The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 26, 1990
Filed:
Oct. 31, 1988
Herbert E Ferree, Hempfield, PA (US);
Space Industries Partnership, L.P., Webster, TX (US);
Abstract
A rotary coupling for transmitting torque across a plurality of flexible electrical wires is disclosed herein. The coupling generally comprises a tubular assembly for resisting flexure loads applied to the coupling that has a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, and a shaft member concentrically disposed within the tubular assembly for transmitting torque. First and second connectors are mounted around the inner wall of the fixed and rotatable portions of the tublular assembly, respectively and the second connector mechanically mounts the rotatable portion of the tubular assembly with the shaft member. A plurality of flexible electrical wires are disposed between the inner wall of the tubular assembly and the outer wall of the shaft member. Each of these wires includes a slack poriton which is loosely wound around the shaft member and connected at either end to the first and second connectors, respectively. The disposition of the electrical wires within the tubular assembly obviates the need for a separate housing around the rotary coupling, and the provision of a mechanically separate flexure-resisting tubular assembly and torque-transmitting shaft results in a coupling having an advantageously small diameter.