015] Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the grounding brush assembly of Fig. 1;

[0016] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the grounding brush assembly of Fig. 1;

[0017] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a housing and conductive brush included in the grounding brush assembly of Fig. 1;

[0018] Fig. 7 is a rear perspective view of the drive shaft mount of Fig. 1;

[0019] Fig. 8 is a perspective front left-side view of a housing and conductive brush included in a grounding brush assembly in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Fig. 9 is a perspective front right-side view of the housing and conductive brush of Fig. 8 with a front plate of the housing removed;

[0021] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a grounding brush assembly in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Fig. 11 is a front perspective view of the grounding brush assembly of Fig. 10.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Grounding brushes for use with a bonding system of a ship or boat are often used to create a low-resistance electrical connection between a rotating shaft (e.g., a drive shaft) and a sacrificial anode included in the bonding system. The bonding system is a network of wires and / or copper strips that connects the underwater metals on the hull such as the struts and rudder and helps with corrosion protection of these parts.

[0024] Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout, there is shown in Figs. 1-7 a grounding brush assembly, generally designated 100, and alternatively referred to as a brush assembly 100, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the brush assembly 100 is configured to maintain electrical contact between a grounding brush included in the brush assembly and a rotating shaft 14. In some embodiments, the brush assembly 100 is configured to be included in an existing bonding system of a ship or other marine vessel. In some embodiments, the brush assembly 100 is configured to enable users to quickly and easily replace grounding brushes. In someembodiments, the brush assembly 100 is configured to be securely coupled to an existing drive shaft assembly.

[0025] Referring to Figs. 1 -2, the brush assembly 100 may be configured to be coupled to an existing drive shaft seal assembly 10. The brush assembly 100 may include a drive shaft seal mount 102, a housing 104 coupled to the drive shaft seal mount 102, a conductive brush 106 and a grounding cable 105 electrically connected to the conductive brush 106. In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount 102 is configured to couple the brush assembly to a drive shaft seal assembly 10. The drive shaft seal mount 102 may alternatively be referred to as a grounding brush assembly mount. The conductive brush 106 and grounding cable 105 may be configured to be in electrical communication with the drive shaft seal assembly 10 such that a conductive wire may be connected to the grounding cable 105 to form an electrical connection with the drive shaft seal assembly 10, or a portion thereof (e.g., the drive shaft itself). In some embodiments, the conductive brush 106 is configured to generally remain in contact with a drive shaft as it rotates. The housing 104 may be configured to be mounted to the drive shaft seal mount 102 and position the conductive brush 106 to directly contact a drive shaft or other rotationally driven shaft.

[0026] The drive shaft seal mount 102 may be configured to be detachably coupled to a drive shaft seal assembly 10. In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount 102 may include apertures 110 configured to be aligned with existing apertures in the drive shaft seal assembly for receiving fasteners coupling the drive shaft seal mount 102 to the drive shaft seal assembly 10. For example, and as illustrated in Fig. 2, the apertures 110 in the drive shaft seal mount 102 may be aligned with existing apertures 12 in the drive shaft seal assembly 10 (e.g., apertures in a mold cap of a seal assembly for a drive shaft). Fasteners 15 (e.g., screws, bolts) may extend through the apertures 110 and into apertures 12, thereby coupling the drive shaft seal mount 102 to the shaft assembly 10.

[0027] Referring briefly to Fig. 7, in some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount 102 includes a rear surface 103 shaped and / or contoured to a shape of the drive shaft seal assembly 10. For example, and as shown in Fig. 8, the rear surface 103 of the drive shaft seal mount 102 includes a series of curved stepped surfaces each shaped and sized to generally match an outer surface of the drive shaft seal assembly 10 or a portion thereof. The shape and size of the rear surface 103 generally matching a corresponding outer surface of the drive shaft seal assembly 10 may enable the mount 102 to at least partially abut the shaft assembly 10. This may increase the stability of the drive shaft seal mount 102 relative to the drive shaft seal assembly 10. The drive shaft seal assembly 10 illustrated in Figs. 1-2 may be representative of a portion of an entire drive shaft seal assembly 10 and it should be understood that the shape of the drive shaft seal mount 102 and / or positions of theapertures 110 may be altered to generally match a desired drive shaft seal assembly 10. In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal assembly 10 is a drive shaft seal assembly for a boat, ship, or other marine vessel. In other instances, the drive shaft seal assembly may be any assembly including a rotating shaft where it is desirable to maintain an electrical connection to the rotating shaft. In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount 102 is comprised of a non-conductive material. In some instances, the drive shaft seal mount 102 is comprised of a 3-D-printed nylon material. In one embodiment, the drive shaft seal mount 102 is comprised of a 3-D-printed nylon material with chopped carbon fiber for added strength and stability.

[0028] Referring to Fig. 3, the conductive brush 106 may be configured to be electrically connected to a drive shaft 14 of the drive shaft seal assembly 10. The conductive brush 106 may be comprised of a conductive material such as, but not limited to, a metal, metal alloy, or a conductive graphite material. For example, the conductive brush 106 may be comprised of a silver graphite material (e.g., 50% silver and 50% graphite by weight). The silver content of the conductive brush 106 may provide low contact resistance for electrical grounding and the graphite content may provide low friction for extending the use lifetime of the conductive brush 106. In some embodiments, the conductive brush 106 may be positioned within the housing 104 and configured to extend from the housing to a drive shaft 14 of a drive shaft seal assembly 10. In some embodiments, the conductive brush 106 is translatable relative to the housing 104 such that the conductive brush 106 may remain in contact with the drive shaft 14 in instances where the drive shaft 14 is displaced relative to the drive shaft seal mount 102 and / or housing 104. For example, during use the drive shaft 14 may vibrate and / or deviate from an intended rotational axis. In such instances, the conductive brush 106 may translate relative to the housing 104 and remain in contact with the drive shaft 14 such that an electrical connection is formed. In some embodiments, the drive shaft 14 has a diameter smaller than 3 inches.

[0029] In some embodiments, the brush assembly 100 is configured to bias the conductive brush 106 toward the drive shaft 14. The brush assembly 100 may include a biasing element 112 coupled to the housing 104 and biasing the conductive brush 106 away from the housing 104. In some instances, the biasing element 112 is a spring (e.g., a compression spring, a coil spring, a constant force spring, a helical compression spring). In other instances, the biasing element 112 may be any other suitable biasing device. In some instances, the biasing element 112 may have a free length that is at least 95% of the height of the housing 104. For example, a coil spring acting as the biasing element 112 when in a resting state (e.g., not compressed or stretched) may extend from a top inner surface of the housing 104 to a bottom surface thereof (as discussed in greater detail below). Thebiasing element 112 may be configured to retain the conductive brush 106 against the drive shaft 14, thereby ensuring that an electrical connection is maintained in the event that the drive shaft 14 is displaced relative to the housing 104.

[0030] Referring to Figs. 4-5, the housing 104 may be detachably coupled to the drive shaft seal mount 102. The drive shaft seal mount 102 may include a platform 114 configured to receive the housing 104. In some embodiments, the platform 114 may extend outwardly from a front surface 116 of the drive shaft seal mount 102. The housing 104 may be mounted to the platform 114 and detachable therefrom. When mounted on the platform 114 the housing 104 may be positioned in front of the front surface 116 of the drive shaft seal mount 102. In some embodiments, the platform 114 includes opposed sidewalls 118a, 118b each defining a corresponding mounting surface 120a, 120b. In some embodiments, when the housing 104 is mounted to the platform 114, sidewalls of the housing 104 may abut the sidewalls 118a, 118b of the platform 114 and a bottom surface of the housing 104 may abut the mounting surface 120a, 120b. In some instances, a fastener 122 couples the housing 104 to the platform 114 of the drive shaft seal mount 102. For example, the fastener 122 may extend through apertures in the housing 104 and drive shaft seal mount 102 so that they are aligned with one another when the housing 104 is mounted to the platform 114. In some embodiments, the drive shaft seal mount 102 may be exterior to the housing 104. For example, no portion of the drive shaft seal mount 102 may extend into or through a surface of the housing 104. In some embodiments, the housing 104 may be configured to be pressed into engagement with the platform 114 and snap-fit to the drive shaft seal mount 102.

[0031] In some embodiments, when mounted on the platform 114 and coupled to the drive shaft seal mount 102 via the fastener 122, the housing 104 may be fixed in position relative to the drive shaft seal mount 102. For example, the sidewalls 118a, 118b, mounting surfaces 120a, 102b and / or fastener 122 may restrict movement of the housing 104 relative to the drive shaft seal mount 102 such that the housing 104 is prevented from translating or rotating relative to the drive shaft seal mount 102. In some instances, fixing the position of the housing 104 relative to the drive shaft seal mount 102 may increase the stability and reliability of the brush assembly 100 during use while simultaneously enabling quick and easy removal of the housing 104 from the drive shaft seal mount 102. For example, a user may remove the fastener 122, which may in some instances be a threaded screw or bolt, and remove the housing 104 from the platform 114. This may be particularly beneficial as the conductive brush 106 may experience wear and tear over a given usage interval and it may be desirable to replace the conductive brush 106. The housing 104 may be removable from the drive shaft seal mount 102 while the conductive brush 106 is still connected to the housing 104.This may enable a user to replace the housing 104 and brush assembly 106 with a new assembly as desired.

[0032] Referring to Fig. 6, and as discussed above, the conductive brush 106 may be translatable relative to the housing 104. In some embodiments, a portion of the conductive brush 106 extends at least partially through an aperture 124 in the housing 104. The aperture 124 may be positioned along a bottom surface 126 of the housing 104 and a distal end of the conductive brush 106 may extend therethrough. In some embodiments, the aperture 124 is at least partially defined by a track 128 that receives the conductive brush 106. In some instances, the conductive brush 106 is retained within the track 128 and translation of the conductive brush 106 is at least partially restricted by the track 128. In some instances, translation of the conductive brush 106 may generally be restricted to a direction that is generally parallel to the track 128. For example, translation of the conductive brush 106 may be restricted to either moving away from or toward a top surface 130 of the housing 104.

[0033] In some embodiments, the biasing element 112 is configured to bias the conductive brush 106 away from the top surface 130 of the housing 104. The biasing element 112 may be directly coupled to the housing 104 and extend downwardly from a top inner surface 132 thereof. In some embodiments, the biasing element is sandwiched between the top inner surface 132 of the housing 104 and the conductive brush 106. In this manner, the biasing element 112 may exert a force on a proximal end of the conductive brush 106 directed away from the top inner surface 132 of the housing 104. In some embodiments, the biasing element 112 couples the conductive brush 106 to the housing 104. For example, the biasing element 112 may be fixedly coupled to the housing 104 and to the conductive brush 106. In some embodiments, the biasing element 112 has a free length that is generally equal to the height H of the housing 104. For example, the biasing element 1 12 when not acted on by an external force (other than gravity) may extend from the top inner surface 132 generally to the bottom surface 126 of the housing 104. In some instances, the free length of the biasing element 112 may be between about 98% to about 95% of the height H of the housing 104.

[0034] In some embodiments, the housing 104, conductive brush 106, biasing element 112 and / or conductive contact 108 may form a disposable brush assembly configured to be removed, as a single unit, from the drive shaft seal mount 102 and replaced with another disposable brush assembly that is generally the same. This may be particularly beneficial in instances where the conductive brush 106 is comprised of a conductive graphite because the conductive brush 106 may be depleted over time due to a drive shaft rotating against a surface of the conductive brush 106.

[0035] In some embodiments, the grounding cable 105 may protrude at least partially from the housing 104 such that an electrical connection device may be coupled thereto. The housing 104 mayinclude a slot 136 extending at least partially along a front surface 138 of the housing 104. The front surface 138 of the housing 104 may be generally perpendicular to the bottom surface 126 of the housing 104. In some instances, the conductive contact 108 extends through the slot 136 such that it protrudes outwardly from the front surface 138 of the housing 104. In some embodiments, the slot 136 may extend along the front surface 138 partially between the top surface 130 and bottom surface 126 of the housing 104. In some instances, the slot 136 may be spaced from the bottom surface 126 and the top surface 130 of the housing 104. For example, the slot 136 may have a height that is less than a height H of the housing 104.

[0036] Referring to Figs. 8-9, there is shown a housing and conductive brush included in a grounding brush assembly in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Housing 204 is similar to housing 104 except, there is a front plate 240 detachably coupled to the housing 204 and a conductive contact 208 and nuts 242a, 242b that function similarly to the grounding cable 105 of grounding brush assembly 100. In some embodiments, the slot 236 is defined by the front plate 240 detachably coupled to the housing 204. In some embodiment, the front plate 240 is partially covering the housing 204, providing access to the interior of the housing 204. In some embodiments, the front plate 240 is detachably coupled to the housing 204 via one or more fasteners 241a, 241b. For example, fasteners 241a, 241b may be screws or bolts extending through corresponding apertures in the front plate 240 and engaging with threaded inserts 243 a, 243b of the housing 204. In some embodiments, the housing 204 includes internal slots 245a-245d separated from the track 228 and positioned proximate the four corners of the housing 204. The internal slots 245a-245d may be configured to reduce the overall weight and volume of the housing 204. In some instances, the slots 245a- 245d may each be generally the same size and / or shape. In other embodiments, one or more of the slots 245a-245d may be a different size and / or shape than another of the slots 245a-245d. In some instances, the front plate 240 defines the front surface 238 of the housing 204. The detachable front plate may enable a user to remove the front plate and repair or replace the conductive brush 206 positioned therein. In some embodiments, the front plate 240 at least partially defines the aperture 224 that the conductive brush 206 extends through. In some instances, the entire housing 204 with the brush 206, conductive contact 208, biasing element 212, and / or front plate 240 may be replaced when the brush 206 is depleted.

[0037] In some embodiments, the conductive contact 208 is configured to translate with the brush 206. For example, the conductive contact 208 may be fixed relative to the brush 206 such that translation of the brush 206 causes the conductive contact 208 to translate with the brush 206. In some instances, the conductive contact 208 may be a threaded rod that is coupled to the conductivebrush 206. In some embodiments, the conductive contact 208 is detachably coupled from the brush 206. For example, the conductive contact 208 may be rotated relative to the brush 206 until it is decoupled therefrom. In other instances, the conductive contact 208 is fixedly coupled to the brush 206. In some embodiments, the conductive contact 208 is configured to securely couple a conductive wire or other electrical connection device to the brush assembly 200. The conductive contact 208 may include two nuts 242a, 242b adjustably coupled thereto and configured to secure a conductive wire to the contact 208. For example, a copper wire may be wound around the contact 208 between the nuts 242a, 242b and the nuts 142a, 142b may be adjusted along the contact 208 to abut and clamp the wire to the contact 208. In some embodiments, the wire may include a terminal connector (e.g., fork terminal, ring terminal) sized to fit to the conductive contact 208. The nuts 242a, 242b may be adjusted along the conductive contact 208 to abut the terminal connector and prevent it from accidental decoupling from the conductive contact 208. The wire discussed in the above example may be a conductive wire included in a ship bonding and / or grounding system which, when coupled to the conductive contact 208, forms an electrical connection with the conductive contact 208 and brush 206.

[0038] In some instances, by providing a conductive contact 208 and conductive brush 206 in electrical communication with one another, the housing 204 may not be required to be conductive. The housing 204 may be comprised of an electrically insulating material. For example, the housing 204 may be comprised of a plastic or polymeric (e.g., a molded nylon) or any other non-conductive material. By providing a housing 204 comprised of a non-conductive material, the risk of breaks in an electrical ground may be reduced.

[0039] Referring to Figs. 10-11, there is shown a grounding brush assembly, generally designated 300, in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Grounding brush assembly 300 is similar to grounding brush assembly 100 except that, grounding brush assembly 300 comprises more than one conductive brush 306 coupled to the drive shaft seal assembly 30. The use of more than one conductive brush 306 in grounding brush assembly 300 may be beneficial for larger drive shafts (e.g. larger than 3 inches in diameter). Drive shafts with larger diameters may experience more imbalances in the current circulating the drive shaft and thus may need more than one conductive brush 306 to protect the drive shaft from the increased amount of circulating current and to help create a low resistance electrical connection between the drive shaft and the sacrificial anode included in the bonding system. The larger drive shafts may have a diameter of about three inches to eight inches. In one embodiment, the larger drive shaft diameter is at least three inches.

[0040] In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 10-11, grounding brush assembly 300 comprises two conductive brushes 306. Grounding brush assembly 300 may include a drive shaft seal mount 302. Additionally, grounding brush assembly 300 comprises one or more grounding cables 305. Grounding cables 304 are substantially the same as grounding cable 104. One end of each of the grounding cables 305 is directly coupled to each of the conductive brushes 306 while the other end of each of the grounding cables 305 is coupled to a fastener 321 on the drive shaft seal mount 302. The grounding cables 305 may allow for electrical communication between the conductive brush 306 and the drive shaft seal assembly 30. In one embodiment, there is a shared grounding connection between each of the grounding cables 305 and their respective conductive brush when connected to the fastener 321. In some embodiments, the end of the grounding cable 305 is disposed in a cavity on the conductive brush 306 and directly coupled to conductive brush 306 with a tamping material. The tamping material may be comprised of a flowable graphite powder, a metal oxide, a resin binder, and a flow promoter. The flow promoter may be a silica or a resin. The finished connection between the grounding cable 305 and conductive brush 306 may be finished with an acid dopant. The acid dopant reacts with the metal oxide in the tamping material to bond the grounding cable 305 to the conductive brush 306. In some embodiments, grounding cable 305 is coupled to the fastener 321 with a round crimping lug. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 10-11, the drive seal mount 302 may be pentagonal in shape. The two brush assemblies may be adjacent and evenly spaced apart on the drive shaft seal mount 302 with an angle of separation, defined as 0, of 72 degrees, the central angle of a pentagon. In some embodiments, one of the conductive brushes 306 may be positioned on an opposite or different side of the drive seal mount 302 and the two conductive brushes 306 may no longer be adjacent resulting in the angle of separation 0 being 144 degrees. In some embodiments, the drive seal mount 302 may be a different shape resulting in the conductive brushes 306 being evenly spaced with different degrees of separation.

[0041] In some embodiments, housing 204 may replace housing 104 in grounding brush assembly 100 and housing 304 in grounding assembly 300.

[0042] The term “about” or “approximately” is used herein to provide literal support for the exact number that it precedes, as well as a number that is near to or approximately the number that the term precedes. In determining whether a number is near to or approximately a specifically recited number, the near or approximating unrecited number may be a number, which, in the context in which it is presented, provides the substantial equivalent of the specifically recited number. It should be appreciated that all numerical values and ranges disclosed herein are approximate values and ranges, whether “about” is used in conjunction therewith. It should also be appreciated that theterm “about,” as used herein, in conjunction with a numeral refers to a value that may be ±0.01% (inclusive), ±0.1% (inclusive), ±0.5% (inclusive), ±1% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±2% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±3% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±5% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±10% (inclusive) of that numeral, or ±15% (inclusive) of that numeral. It should further be appreciated that when a numerical range is disclosed herein, any numerical value falling within the range is also specifically disclosed.

[0043] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the exemplary embodiments shown and described above without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. It is to be understood that the embodiments and claims disclosed herein are not limited in their application to the details of construction and arrangement of the components set forth in the description and illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the description and the drawings provide examples of the embodiments envisioned. The embodiments and claims disclosed herein are further capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.

[0044] Specific features of the exemplary embodiments may or may not be part of the claimed invention and various features of the disclosed embodiments may be combined. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a”, “an” and “the” are not limited to one element but instead should be read as meaning “at least one”. Finally, unless specifically set forth herein, a disclosed or claimed method should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the steps may be performed in any practical order.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A grounding brush assembly comprising: a drive shaft seal mount configured to be coupled to a drive shaft seal assembly for a boat; a housing coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture at a bottom surface of the housing and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing; a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing; a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing; and a biasing element coupled to the housing and biasing the conductive brush away from a top surface of the housing.

2. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft seal mount includes a platform extending outwardly from a front surface of the drive shaft, and wherein the housing is mounted on the platform.

3. The grounding brush assembly of claim 2, wherein the platform includes opposed sidewalls each defining a mounting surface, and wherein sidewalls of the housing abut the sidewalls of the platform and the bottom surface of the housing abuts the mounting surfaces.

4. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the conductive contact is a threaded rod and includes at least two adjustable nuts coupled thereto.

5. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the conductive contact is a grounding cable.

6. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing and conductive brush are detachably coupled to the drive shaft seal mount.

7. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a detachable front plate defining the slot.

8. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the conductive contact is detachably coupled to the conductive brush.

9. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft seal mount is entirely exterior to the housing.

10. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the biasing element is directly coupled to the housing and extends downwardly from a top inner surface thereof.

11. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft seal mount includes apertures configured to be aligned with existing apertures in the drive shaft seal assembly for receiving fasteners coupling the drive shaft seal mount to the drive shaft seal assembly.

12. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is comprised of an electrically insulating material.

13. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1 further comprising: a fastener detachably coupling the housing to the drive shaft seal mount.

14. The grounding brush assembly of claim 1, wherein the biasing element couples the conductive brush to the housing.

15. A grounding brush assembly for use with a drive shaft and drive shaft seal mount, the brush assembly comprising: a housing configured to be coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture at a bottom surface and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing; a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing; a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing; and a biasing element coupling the conductive brush to the housing and biasing the conductive brush away from a top surface of the housing.

16. A grounding brush assembly comprising: a drive shaft seal mount including apertures configured to be aligned with existing apertures in a drive shaft seal assembly for receiving fasteners coupling the drive shaft seal mount to the drive shaft seal assembly; a housing detachably coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing; a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing; a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing; and a biasing element directly coupled to the housing and extending downwardly from a top inner surface thereof, the biasing element coupling the housing to the conductive brush and biasing the conductive brush away from the top inner surface of the housing.

17. A grounding shaft grounding system comprising: a drive shaft seal mount configured to be coupled to a drive shaft seal assembly for a boat; and first and second brush assemblies, each comprising: a housing coupled to the drive shaft seal mount, the housing including an aperture at a bottom surface of the housing and a slot extending at least partially along a front surface of the housing; a conductive brush positioned within the housing and extending at least partially through the aperture in the housing; a conductive contact electrically connected to the conductive brush and extending through the slot in the housing; and a biasing element coupled to the housing and biasing the conductive brush away from a top surface of the housing.

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