Apparatus, system and method for wireless slip ring data transmission

A system for transmitting data across a rotary interface between a fixed element and a rotatable element, the system comprising:

• a slip ring including a first, electrically conductive ring configured to be affixed to the fixed element and a second, electrically conductive ring configured to be affixed to the rotatable element, wherein the first and second rings form an annular chamber therebetween which defines a waveguide;
• a conductive gasket sealing the annular chamber at a junction between the first and second rings such that a continuous conductive covering is formed around the annular chamber for providing a faraday shield for the waveguide;
• a wireless transceiver pair including a first wireless transceiver mounted to the first ring and a second wireless transceiver mounted to the second ring for wirelessly transmitting a data signal in the waveguide between the first and second rings;
• a first I/O channel configured to send a first output data stream and receive a first input data stream;
• a first digital electronic circuit coupling the first I/O channel and the first wireless transceiver, wherein the first digital electronic circuit is configured to receive the first output data stream from the first I/O channel, serialize the first output data stream into a first serialized data stream, send the first serialized data stream to the first wireless transceiver, receive a second serialized data stream from the first wireless transceiver, deserialize the second serialized data stream into a second input data stream and send the second input data stream to the first I/O channel;
• a second I/O channel configured to send a second output data stream and receive a second input data stream;
• and
• a second digital electronic circuit coupling the second I/O channel and the second wireless transceiver wherein the second digital electronic circuit is configured to receive the second output data stream from the second I/O channel, serialize the second output data stream into the second serialized data stream send the second serialized data stream to the second wireless transceiver, receive the first serialized data stream from the second wireless transceiver, deserialize the second serialized data stream into the second input data stream and send the second data input stream to the second I/O channel;
• wherein the wireless transceiver pair is configured to wirelessly transmit the first and second serialized data streams in the waveguide between the first and second rings.

A method for transmitting data across a slip ring having a first, electrically-conductive ring and a second electrically-conductive ring, wherein the first and second rings form an annular chamber defining a waveguide, and a conductive gasket sealing the annular chamber at junctions between the first ring and the second ring to form a continuous conductive covering around the annular chamber for providing a faraday shield for the waveguide, the method comprising:

• receiving a plurality of first output data streams by a first digital electronic circuit from a first I/O channel;
• serializing the plurality of first output data streams into a first serialized data stream by the first digital electronic circuit;
• sending the first serialized data stream to a first wireless transceiver mounted to the first ring by the first digital electronic circuit;
• transmitting the first serialized data stream as a wireless signal through the waveguide from the first wireless transceiver to a second wireless transceiver;
• receiving the first serialized data stream from the second wireless transceiver by a second digital electronic circuit;
• deserializing the first serialized data stream into a plurality of first input data streams by the second digital electronic circuit;
• and
• sending the plurality of first input data streams by the second digital electronic circuit to a second I/O channel.