Moog Gmbh

Litton Systems, Inc.

Jerry Thomas Perdue

Norris E Lewis

Barry Kent Witherspoon

Larry Dean Vaught

Hettie H Webb

Martin J Oosterhuis

Michael J Day

Carlton W Sutphin

Barry K Witherspoon

The present invention broadly provides improvements in a slip-ring adapted to provide electrical contact between a stator and a rotor. The improved slip-ring includes a brush assembly having a brush tube mounted on the stator and having a fiber bundle composed of a number of individual fibers. The upper marginal end portions of the fibers are received in the brush tube. The lower marginal end portions of the fibers extend beyond the brush tube toward the rotor. The improvements broadly comprise: a central portion of the fibers having been removed below the brush tube such that the fibers extending below the brush tube toward the rotor are in the form of an annulus; and wherein the tangential compliance of the fiber bundle at its point of contact with the rotor is more than twice the tangential compliance of the fiber bundle if the central portion had not been removed.

Fiber-on-tip contact design brush assemblies

A compact slip ring (), which is particularly adapted for use in small spaces, is adapted to provide electrical contact between a rotor () and a stator (). The improved slip ring broadly includes an electrically-conductive monofilament () having one end () mounted on the stator and having a distal end (); a sleeve () mounted on and secured to the marginal end portion of the monofilament, adjacent the distal end; and a fiber bundle () having a longitudinal axis (), one marginal end portion of the fiber bundle being recessed in and secured to the sleeve, the other end of the fiber bundle engaging the rotor such that the longitudinal axis of the fiber bundle will be substantially perpendicular to an imaginary line tangent to the rotor surface at the point of contact with the longitudinal axis.

Compact slip ring incorporating fiber-on-tips contact technology

The present invention provides several improvements in a slip ring () that is adapted to provide electrical contact between a rotor () and stator (). In one aspect, a brush tube () is crimped around the upper marginal end portions of a plurality of individual fibers () inserted therein. In another aspect, a collimator tube () extends downwardly beyond the end of the brush tube to limit lateral movement of the fibers in the bundle when the rotor rotates. In yet another arrangement, a spring () is arranged to bear against a current-carrying conductor to adjustably vary the force by which the lower ends of the fibers are urged to move toward the rotor.

Electrical contact technology and methodology for the manufacture of large-diameter electrical slip rings

A fiber optic rotary joint is provided that is unaffected by variations in the optical properties of a fluid that fills its internal cavity. The rotary joint includes a housing defining the internal cavity, first and second optical collimation arrays on opposite sides of the internal cavity, and a reversion prism between the optical collimation arrays. Further, the rotary joint includes an interface optical element proximate at least one of the first and second optical collimation arrays and the reversion prism. Each interface optical element includes an optically-flat surface adapted to contact the fluid such that optical signals that are oriented normal to the optically-flat surface can be transmitted without refraction, thereby rendering the optical signals immune to variations in the fluid's optical properties. A reversion prism assembly, an optical collimation assembly and a method of aligning an optical collimation array utilizing alignment pins are also provided.

Fiber optic rotary joint and associated alignment method

The present invention advantageously provides a cost effective flat rotor for a pancake type slip ring. A flat copper coil sheet is stamped into a corrugated shape having concentric V-ring grooves. The corrugated stamped copper foil sheet is bonded using a bonding agent to a dielectric layer. Multiple concentric V-grooves are formed by separating the grooves, for example, by machining the grooves at an apex thereof in order to form separate electrical circuits. A corresponding plurality of holes extend through each concentric ring and through the dielectric layer from the first side through the second side. A conductive material is placed in each of the plurality of holes to electrically connect each concentric ring to the second side.

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Christiansburg, VA, United States of America

Jerry Thomas Perdue