Brush body, brush unit, slip ring device

Abstract

To provide a brush body, a brush unit, and a slip ring device that can easily bring a brush into contact with a slip ring.SOLUTION: A brush body 15 for a slip ring device 1 includes a brush 16 made of a plurality of straight metal wires, and a metal brush holder 17 that restrains and holds one end of the brush 16 such that the other end is exposed. The brush holder 17 includes a first thick portion 31, and a thin portion 32 that is integral with the first thick portion 31 and adjacent to the first thick portion 31. A through hole 17a for inserting the brush 16 is formed in the first thick portion 31 and the thin portion 32. The first thick portion 31 has a thickness larger than that of the thin portion 32 in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole 17a. The brush 16 is inserted into the through hole 17a such that the one end is exposed from the first thick portion 31, and is restrained and held by the brush holder 17 by caulking the thin portion 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a brush body, a brush unit, and a slip ring device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a slip ring device for transmitting an electrical signal or electric power between a rotating part and a stationary part of industrial equipment has been known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional slip ring device as described above, since the brush is soldered and fixed to the substrate on the stationary part side, the direction in which the brush extends changes due to soldering, and there is a problem that it is difficult to bring the brush into contact with the slip ring.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a brush body, a brush unit, and a slip ring device capable of easily bringing a brush into contact with a slip ring.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a brush composed of a plurality of linear metal wires, a metal brush holder for restraining and holding the other end side so that one end of the brush is exposed, and a brush body for a slip ring device, the brush holder has a first thick portion and a thin portion integrally adjacent to the first thick portion, The first thick-walled portion and the thin-walled portion have through holes formed therein for inserting the brush. The first thick-walled portion has a thickness greater than that of the thin-walled portion in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole. The brush is inserted into the through hole such that one end is exposed from the first thick portion, and is held in place by the brush holder by crimping the thin portion. Occasionally, The brush holder has a second thickened portion that is integral with the thinned portion and sandwiches the thinned portion from both sides with the first thickened portion. The aforementioned through hole penetrates the second thickened portion, The second thickened portion has a greater thickness in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole than the thinned portion. Two grooves are formed on the side surface of the first thickened portion and the side surface of the second thickened portion, so as to sandwich the through hole. The present invention provides a brush body characterized by the presence of [a certain feature].

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention, A brush body consisting of a brush made of multiple straight metal wires and a metal brush holder for restraining and holding the other end of the brush so that one end is exposed, A brush unit for a slip ring device having a metal plate-shaped terminal for holding the brush body, The brush holder has a first thickened portion and a thinned portion adjacent to the first thickened portion, The first thick-walled portion and the thin-walled portion have through holes formed therein for inserting the brush. The first thick-walled portion has a thickness greater than that of the thin-walled portion in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole. The brush is inserted into the through hole such that one end is exposed from the first thick portion, and is held in place by the brush holder by crimping the thin portion. The terminal has a slit formed in it. The brush unit is characterized in that the brush holder is inserted into and held in the slit of the terminal.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention, The present invention provides a slip ring device characterized by having the above-mentioned brush body or brush unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a brush body, a brush unit, and a slip ring device that can easily bring the brush into contact with the slip ring.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b) are perspective views and exploded views showing the configuration of a slip ring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the slip ring device, FIG. 2(b) is a view showing the state of the brush unit and the rotating shaft, and FIG. 2(c) is an enlarged view showing the state where the brush contacts the slip ring. [Figure 3] FIG. 3(a) is an exploded view showing the configuration of the brush unit, and FIG. 3(b) is a front view of the terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b) are perspective views and cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the brush body. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the configuration of the rotating shaft.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] A slip ring device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. The slip ring device 1 transmits electrical signals and power between a rotating part (hereinafter referred to as a rotating device) and a stationary part (hereinafter referred to as a stationary device) at a rotating part of industrial equipment. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the slip ring device 1 has a plurality of rotating-side electric wires 2, a plurality of stationary-side electric wires 3, a rotating shaft 4, and a housing 5.

[0013] The housing 5 is composed of a housing body 6, a lid member 7, a cover 8, and a side plate 9 as shown in FIG. 1(b). The lid member 7 is preferably made of an insulating material, and the other members are preferably made of metal subjected to insulation treatment. The housing body 6 consists of a thick semi-cylindrical portion 6a that is cut out by a plane parallel to the central axis, and a substantially disk-shaped side plate portion 6b integrally provided at one end of the semi-cylindrical portion 6a. A cover 8 formed by bending a thin plate-like member is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 6a.

[0014] The lid member 7 fits into the notch portion of the housing body 6 and is made of a thick plate-like member with a substantially arc-shaped cross-section. By attaching the lid member 7 to the housing body 6, a cylindrical shape is formed as a whole. The lid member 7 has a plurality of slots 7a for inserting a plurality of brush units 10 formed in two rows at equal intervals and staggered along the central axis direction of the housing body 6. The lid member 7 is fixed to the housing body 6 with a plurality of screws 11.

[0015] Here, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the brush unit 10 consists of a plate-like terminal 12 and two brush bodies 15 held by the terminal 12. The brush body 15 consists of a brush 16 and a brush holder 17 that holds the brush 16. Note that the terminal 12, the brush 16, and the brush holder 17 are all made of conductive materials. The brush unit 10 and the brush body 15 will be described in detail later.

[0016] The side plate 9 has a substantially disk shape that closes the end of the semi-cylindrical portion 6a of the housing body 6 on the side opposite to the side plate portion 6b as shown in Fig. 1(b). The side plate portion 6b and the side plate 9 are provided with ball bearings 13 and 14, and the ball bearings 13 and 14 rotatably support the rotating shafts 4, specifically, pipes 22 and 26 of the rotating shaft 4 described later. A through hole 6c for protruding the rotating shaft 4 outside the housing 5 is formed in the side plate portion 6b.

[0017] A rectangular plate portion 18 of the terminal 12 of the brush unit 10, described later, is inserted into the slot 7a of the lid member 7 from the inside of the lid member 7 and protrudes out of the housing 5. A stationary wire 3 is connected to the rectangular portion 18, and this connection portion and the rectangular portion 18 are covered with a heat-shrinkable tube 19 made of insulating material. An insulating plate 21 is attached to the lid member 7 from the inside, and the brush unit 10 is fixed to the lid member 7 by the insulating plate 21. The insulating plate 21 is a plate-shaped member made of insulating material, and has multiple through holes, specifically two through holes for each brush unit 10. The two bundles of brushes 16, 16 of the brush unit 10 each protrude downward from the through holes and contact the groove of the slip ring 20 of the rotating shaft 4 from both sides (front and back sides in Figure 2(a)).

[0018] As shown in Figure 5, the rotating shaft 4 has, from left to right in Figure 5, a pipe 22, a bearing ring 23, a plurality of alternately arranged slip rings 20 and a plurality of insulating rings 24, a bearing ring 25, and a pipe 26, all of which are integrated to form a cylindrical shape as a whole. The rotating side wires 2 are housed inside the rotating shaft 4 and are filled with a resin (not shown).

[0019] The pipes 22 and 26 are cylindrical members and are rotatably supported by ball bearings 13 and 14 provided on the side plates 6b and 9 of the housing 5. Pipe 22 is longer than pipe 26 and protrudes out of the housing 5 through a through hole 6c in the side plate 6b. The bearing rings 23 and 25 are made of an insulating material such as resin and are annular members that abut against the inner ring sides of the ball bearings 13 and 14. The bearing rings 23 and 25 have circular grooves formed on the inner side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 that fit with the slip ring 20.

[0020] The multiple insulating rings 24 are annular members made of resin, and have circular grooves formed on both sides in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 that fit with the slip rings 20. The slip rings 20 are made of metal and are annular members with a smaller diameter than the bearing rings 23, 25 and the insulating ring 24. The slip rings 20 are provided with circumferential grooves 20a that extend around the outer circumference of the outer surface to guide the brushes 16 of the brush unit 10.

[0021] Multiple rotating wires 2 are inserted into the pipe 22 from the outside in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4, and each of the multiple rotating wires 2 is connected to the inner surface of the corresponding slip ring 20. The multiple rotating wires 2 are covered inside the pipe 22 with a heat-shrinkable tube 27 made of insulating material.

[0022] In the slip ring device 1 with the configuration described above, the stationary wire 3 and the rotating wire 2 are connected to the stationary equipment and the rotating equipment, respectively. As the pipe 22 of the rotating shaft 4 is connected to the rotating equipment and rotates, the rotating wire 2 and the inner rings of the ball bearings 13 and 14 can rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 4. At this time, the brush 16 of the brush unit 10 is always in contact with the groove 20a of the rotating slip ring 20. As a result, the slip ring device 1 can transmit electrical signals or power output from the stationary equipment to the rotating equipment via the stationary wire 3, the terminal 12 of the brush unit 10, the brush holder 17, the brush 16, the slip ring 20, and the rotating wire 2 in sequence, and conversely, it can also transmit electrical signals or power from the rotating equipment to the stationary equipment.

[0023] The brush body 15 and brush unit 10, which are characteristic configurations of the slip ring device 1 according to this embodiment, will be described below. As shown in Figure 4(a), the brush body 15 consists of a brush 16 and a brush holder 17 that restrains and holds the other end of the brush 16 so that one end is exposed. The brush 16 consists of multiple (10 in this embodiment) straight metal wires.

[0024] The brush holder 17 is formed by machining the central portion of a cylindrical member in the axial direction into a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter. In other words, the brush holder 17 consists of, in order from the tip side of the brush 16, a first thickened cylindrical portion 31, a thinned cylindrical portion 32 with a smaller diameter than the first thickened cylindrical portion 31, and a second thickened cylindrical portion 33 with the same diameter as the first thickened cylindrical portion 31. The brush holder 17 is made of metal, and in this embodiment, it is made of brass, which has good electrical conductivity and is easy to process. Note that the shapes of the first thickened portion 31 and the second thickened portion 33 are not limited to cylindrical shapes, and may be, for example, a roughly rectangular prism shape with chamfered corners on the sides.

[0025] On the side surface of the first thickened portion 31, two shallow grooves 31a, 31a extending in the axial direction are formed so as to face each other across the central axis. Similarly, on the side surface of the second thickened portion 33, two grooves 33a, 33a are formed. The grooves 31a, 31a of the first thickened portion 31 and the grooves 33a, 33a of the second thickened portion 33 can be fitted into the slit-forming portions 36, 36 of the terminal 12, which will be described later.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4(b), the brush holder 17 has a circular through-hole 17a formed therein that passes through the central axis for inserting the brush 16. In this embodiment, the brush 16 is inserted into the through-hole 17a of the brush holder 17, and the brush 16 is held in place by the brush holder 17 by crimping the thin-walled portion 32. Specifically, the crimping process involves applying force to the thin-walled portion 32 from all sides toward the central axis with a tool, deforming the thin-walled portion 32, thereby restraining the brush 16 by the thin-walled portion 32. The process of crimping the thin-walled portion 32 is also referred to as crimping the thin-walled portion 32.

[0027] The size of the through-hole 17a of the brush holder 17 is small enough to allow the brush 16 to be inserted, and is also small enough to prevent the brush 16 exposed from the first thickened portion 31 from spreading out when the thin-walled portion 32 is crimped, that is, to maintain the straightness of the metal wires that make up the brush 16.

[0028] More specifically, the diameter of the through-hole 17a is designed so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the through-hole 17a is within 1.54 to 2.24 times the cross-sectional area of ​​the brush 16 (in this embodiment, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the 10 metal wires). If the cross-sectional area of ​​the through-hole 17a is less than 1.54 times the cross-sectional area of ​​the brush 16, it becomes difficult to insert the brush 16 into the through-hole 17a. On the other hand, if the cross-sectional area of ​​the through-hole 17a exceeds 2.24 times the cross-sectional area of ​​the brush 16, the effect of suppressing the spreading of the brush 16 when the thin-walled portion 32 is crimped becomes smaller. Therefore, by setting the cross-sectional area of ​​the through-hole 17a to within 1.54 to 2.24 times the cross-sectional area of ​​the brush 16, the brush 16 can be smoothly inserted into the through-hole 17a, and the effect of preventing the spreading of the brush 16 when the thin-walled portion 32 is crimped can be maximized. Furthermore, in the second thickened section 33, the through hole 17a is designed so that its diameter gradually increases outward in the axial direction to facilitate the insertion of the brush 16.

[0029] Conventional brush bodies are manufactured by, for example, inserting a brush into a through-hole in a cylindrical brush holder and crimping the brush holder. In such conventional brush bodies, the direction of extension of the brush changes when the brush holder is crimped. More specifically, the brush spreads out, that is, the spacing between the metal wires that make up the brush widens. Also, in the case of brushes that are soldered to the circuit board on the stationary equipment side, as in the conventional slip ring device mentioned earlier, the brush spreads out due to the heat of soldering. These spread-out brushes then protrude from the grooves of the slip rings when assembling the slip ring device, so they must be bundled together to fit into the grooves while being assembled into the device, which is a complicated process.

[0030] In contrast, the brush body 15 in this embodiment is configured such that, as described above, the first thick-walled portion 31 and the thin-walled portion 32 are provided in the brush holder 17 in order from the tip side of the brush 16, and the thin-walled portion 32 is crimped. This minimizes the spreading of the brush 16 when the thin-walled portion 32 is crimped, and maintains the state in which the multiple metal wires constituting the brush 16 are bundled together. Furthermore, the brush body 15 in this embodiment is configured such that, as described above, the size of the through hole 17a of the brush holder 17 is appropriately set, thereby maximizing the effect of suppressing the spreading of the brush 16 when the thin-walled portion 32 is crimped.

[0031] Therefore, when assembling the slip ring device 1, the brush 16 can be easily assembled to properly contact the groove 20a of the slip ring 20, and the spreading of the brush 16 when it contacts the groove 20a of the slip ring 20 can be minimized. This ensures that electrical signals and power are reliably and stably transmitted between the brush 16 and the slip ring 20.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3(a), the brush unit 10 consists of two brush bodies 15 and terminals 12 that support the two brush bodies 15. The terminal 12 is a plate-shaped member that is roughly L-shaped overall, consisting of an elongated plate-shaped rectangular portion 18 and a plate-shaped extension 34 integrally provided with the rectangular portion 18 and extending vertically from one end of the rectangular portion 18. The terminal 12 is made of metal, and in this embodiment, it is made of brass, which has good electrical conductivity and is easy to process.

[0033] The extended portion 34 of the terminal 12 has two rectangular slits 35, 35 that are open in the direction opposite to the rectangular portion 18, for inserting the brush holder 17 of the brush body 15. The two slits 35, 35 are inclined on the extended portion 34 such that the distance between them gradually increases in the direction opposite to the rectangular portion 18. More specifically, the inclination angle of each slit 35, 35 is designed such that when the terminal 12 with the brush holder 17 attached to the slit 35 is assembled to the slip ring device 1, the brush 16 held by the brush holder 17 contacts the groove 20a of the slip ring 20 with appropriate pressure. When viewing the slit 35 from the direction opposite to the rectangular portion 18, raised portions 36a, 36a are provided at the back of the slit-forming portions 36, 36 that constitute the slit 35, and these raised portions are trapezoidal in shape toward the central axis of the slit 35, making the slit width smaller than that of other parts.

[0034] The brush holder 17 of the brush body 15 described above is press-fitted into the slit 35 of the terminal 12 having the above configuration. More specifically, the brush body 15 is attached to the terminal 12 by press-fitting the slit forming portions 36, 36 of the terminal 12 and the groove portions 31a, 31a, 33a, 33a of the brush holder 17 so that they fit together.

[0035] In conventional methods, brushes are attached to terminals by welding brush holders to both ends of a plate-shaped terminal, for example. This requires a jig to position the brush holder relative to the terminal, and welding can cause the brush holder to shift relative to the terminal, resulting in a change in the direction of brush extension. Furthermore, brushes that are soldered to the circuit board of the stationary equipment, as in the conventional slip ring device mentioned earlier, also experience a change in the direction of brush extension due to soldering. These brushes with altered extension directions protrude from the grooves of the slip ring device during assembly, requiring them to be assembled into the device so that they contact the grooves, a cumbersome process.

[0036] In contrast, the brush unit 10 in this embodiment is configured such that the brush holder 17 is inserted into the slit 35 of the terminal 12. This allows the position and orientation of the brush holder 17 to be fixed relative to the terminal 12, making it easy, stable, and reliable to position the brush 16 (setting the direction and angle in which the brush 16 extends from the terminal 12). Therefore, when assembling the slip ring device 1, the brush 16 can be easily assembled to make appropriate contact with the groove 20a of the slip ring 20 with appropriate pressure. This ensures that electrical signals and power are transmitted reliably and stably between the brush 16 and the slip ring 20. In other words, regardless of the skill of the worker assembling the slip ring device 1, the degree to which the brush 16 is pressed against the groove 20a of the slip ring 20 can be made uniform, and product performance can be stabilized.

[0037] Furthermore, by providing raised portions 36a, 36a on the slit-forming portions 36, 36 of the terminal 12, when the brush holder 17 is inserted into the slit 35, the second thickened portion 33 of the brush holder 17 is sandwiched between the raised portions 36a, 36a, thereby ensuring better press-fit strength.

[0038] In this embodiment, the brush unit 10 combines a brush body 15 that prevents the brush 16 from spreading when the brush holder 17 is crimped, as described above, with a terminal 12 that allows the positioning of the brush 16 by inserting the brush holder 17 into the slit 35, as described above. This allows the brush 16 to be assembled in the simplest way possible so that it properly contacts the groove 20a of the slip ring 20 when assembling the slip ring device 1. The assembled slip ring device 1 can then transmit electrical signals and power between the brush 16 and the slip ring 20 more reliably and stably.

[0039] As described above, the brush holder 17 in the brush unit 10 consists of first and second thickened sections 31 and 33 and a thinned section 32. However, the configuration of the brush holder 17 is not limited to this; for example, the brush holder 17 may be constructed using only the first thickened section 31 and the thinned section 32, which can prevent the brush 16 from spreading out during crimping.

[0040] Furthermore, if the sole purpose is to achieve the positioning effect of the brush 16 as described above, the brush holder 17 may be made into a rectangular prism shape and mounted in the slit 35 of the terminal 12. In this case, it is desirable to provide grooves extending in the axial direction that can be fitted into the slit forming portions 36, 36 of the terminal 12 on one side surface and the opposite side surface of the rectangular prism-shaped brush holder.

[0041] As described above, according to this embodiment, a brush body 15, brush unit 10, and slip ring device 1 can be realized with a simple and inexpensive configuration that allows the brush 16 to easily come into contact with the slip ring 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Slip ring device 2. Rotating side wire 3. Static power lines 4-rotation shaft 5 Housing 6 Housing body 6a Semi-cylindrical section 6b Side plate part 7 Lid member 8 Covers 9 Side panels 10 brush units 11 screws 12 terminals 13, 14 Ball bearings 15 Brush Body 16 brushes 17 Brush holder 18 Rectangular part of terminal 19 Heat shrink tubing 20 slip rings 21 Insulating board 22 pipes 23, 25 Bearing rings 24 Insulating rings 27 Heat shrink tubing 31 1st thick part 32 Thin-walled section 33 2nd thick part 35 slits 36 Slit forming section 36a Ridge

Claims

1. A brush consisting of multiple straight metal wires, A brush body for a slip ring device, comprising a metal brush holder for restraining and holding the other end of the brush so that one end of the brush is exposed, The brush holder has a first thick-walled portion and a thin-walled portion adjacent to the first thick-walled portion, The first thick-walled portion and the thin-walled portion have through holes formed therein for inserting the brush. The first thick-walled portion has a thickness greater than that of the thin-walled portion in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole. The brush is inserted into the through hole such that one end is exposed from the first thick portion, and is held in place by the brush holder by crimping the thin portion. The brush holder has a second thickened portion that is integral with the thinned portion and sandwiches the thinned portion from both sides with the first thickened portion. The aforementioned through hole penetrates the second thickened portion, The second thickened portion has a greater thickness in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole than the thinned portion. A brush body characterized in that two grooves are formed on the side surface of the first thickened portion and the side surface of the second thickened portion, so as to sandwich the through hole.

2. The brush body according to claim 1, characterized in that the through hole is of a size that allows the brush to be inserted and that maintains the straightness of the metal wire when the thin-walled portion is crimped.

3. The brush body according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of ​​the through hole is within 1.54 to 2.24 times the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the multiple metal wires.

4. A slip ring device characterized by having a brush body as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A brush body consisting of a brush made of multiple straight metal wires and a metal brush holder for restraining and holding the other end of the brush so that one end is exposed, A brush unit for a slip ring device having a metal plate-shaped terminal for holding the brush body, The brush holder has a first thick-walled portion and a thin-walled portion adjacent to the first thick-walled portion, The first thick-walled portion and the thin-walled portion have through holes formed therein for inserting the brush. The first thick-walled portion has a thickness greater than that of the thin-walled portion in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole. The brush is inserted into the through hole such that one end is exposed from the first thick portion, and is held in place by the brush holder by crimping the thin portion. The terminal has a slit formed in it. The brush unit is characterized in that the brush holder is inserted into and held in the slit of the terminal.

6. The brush unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the through hole of the brush holder is sized to allow the brush to be inserted and to maintain the straightness of the metal wire when the thin-walled portion is crimped.

7. The brush unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of ​​the through hole in the brush holder is within 1.54 to 2.24 times the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the multiple metal wires.

8. The brush holder has a second thickened portion that is integral with the thinned portion and sandwiches the thinned portion from both sides with the first thickened portion. The aforementioned through hole penetrates the second thickened portion, The second thickened portion has a greater thickness in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the through hole than the thinned portion. Two grooves are formed on the side surface of the first thickened portion and the side surface of the second thickened portion, which fit into the slit of the terminal, and the through hole is sandwiched between them. The slit of the terminal is provided with a raised portion that is raised toward the central axis of the slit. The brush unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the second thickened portion inserted into the slit of the terminal is constrained by the raised portion of the slit.

9. A slip ring device characterized by having a brush unit according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

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