Brush holder assembly and method
AssigneeTransportation IP Holdings, LLC
InventorWilliam E. Stewart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shunt extends from a brush received by a brush box of a brush holder. The first end of the shunt can be connected to the brush, and the second end of the shunt can connect to the brush holder. A lever connects to a back plate of the brush holder, and the lever may reversibly and selectively rotate between a first position and a second position; the lever can have a distal portion, and the second position of the lever secures a portion of the shunt between the distal portion of the lever and another component of the brush holder. The secured portion of the shunt can restrict downward movement of the brush in the brush box, while a spring pushes downward on the brush in the brush in the brush box, to thereby fixedly position the brush in the brush box.
Claims16
A brush holder assembly comprising:
- a brush holder comprising a brush box configured to receive a brush, the brush holder further comprising a back plate fixed to the brush box;
- and
- a lever connected to the back plate, the lever is configured to reversibly and selectively rotate between a first position and a second position,
- wherein the lever comprises a distal portion positioned at a distance from the back plate, and the distance between the back plate and the distal portion of the lever is greater in the first position relative to the distance between the back plate and the distal portion of the lever in the second position,
- wherein the brush holder assembly further comprises:
- one or more pins at least partially inserted in the back plate and configured to engage a proximal portion of the lever that is at an opposite end of the lever from the distal portion, wherein the back plate comprises an upper exterior surface, and the one or more pins extend at least partially through the upper exterior surface;
- and
- a handle configured to connect to a connecting member positioned on the upper exterior surface of the back plate, wherein the one or more pins are positioned such that connection of the handle to the connecting member pushes the one or more pins downward relative to the upper exterior surface.
A system comprising:
- a brush from which a shunt extends, the shunt comprises a first end and a second end that define a length of the shunt, the first end of the shunt is connected to the brush;
- a brush holder comprising a brush box configured to receive the brush, the brush holder further comprising a back plate fixed to the brush box;
- and
- a lever connected to the back plate, the lever is configured to reversibly and selectively rotate between a first position and a second position,
- wherein the lever comprises a distal portion, and the second position of the lever is configured to secure a portion of the shunt between the distal portion of the lever and another component of the brush holder.
A method of replacing a brush to which a first end of a shunt is connected, the method comprising:
- positioning a handle on a brush holder while the brush holder is connected to a support, the brush is at least partially positioned in a brush box provided by the brush holder, and the positioning of the handle on the brush holder actuates a lever that secures a portion of the shunt in a fixed position between a distal portion of the lever and another component of the brush holder;
- rotating the handle relative to the brush holder in a first direction selected from the group consisting of clockwise and counter-clockwise to connect the handle to the brush holder, the lever maintains the portion of the shunt in the fixed position between the distal portion of the lever and the other component of the brush holder during the rotating of the handle in the first direction;
- removing the brush holder from the support by pulling the handle with the handle attached to the brush holder, the lever maintains the portion of the shunt in the fixed position between the distal portion of the lever and the other component of the brush holder during the removing of the brush holder from the support;
- and
- removing the brush from the brush holder.
A brush holder system, comprising:
- means for positioning a handle on the brush holder while the brush holder is connected to a support, and the positioning of the handle on the brush holder actuates a lever provided by the brush holder from a first position to a second position;
- means for rotating the handle relative to the brush holder in a first direction selected from the group consisting of clockwise and counter-clockwise to connect the handle to the brush holder, and the lever is maintained in the second position during the rotating of the handle;
- means for removing the brush holder from the support, and the lever is maintained in the second position during the removing of the brush holder from the support;
- means for rotating the handle relative to the brush holder while pulling a trigger on the handle that moves a core in the handle upward in a cavity in the handle;
- and
- means for removing the handle from the brush holder, the removing of the handle from the brush holder returns the lever to the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.