Permeable mesh current collector for DC machines
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRobert A. Marshall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A current collector for an electrical machine employs a rotor collector ring encircled by a stator collector ring to which a compliant brush fabricated of an electrically-conductive, liquid metal-permeable material is attached. Liquid metal saturates said liquid metal-permeable material and forms a thin liquid metal film which makes sliding contact with the rotor collector ring, completing contact between the rotor and stator collector rings through the compliant brush. Adequate liquid metal is maintained in the collector by pumping means supplying liquid metal through the stator collector ring.
Claims17
An electrical current collector for an electrical machine having a stator and a rotor, said rotor being rotatable relative to said stator about an axis thereof, comprising:
- a rotor collector ring;
- a stator collector ring encircling said rotor collector ring;
- brush means affixed to said stator collector ring contiguous with the radially-inner surface thereof;
- said brush means comprising at least one layer of porous, compliant, electrically conductive, liquid metal-permeable material, disposed in face-to-face contact with said radially-inner surface of said stator collector ring and extending radially-inward to a location closely adjacent said rotor collector ring, and spaced therefrom by a narrow annular gap;
- and
- liquid metal supply means in flow communication with said brush means for supplying liquid metal thereto;
- said liquid metal filling the interstices of said porous, liquid metal-permeable material and flowing therethrough to fill said gap between said brush means and said rotor collector ring, thereby establishing electrical contact between said rotor collector ring and said brush means.
An electrical machine having a stator and a rotor, said rotor being rotatable relative to said stator about an axis thereof, and having a plurality of electrical current collectors for making electrical contact between said stator and said rotor, said current collectors comprising:
- a plurality of axially spaced rotor collector rings;
- a plurality of stator collector rings encircling said rotor collector rings, respectively;
- a plurality of brush means attached, respectively, to each of said stator collector rings contiguous with the radially-inner surface thereof;
- each of said brush means comprising at least one layer of porous, compliant, electrically conductive, liquid metal-permeable material disposed in face-to-face contact with said radially-inner surface of one of said stator collector rings, respectively, and extending radially-inward to a location closely adjacent a respective one of said rotor collector rings and spaced therefrom by a narrow annular gap;
- and
- liquid metal supply means in flow communication with said plurality of brush means to continuously supply liquid metal thereto;
- said liquid metal filling the interstices of each of said brush means and flowing therethrough to fill each said gap thereby establishing electrical contact between each said rotor collector ring and each said brush means, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.