Rotary seal and rotary electrical coupling embodying same

Claim 2

A viscous electrical slipring construction comprising: generally concentric relatively rotatable radially inner and outer electrical conductors defining an intervening annular clearance space to contain an electrically conductive fluid medium such as mercury for conducting electrical current between said conductors during relative rotation of said conductors, and a rotary seal assembly at each side of said conductors including a pair of annular sheet thin laterally resilient radially inner and outer sealing discs, means securing and sealing the inner circumferential portion of said inner disc to the adjacent side of said inner conductor, means securing and sealing the outer circumferential portion of said outer disc to the adjacent side of said outer conductor, and said discs having radially overlapping circumferential portions which bear yieldably against one another to form a fluid seal between said conductors.

Claim 3

A slipring construction according to claim 1 wherein: said discs are substantially flat in their normal unstressed condition, and the inner circumference of said inner disc and the outer circumference of said outer disc are disposed in overlapping planes, whereby at least one disc is deflected laterally by the other disc to effect resilient fluid-sealing engagement of said discs.

Claim 4

A slipring construction according to claim 1 wherein: said conductors are rings having side faces, and said disc securing and sealing means comprise means clamping said discs against the adjacent side faces of their respective conductor Rings.

Claim 5

A viscous electrical slipring construction comprising: generally concentric relatively rotatable radially inner and outer electrical conductors defining an intervening annular clearance space to contain an electrically conductive fluid medium such as mercury for conducting electrical current between said conductors during relative rotation of said conductors, a rotary seal assembly at each side of said conductors including a set of annular sheet thin laterally resilient sealing discs at each side of said conductors including a first disc and a pair of second discs straddling said first disc, said first disc and said second discs having circumferential portions disposed in radially overlapping relation in the region between said conductors, said first disc having a remaining circumferential portion adjacent one conductor, and said second discs having remaining circumferential portions adjacent the other conductor, means securing and sealing said remaining circumferential portion of said first disc to the adjacent conductor, means securing and sealing said remaining circumferential portions of said second discs to the adjacent member, and said overlapping disc portions bearing yieldably against one another to form a pair of fluid seals between said discs.

Claim 6

A viscous electrical slipring construction comprising: generally concentric relatively rotatable radially inner and outer electrical conductors defining an intervening annular clearance space to contain an electrically conductive fluid medium such as mercury for conducting electrical current between said conductors during relative rotation of said conductors, a rotary seal assembly at each side of said conductors including a set of annular sheet thin laterally resilient sealing discs at each side of said conductors including a first disc and a pair of second discs straddling said first disc, said first disc and said second discs having circumferential portions disposed in radially overlapping relation in the region between said conductors, said first disc having a remaining circumferential portion adjacent one conductor, and said second discs having remaining circumferential portions adjacent the other conductor, means securing and sealing said remaining circumferential portion of said first disc to the adjacent conductor, means securing and sealing said remaining circumferential portions of said second discs to the adjacent member, and said overlapping disc portions bearing yieldably against one another to form a pair of fluid seals between said discs.

Claim 7

A slip ring construction according to claim 4 wherein: said discs are substantially flat in their normal unstressed condition, and the spacing between said remaining circumferential portions of said second discs is less than the thickness of said first disc, whereby said second discs are deflected laterally away from one another by said first disc to create in said second discs elastic strain force which yieldably retains said overlapping disc portions in mutual sealing contact.

Claim 8

A slipring construction according to claim 5 wherein: a spacing disc of lesser thickness than said first disc interposed between said corresponding circumferential portions of said second discs.

Claim 9

A slipring construction according to claim 4 wherein: said first disc is secured to said outer conductor and said second discs are secured to said inner conductor.

Claim 10

A slipring construction according to claim 4 wherein: said conductors are rings having side faces, and said disc securing and sealing means comprise means clamping said discs against the adjacent side faces of their respective conductor rings.

Claim 11

A viscous electrical slipring construction comprising: a number of coaxial conductor ring pairs disposed side by side along a common axis each including generally concentric relatively rotatable radially inner and outer electrical conductor rings defining an intervening annular clearance space to contain an electrically conductive fluid medium such as mercury for conducting electrical current between the rings during relative rotation of said rings, a rotary seal assembly between the adjacent conductor ring pairs including a radially outer sealing disc having its outer circumferential portion interposed between the respective adjacent outer conductor rings and a pair of radially inner sealing discs having their radially inner circumferential portions interposed between the respective adjacent inner conductor rings, and the outer circumferential portions of said inner discs being disposed straddling radially overlapping relation with the inner circumferential portion of said outer disc, means clamping the adjacent inner conductor rings and the adjacent outer conductor rings together, thereby to secure and seal each outer sealing disc to the adjacent outer conductor rings and each pair of inner sealing discs to the adjacent inner conductor rings, and the overlapping sealing disc portions of each seal assembly bearing yieldably against one another to form a rotary fluid seal between the discs.

Claim 12

A viscous electrical slipring construction comprising: a number of coaxial conductor ring pairs disposed side by side along a common axis each including generally concentric relatively rotatable radially inner and outer electrical conductor rings defining an intervening annular clearance space to contain an electrically conductive fluid medium such as mercury for conducting electrical current between the rings during relative rotation of said rings, a rotary seal assembly between the adjacent conductor ring pairs including a radially outer sealing disc having its outer circumferential portion interposed between the respective adjacent outer conductor rings and a pair of radially inner sealing discs having their radially inner circumferential portions interposed between the respective adjacent inner conductor rings, and the outer circumferential portions of said inner discs being disposed straddling radially overlapping relation with the inner circumferential portion of said outer disc, means clamping the adjacent inner conductor rings and the adjacent outer conductor rings together, thereby to secure and seal each outer sealing disc to the adjacent outer conductor rings and each pair of inner sealing discs to the adjacent inner conductor rings, and the overlapping sealing disc portions of each seal assembly bearing yieldably against one another to form a rotary fluid seal between the discs.

Claim 13

A slipring construction according to claim 9 wherein: said sealing discs are substantially flat in their normal unstressed conditiOn, and the spacing between the inner circumferential portions of each pair of inner sealing discs is less than the thickness of the respective outer sealing disc whereby the outer portions of each pair of inner discs are deflected laterally away from one another by the intervening outer disc to create in the inner discs elastic strain force which yieldably retains the overlapping disc portions in sealing contact.

Claim 14

A slipring construction according to claim 10 including: a spacing disc interposed between the inner circumferential portions of each pair of inner sealing discs and having a thickness less than the respective outer sealing disc.

Claim 15

A slipring construction according to claim 9 including: a rotor extending through and supporting said inner conductor rings, a stator supporting said outer conductor rings, and bearings rotatably supporting said rotor in said stator for turning on said common axis.