System and method for monitoring the status of one or more components of an electrical machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11949314-B2
Application number	US-202318112324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2023
Priority date	Oct 4, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

Example brush holder assemblies of an electric machine are disclosed. An example brush holder assembly of an electric machine includes a carbon brush including an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface. The brush holder assembly also includes one or more lead wires extending out of the carbon brush at an insertion point on the upper surface and a first cavity extending into the carbon brush from the upper surface at a location spaced away from the insertion point of the one or more lead wires and unobstructed by the one or more lead wires.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brush holder assembly for an electric machine, comprising:
a brush holder couplable to the electric machine;
a carbon brush slidably disposed within the brush holder, the carbon brush including an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and a first cavity extending into the carbon brush from the upper surface;
a spring including a first end coupled to the brush holder and a second end; and
a spacer disposed over the upper surface, the spacer including a first projection extending into the first cavity;
wherein a coiled portion of the spring proximate the second end is engaged with the spacer;
wherein the spacer includes one or more arcuate surfaces configured to cradle the coiled portion of the spring;
wherein the spacer is configured to be decoupled from the carbon brush in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface.

2. The brush holder assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spacer is non-rotatable relative to the carbon brush when the first projection extends into the first cavity.

3. The brush holder assembly of claim 1 , wherein a circumferentially outward facing surface of the coiled portion of the spring is engaged with the spacer.

4. The brush holder assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first projection extends away from a bottom surface of the spacer.

5. The brush holder assembly of claim 4 , wherein the bottom surface of the spacer is configured to abut the upper surface of the carbon brush.

6. The brush holder assembly of claim 1 , wherein one or more lead wires extend away from the upper surface of the carbon brush at a location spaced away from the first cavity.

7. The brush holder assembly of claim 1 , wherein the carbon brush includes a second cavity extending into the carbon brush from the upper surface.

8. The brush holder assembly of claim 7 , wherein the spacer includes a second projection extending into the second cavity.

9. A brush holder assembly for an electric machine, comprising:
a brush holder couplable to the electric machine;
a carbon brush slidably disposed within the brush holder, the carbon brush including an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and a first cavity extending into the carbon brush from the upper surface;
wherein the lower surface of the carbon brush is configured to engage a rotating surface of the electric machine when the brush holder is coupled to the electric machine;
a spring including a first end coupled to the brush holder and a second end; and
a spacer juxtaposed with the upper surface of the carbon brush, the spacer including a first projection extending away from a bottom surface of the spacer and into the first cavity;
wherein a coiled portion of the spring is cradled by an arcuate surface of the spacer;
wherein the spring is configured to apply a force to the carbon brush urging the lower surface of the carbon brush toward the rotating surface of the electric machine when the brush holder is coupled to the electric machine;
wherein the spacer is configured to be decoupled from the carbon brush in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface.

10. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , wherein the arcuate surface is disposed opposite the bottom surface of the spacer.

11. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , wherein the arcuate surface is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the spacer.

12. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , wherein the coiled portion of the spring is wound around an axis oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the carbon brush extending from the upper surface to the lower surface.

13. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , wherein engagement of the first projection with the first cavity is configured to maintain the spacer in a fixed relationship with the carbon brush.

14. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , wherein the first projection is configured to releasably engage with the first cavity.

15. The brush holder assembly of claim 14 , wherein the spacer is configured to be removed from the carbon brush through manual manipulation of the spacer relative to the carbon brush without damaging either the spacer or the carbon brush.

16. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , wherein the spacer is positioned to avoid contact between the spring and one or more lead wires fixedly attached to the carbon brush and extending from the upper surface thereof.

17. The brush holder assembly of claim 9 , further comprising a wear state monitor configured to measure parameters corresponding to a wear state of the carbon brush.

18. The brush holder assembly of claim 17 , wherein the wear state monitor is configured to move with the spacer toward the rotating surface as the lower surface of the carbon brush wears.

Assignees

• Cutsforth Inc

Inventors

• Cutsforth Robert S
• Cutsforth Dustin L
• Harrison David William Drury
• Bruey Douglas Christopher

Classifications

• H02K5/148 Primary

  Slidably supported brushes · CPC title

• H01R39/385

  Means for mechanical fixation of the brush holder · CPC title

• H01R39/388

  characterised by the material of the brush holder · CPC title

• H02K5/146

  Pivotally supported brushes or brush holders · CPC title

• H01R39/58 Primary

  Means structurally associated with the current collector for indicating condition thereof, e.g. for indicating brush wear · CPC title