CN111245160A

CN111245160A - Slip ring unit and electric machine

Info

Publication number: CN111245160A
Application number: CN202010188056.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 韩丹阳; 张星; 徐洋
Original assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
Current assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
Priority date: 2020-03-17
Filing date: 2020-03-17
Publication date: 2020-06-05
Also published as: WO2021185027A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a slip ring unit and a motor. The slip ring unit includes: a slip ring case comprising a gas inlet and a gas outlet; a slip ring body disposed in the slip ring housing; a slip ring brush disposed in the slip ring case and contacting the slip ring main body; and a suction device disposed at the gas outlet and configured to suck the gas in the slip ring case through the gas outlet to cause the cooling gas to enter the slip ring case through the gas inlet. In the embodiment according to this disclosure, through adopting the mode of induced drafting to cool off sliding ring brush and sliding ring main part, can promote the cooling effect to sliding ring brush and sliding ring main part to it collects and cleans to be more convenient for the powder that produces in the sliding ring case.

Description

Slip ring unit and electric machine

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of slip ring technology, and more particularly, to a slip ring unit and an electric machine including the same.

Background

A slip ring unit is a type of rotary connector used in an electric machine (motor or generator) for enabling signal and electrical power transmission between two relatively rotating mechanisms. The slip ring unit achieves sliding electrical contact by sliding friction between the carbon brushes of the stator part and the slip ring main body of the rotor part.

Currently, there are various types of slip ring units, such as a coaxial fan slip ring unit, an auxiliary fan slip ring unit, and the like. The use of coaxial fan slip ring units is very common, since they are more economical and easier to assemble than other types of slip ring units. In such a coaxial fan slip ring unit, a fan mounted on the same shaft as the slip ring main body is generally used to blow cooling air into the slip ring case to cool the carbon brushes and the slip ring main body. However, since the fan and the rotating shaft are heated by the motor during the operation of the motor, the temperature of the fan and the rotating shaft will be higher than that of the cooling air to be blown. In such a ventilation structure, the cooling air is first heated by the fan and the rotating shaft thereof and then blown into the slip ring case, so that the temperature of the cooling air entering the slip ring case is increased, thereby affecting the cooling effect of the carbon brush and the slip ring main body. In addition, during operation of the motor, friction between the carbon brush and the slip ring body may cause the generation of carbon powder. When cooling air is blown into the slip ring box by a fan to cool the carbon brush and the slip ring main body, carbon powder is blown away by the air, so that the carbon powder is difficult to collect and clean.

Therefore, there is a need for a slip ring unit that can better cool the carbon brush and the slip ring body and better collect the carbon powder.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a slip ring unit and an electric machine comprising a slip ring unit to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a slip ring unit comprising: a slip ring case comprising a gas inlet and a gas outlet; a slip ring body disposed in the slip ring housing; a slip ring brush disposed in the slip ring case and contacting the slip ring main body; and a suction device disposed at the gas outlet and configured to suck the gas in the slip ring case through the gas outlet to cause the cooling gas to enter the slip ring case through the gas inlet.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, by sucking gas in the slip ring case by using a suction device provided at a gas outlet of the slip ring case, cooling gas can be caused to enter the slip ring case through the gas inlet, thereby forming an air flow path from the gas inlet to the gas outlet in the slip ring case to cool the slip ring brush and the slip ring main body. Compared with the conventional blowing cooling mode, the cooling mode adopting the air suction mode avoids the cooling gas from being heated before entering the slip ring box, so that the slip ring brush and the slip ring main body can be better cooled. In addition, since the air suction means is provided at the end of the air flow path, the air suction means can suck out powder generated due to friction between the slip ring brush and the slip ring main body from the slip ring case without being blown off as in the conventional air-blowing cooling manner, thereby making it easier to collect and clean the powder in the slip ring case.

In some embodiments, the air suction device comprises: a fan configured to suck gas in the slip ring case while rotating; and a cover covering the fan and the gas outlet and having an exhaust port for exhausting the gas drawn out of the slip ring case by the fan to an external environment. In such an embodiment, by sucking the gas in the slip ring case with the fan, the cooling gas can be made to enter the slip ring case via the gas inlet without being heated, so that the slip ring brush and the slip ring main body can be better cooled. Further, since the fan is provided at the end of the airflow path, the powder generated in the slip ring case can be reliably sucked out from the slip ring case without blowing the powder, and thus the generated powder can be easily collected at the air outlet of the fan cover.

In some embodiments, the fan is mounted on the same shaft as the slip ring body. In such an embodiment, the coaxial mounting of the fan and the slip ring body makes the slip ring unit more economical, easy to assemble and space efficient.

In some embodiments, the slip ring unit further comprises: a baffle disposed between the gas inlet and the slip ring brush in the slip ring case, a predetermined space communicating with the gas inlet being formed between the baffle and an inner wall of the housing, and a plurality of openings provided on the baffle to face the slip ring brush. In such an embodiment, by adjusting the gas flow path in the slip ring case by using the baffle plate, the cooling gas entering into the predetermined space can be caused to flow toward the slip ring brushes and the slip ring main body after passing through the openings on the baffle plate. In this way, the cooling effect to the sliding ring brush and the sliding ring main body can be promoted on the one hand, and on the other hand the cooling effect to each sliding ring brush can be made more uniform.

In some embodiments, an edge of at least one of the plurality of openings is provided with a gas guide configured to guide the cooling gas towards the slip ring brush. In such an embodiment, by employing the gas guide provided at the edge of the opening, the gas flow path in the slip ring case can be further restricted, so that the cooling gas is substantially guided to flow to the slip ring brush and the slip ring body, thereby further improving the cooling effect on the slip ring brush and the slip ring body.

In some embodiments, the air guide is disposed on an edge of the at least one opening at a position close to the air suction device and is inclined with respect to the baffle plate toward a direction away from the air suction device. In such an embodiment, the air guide is provided on the edge of the opening at a position close to the air suction means in consideration of the position where the air suction means is provided, to guide the cooling air obliquely toward a direction away from the air suction means. In this way, it is possible to avoid that some of the gas flow is directed towards the gas outlet after passing through the openings in the baffle plate, so that substantially all cooling gas can be directed onto the slip ring brushes and the slip ring body, whereby an excellent cooling effect can be achieved.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of openings is rectangular, and the air guide inclined toward the inside of the opening is provided at two adjacent sides of each opening near the air suction device. In such an embodiment, by guiding the cooling gas through the plurality of rectangular openings of the baffle plate and the correspondingly arranged gas guide, the cooling effect of the cooling gas on each slip ring brush can be more uniform. Further, the gas guides provided at the two adjacent sides of the opening near the air suction means can reliably guide the cooling gas toward the corresponding slip ring brushes.

In some embodiments, the slip ring unit further comprises at least one partition for dividing the predetermined space into a plurality of regions. In such an embodiment, the distribution of the air flow in the predetermined space can be adjusted by using the partition plate.

In some embodiments, the slip ring brush is a carbon brush.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electric machine comprising a slip ring unit according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. In embodiments according to the present disclosure, the electrical machine may be an electric motor or a generator. Since the motor according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the slip ring unit as described above, the same advantages as the slip ring unit can be provided.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:

fig. 1 shows a schematic structural view of a slip ring unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic structural view of a baffle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the baffle shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the baffle shown in FIG. 2; and

fig. 5 shows a schematic structural view of a baffle according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Like or corresponding reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The term "include" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to be inclusive in an open-ended manner, i.e., "including but not limited to". Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "or" means "and/or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one example embodiment" and "one embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object.

As described above, in the conventional slip ring unit that is cooled by blowing, the cooling air is first heated by the fan and the rotating shaft thereof and then blown into the slip ring case, so that the temperature of the cooling air entering the slip ring case is increased, thereby affecting the cooling effect of the carbon brushes and the slip ring main body. The slip ring unit of the embodiment of the present disclosure cools the slip ring brush and the slip ring main body by adopting the air suction manner, prevents the cooling gas from being heated before entering the slip ring case, and thus can better cool the slip ring brush and the slip ring main body, and can collect and clean the powder generated in the slip ring case more easily. The principles of the present disclosure will be described in detail below in connection with exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic structural view of a slip ring unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the slip ring unit 100 described herein generally includes a slip ring case 2, a slip ring main body 3, slip ring brushes 4, and a suction device 5. The slip ring box 2 has an inner space for accommodating components and comprises a gas inlet 21 and a gas outlet 22. The gas for cooling the inner parts may enter the inner space of the slip ring box 2 via a gas inlet 21 and leave the inner space of the slip ring box 2 via a gas outlet 22. In embodiments according to the present disclosure, the cooling gas may be air or other available gas.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the slip ring main body 3 and the slip ring brush 4 are disposed in the inner space of the slip ring case 2 and are in contact with each other. The slip ring main body 3 may be provided on the rotating shaft 6 to be rotated by the rotating shaft 6, and the slip ring brush 4 is fixedly provided in the slip ring case 2. During operation of the slip ring unit 100, sliding electrical contact is achieved by sliding friction between the slip ring brush 4 and the slip ring body 3. In embodiments according to the present disclosure, the slip ring body 3 and the slip ring brush 4 may adopt various known arrangements, the specific operating principle of which is not outlined here. Further, the slip ring body 3 and the slip ring brushes 4 may also take other future available arrangements, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the slip ring brush 4 may be a carbon brush. It should be understood, however, that this is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and that one skilled in the art may contemplate the use of a variety of available slip ring brushes 4.

The suction device 5 is provided at the gas outlet 22, and is capable of sucking the gas in the slip ring case 2 via the gas outlet 22 to cause the cooling gas to enter into the slip ring case 2 via the gas inlet 21, thereby forming an air flow path from the gas inlet 21 to the gas outlet 22 as indicated by an arrow in the slip ring case 2 to cool the slip ring brushes 4 and the slip ring body 3. Cooling by such a suction method avoids the cooling gas being heated before entering the slip ring case 2 via the gas inlet 21, and thus enables better cooling of the slip ring brushes 4 and the slip ring body 3, compared to the conventional blow cooling method. Further, since the air suction means 5 is provided at the end of the air flow path, the air suction means 5 can suck out the powder generated due to the friction between the slip ring brush 4 and the slip ring main body 3 from the slip ring case 2 without causing the powder to be blown out like the conventional air-blowing cooling manner, thereby making it easier to collect and clean the powder in the slip ring case 2.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the air suction device 5 includes a fan 51 and a cover 52. The fan 51 can suck the gas in the slip ring case 2 while rotating. The cover 52 covers the fan 51 and the gas outlet 22, and has a gas outlet 53 for discharging the gas drawn out of the slip ring case 2 by the fan 51 to the outside environment. With such an arrangement, when the fan 51 rotates, it is possible to suck out the gas in the slip ring case 2 via the gas outlet 22 and discharge the gas to the outside environment via the gas outlet 53 of the lid body 52. Meanwhile, cooling gas in the external environment may be sucked into the slip ring case 2 via the gas inlet 21, thereby cooling the slip ring brushes 4 and the slip ring main body 3. Further, since the fan 51 is provided at the end of the air flow path, the powder generated in the slip ring case 2 can be reliably sucked out of the slip ring case 2 without blowing the powder, and thus the generated powder can be easily collected at the exhaust port 53 of the fan cover 52.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the fan 51 is mounted on the same shaft 6 as the slip ring body 3. During operation of the slip ring unit 100, the rotating shaft 6 can rotate the slip ring main body 3 and the fan 51 together, thereby forming an air flow path of the cooling gas in the slip ring case 2 in a suction manner by the fan 51. In such an embodiment, the fan 51 and the slip ring body 3 are mounted coaxially so that the slip ring unit 100 is more economical, easy to assemble and space efficient. In other embodiments, the fan 51 may be separately provided instead of being directly provided on the rotary shaft 6.

It should be understood that the suction device 5 may be provided at the gas outlet 22 of the slip ring case 2 in various structures as long as it can suck out the gas in the slip ring case 2 to form an airflow path of the cooling gas in the slip ring case 2. For example, the air suction device 5 may comprise more fans or may comprise other types of suction elements than fans, which alternatives also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the slip ring unit 100 further comprises a baffle 7. The baffle 7 is arranged in the slip ring case 2 between the gas inlet 21 and the slip ring brush 4. A predetermined space 8 communicating with the gas inlet 21 is formed between the baffle 7 and the inner wall of the housing 2. The baffle 7 is provided with a plurality of openings (not shown in fig. 1, which will be described below in connection with fig. 2 to 5) facing the slip ring brush 4. During operation of the slip ring unit 100, the cooling gas will first enter the space 8 after passing through the gas inlet 2. The cooling gas in the space 8 can flow through the openings in the baffle 7 to the slip ring brushes 4 and the slip ring body 3 to cool them. In such an embodiment, by adjusting the air flow path in the slip ring case 2 by using the baffle 7, it is possible to enhance the cooling effect on the slip ring brushes 4 and the slip ring main body 3 on the one hand, and to make the cooling effect on the respective slip ring brushes 4 more uniform on the other hand.

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic structural view of the baffle 7 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, fig. 3 illustrates a front view of the baffle 7 illustrated in fig. 2, and fig. 4 illustrates a top view of the baffle 7 illustrated in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the barrier 7 may include a bottom plate 70 and two side plates 73 disposed at opposite sides of the bottom plate 7. The bottom plate 70 and the two side plates 73 may enclose a predetermined space 8 as shown in fig. 1 together with the inner wall of the case 2. The base plate 70 is provided with a plurality of openings 71. As is shown in connection with fig. 1-4, during operation of the slip ring unit 100, the cooling gas will first enter the space 8 after passing through the gas inlet 2. Subsequently, the cooling gas in the space 8 may flow to the slip ring brush 4 and the slip ring body 3 through the opening 71 on the base plate 70 to cool them.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2-4, a gas guide 72 is provided at the edge 710 of each opening. The gas guide 72 serves to guide the cooling gas toward the slip ring brush 4. In such an embodiment, by employing the gas guide 72 provided at the edge 710 of the opening 71, the gas flow path in the slip ring case 2 can be further restricted, so that the cooling gas is substantially guided to flow toward the slip ring brush 4 and the slip ring body 3, thereby further improving the cooling effect on the slip ring brush 4 and the slip ring body 3.

In some embodiments, as shown in connection with fig. 1-4, the air guide 72 is disposed on an edge 710 to the opening 71 at a position close to the air suction device 5 and is inclined with respect to the baffle 7 toward a direction away from the air suction device 5. In such an embodiment, the air guide 72 is disposed on the edge 710 of the opening 71 at a position close to the air suction device 5 in consideration of the position where the air suction device 5 is disposed, to guide the cooling air obliquely toward a direction away from the air suction device 5. In this way, it is possible to avoid that some of the gas flow is directed to the gas outlet 22 after passing through the opening 71 in the base plate 70, so that substantially all of the cooling gas can be directed to the slip ring brushes 4 and the slip ring body 3, and thus an excellent cooling effect can be achieved.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2 to 4, each opening 71 is rectangular, and two adjacent sides of each opening 71 near the suction device 5 are provided with air guides 72 inclined toward the inside of the opening. For example, three pairs of openings 71 may be provided on the base plate 70, wherein each pair of openings 71 is provided corresponding to one slip ring brush 4, and the side of each pair of openings 71 adjacent to the air suction device 5 and the side adjacent to each other are provided with an air guide 72 inclined toward the inside of the opening. In such an embodiment, by guiding the cooling gas using the rectangular opening 71 on the baffle 7 and the correspondingly provided gas guide 72, the cooling effect of the cooling gas on each slip ring brush 4 can be made more uniform. Further, the gas guides 72 provided at the two adjacent sides of the opening 71 near the air suction means 5 can reliably guide the cooling gas toward the corresponding slip ring brush 4.

In embodiments according to the present disclosure, any number of openings 71 may be provided in bottom plate 70, as the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. In embodiments according to the present disclosure, openings 71 in floor 70 may be arranged in any arrangement, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. In embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, each opening 71 may be other shapes, such as oval, diamond, etc., and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the gas guide 72 may be provided at the edge of part or all of the opening 71, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic structural view of a baffle 7 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The structure of the baffle plate 7 shown in fig. 5 is similar to that of the baffle plate 7 shown in fig. 2 to 4, except that the slip ring unit 100 further includes two partition plates 9 for dividing the predetermined space 8 into a plurality of regions. In such an embodiment, the distribution of the air flow in the predetermined space 8 can be adjusted by using the partition plate 9, so that the cooling effect for each of the slip ring brushes 4 is made more uniform. In other embodiments, other numbers of baffles 9 may be provided, as the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The slip ring unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be used in an electric machine, such as an electric motor or a generator.

Having described embodiments of the present disclosure, the foregoing description is intended to be exemplary, not exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or improvements made to the technology in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. Slip ring unit (100) comprising:

a slip ring box (2) comprising a gas inlet (21) and a gas outlet (22);

a slip ring body (3) disposed in the slip ring case (2);

a slip ring brush (4) disposed in the slip ring case (2) and in contact with the slip ring main body (3); and

a suction device (5) disposed at the gas outlet (22) and configured to suck the gas in the slip-ring case (2) via the gas outlet (22) to cause cooling gas to enter the slip-ring case (2) via the gas inlet (21).

2. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the air suction means (5) comprise:

a fan (51) configured to suck the gas in the slip-ring case (2) while rotating; and

a cover (52) covering the fan (51) and the gas outlet (22), and having a gas outlet (53) for discharging the gas extracted by the fan (51) from the slip-ring case (2) to the outside environment.

3. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 2, wherein the fan (51) is mounted on the same shaft (6) as the slip ring body (3).

4. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 1, further comprising:

a baffle plate (7) disposed in the slip ring case (2) between the gas inlet (21) and the slip ring brush (4), a predetermined space (8) communicating with the gas inlet (21) being formed between the baffle plate (7) and an inner wall of the housing (2), and a plurality of openings (71) facing the slip ring brush (4) being provided on the baffle plate (7).

5. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 4, wherein a gas guide (72) is provided at an edge (710) of at least one of the plurality of openings (71), the gas guide (72) being configured to guide the cooling gas towards the slip ring brush (4).

6. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 5, wherein the gas guide (72) is arranged on an edge (710) of the at least one opening (71) at a position close to the air suction means (5) and is inclined with respect to the baffle plate (7) towards a direction away from the air suction means (5).

7. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 6, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings (71) is rectangular and two adjacent sides of each opening (71) close to the suction means (5) are provided with the gas guide (72) inclined towards the inside of the opening.

8. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 4, further comprising at least one partition (9) for dividing the predetermined space (8) into a plurality of areas.

9. Slip ring unit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the slip ring brush (4) is a carbon brush.

10. An electrical machine comprising a slip ring unit (100) according to any of claims 1 to 9.