Abstract:
Provided is a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a WRSM capable of reducing an axial length of a motor by increasing a contact area between the slip ring and the brush and improving reliability for smoothly implementing performance of the motor by stably supporting a shaft of the motor, the structure including: an inner slip ring combined with a rotation shaft of a motor; a brush disposed at a circumference of the inner slip ring and having a plurality of wrinkles contacting an outer circumferential surface of the inner slip ring formed therein; an outer slip ring disposed at a circumference of the brush and making in contact with the plurality of wrinkles of the brush; and a holder that supports the outer slip ring.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0081482, filed on Jun. 9, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM), and more particularly, to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a WRSM capable of reducing an axial length of a motor by increasing a contact area between the slip ring and the brush and improving reliability for smoothly implementing performance of the motor by stably supporting a shaft of the motor. 
       2. Discussion of Related Art 
       [0003]    In general, a hybrid car or an electric car that has been mentioned as an eco-friendly car, is driven by an electric motor that obtains a rotational force using electric energy. 
         [0004]    The hybrid car drives in an electric vehicle (EV) mode that is a pure electric car mode in which only power of the electric motor is used, or in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode in which both an engine and a rotational force of a driving motor are used as power. The conventional electric car drives using the rotational force of the driving motor as power. 
         [0005]    In this way, the driving motor used as a power source for the eco-friendly car is usually a permanent magnetic synchronous motor (PMSM). The PMSM is required to maximize performance of a permanent magnet so as to show the maximum performance on a limited layout condition. 
         [0006]    Here, neodymium (Nd) in the permanent magnet is used to improve an intensity of the permanent magnet, and dysprosium (Dy) is used to improve a high-temperature demagnetization resistance. However, rare-earth metals in the permanent magnet, such as Nd and Dy, are limitedly buried in some countries including China, etc. and are very expensive and have severe price fluctuation. 
         [0007]    In order to overcome these disadvantages, the use of an induction motor has been examined. However, there is a limitation in excessive increment in sizes, such as volume, weight, and the like, so as to show the same motor performance. 
         [0008]    Meanwhile, in related industry, development for a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) that replaces a PMSM as an electric motor used as the power source for the eco-friendly car has been more briskly carried out. 
         [0009]    The WRSM is capable of showing performance of a motor with an optimal increase of about 10% compared to the PMSM. The WRSM replaces a permanent magnet of the PMSM by winding a coil around a rotor and making the rotor in a state of an electromagnet when a current is applied to the coil. 
         [0010]    The WRSM is configured in such a way that a coil is wound around the rotor so as to generate a magnetic flux in the rotor and a brush and a slip ring are provided outside a housing of the motor so as to generate a magnetic flux by flowing a current through the coil and the current is applied to the coil through the brush and the slip ring. 
         [0011]    Meanwhile, the WRSM is configured in such a way that the brush is always maintained in mechanical contact with an outer circumferential surface of the slip ring so that a direct current (DC) is applied to the wound coil, and for continuous mechanical contact between the brush and the slip ring, an end of one side of the brush is elastically supported by a spring and the brush is maintained in a continuous contact state with the outer circumferential surface of the slip ring due to an elastic force of the spring and a current is transferred to the coil. 
         [0012]    However, in the conventional structure for a slip ring and a brush of a WRSM, a contact area between the slip ring and the brush for applying a DC is relatively small compared to the entire area of the slip ring such that a contact resistance increases when a high current is input to the coil through the brush and thus, heat dissipation and loss occur in the motor. Also, friction and abrasion occur in the contact surface due to repetitive mechanical contact between the brush and the slip ring, and due to such friction and abrasion, foreign substances, such as metal powder, are formed such that a spark, etc., occurs and the durable reliability of the motor is lowered. 
         [0013]    Furthermore, when the slip ring extends in an axial direction and the axial length of the slip ring is increased so that a sufficient contact area between the brush and the slip ring is obtained, the contact area between the slip ring and the brush is increased but, due to an increase in the axial length of the slip ring, the size of the motor may be excessively increased. 
       PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS 
     Patent Documents 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
             Patent document 1: Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0178158 (published on Nov. 20, 1998) 
             Patent document 2: Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-0055497 (published on Sep. 5, 2000) 
           
         
       
     
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The present invention is directed to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) capable of preventing heat dissipation and loss of the motor when a high current is input to the motor through the brush by increasing a contact area between the brush and the slip ring of the WRSM. 
         [0017]    The present invention is also directed to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) capable of improving reliability of smooth driving of the motor by equally distributing contact surfaces between the brush and the slip ring in a circumferential direction of the slip ring so that, even though a part of the contact surfaces is abraded, the other part of the contact surfaces is used to supplement the abraded part. 
         [0018]    The present invention is also directed to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) capable of improving durable reliability of the motor by discharging foreign substances generated by repetitive mechanical friction and abrasion of the brush and the slip ring toward an outside of the motor. 
         [0019]    The present invention is also directed to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) capable of reducing an axial length of the slip ring by increasing a contact area between the slip ring and the brush and reducing the overall axial size of the motor. 
         [0020]    The present invention is also directed to a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) capable of performing a damping function when a shaft of the motor shakes and improving a support strength of the shaft of the motor by stably supporting the shaft of the motor in all directions. The object of the present invention is not limited to the described above, and other objects not described may be apparently understood from the following description by those skilled in the art. 
         [0021]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM), the structure including: an inner slip ring combined with a rotation shaft of a motor; a brush disposed at a circumference of the inner slip ring and having a plurality of wrinkles contacting an outer circumferential surface of the inner slip ring formed therein; an outer slip ring disposed at a circumference of the brush and making in contact with the plurality of wrinkles of the brush; and a holder that supports the outer slip ring. 
         [0022]    The wrinkles of the brush may be arranged in a circumferential direction at equal intervals and may be in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the inner slip ring and an inner circumferential surface of the outer slip ring, respectively. 
         [0023]    Accommodation grooves in which the inner slip ring, the brush and the outer slip ring are accommodated, may be formed in the holder. 
         [0024]    Foreign substance discharge ports perforated in an axial direction to communicate with the accommodation grooves may be formed in the holder. 
         [0025]    A fan that induces forcible discharge of foreign substances through the foreign substance discharge ports may be installed at the motor. 
         [0026]    The holder may be press-fitted into and combined with the motor. Pin grooves into which pins are press-fitted, may be formed in the holder so that a position of the holder press-fitted into the motor is fixed. 
         [0027]    Magnetic bodies may be installed between the inner slip ring and the brush, and a sensor for detecting positions of the magnetic bodies may be installed at the holder. 
         [0028]    The magnetic bodies may be formed by injecting moldable magnetic materials between the inner slip ring and the brush. 
         [0029]    The sensor may be a hall sensor that may detect positions of the magnetic bodies using a hall effect. 
         [0030]    The structure may further include wires for applying a current to the outer slip ring, and the wires may be integrally installed in the holder together with wires for supplying power to the sensor. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0031]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0032]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating details of a combined structure for an inner slip ring, a brush, and an outer slip ring by omitting a holder from the structure illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is a front view of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating details of a combined structure for the brush and the inner slip ring by omitting the outer slip ring from the combined structure of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a WRSM according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a side view of  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0040]      FIG. 9  is a front view of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0041]    Hereinafter, a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0042]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is an excerpt of the slip ring and the brush combined with a rotation shaft of a motor and a holder that encompasses and supports the slip ring and the brush. Also,  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 . Furthermore,  FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating details of a combined structure for an inner slip ring, a brush, and an outer slip ring by omitting a holder from the structure illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 5  is a front view of  FIG. 4 . Also,  FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating details of a combined structure for the brush and the inner slip ring by omitting the outer slip ring from the combined structure of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0043]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the structure for the slip ring and the brush of the WRSM according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inner slip ring  120  combined with a rotation shaft  110  of the motor, a brush  130  disposed at an outside of the inner slip ring  120 , an outer slip ring  140  disposed at an outside of the brush  130 , wires  150  for applying a current to the outer slip ring  140 , and a holder  160  that supports the outer slip ring  140 . 
         [0044]    The inner slip ring  120  that is a current transfer medium for applying a current to a coil wound around a rotor (not shown) of the motor is formed to have a shape of a circular ring having a small thickness in which an axial length of the inner slip ring  120  is reduced compared to the conventional structure for a slip ring installed at the conventional motor. 
         [0045]    Two inner slip rings  120  are provided, are spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other in an axial direction, are press-fitted into, combined with and fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft  110  of the motor. 
         [0046]    The two inner slip rings  120  press-fitted into the rotation shaft  110  of the motor in this way are connected to a positive (+) pole and a negative (−) pole of the coil wound around the rotor of the motor, respectively, and are rotated as the rotation shaft  110  of the motor is rotated. 
         [0047]    Meanwhile, each of two brushes  130  is disposed in contact with an outer circumferential surface of each of the inner slip rings  120 . 
         [0048]    Each of the brushes  130  is formed to have a bellows type brush structure in which the entire shape of the brushes  130  is repetitively wrinkled in a wave form in a circumferential direction, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0049]    In this case, wrinkles  132  formed in the brushes  130  are arranged in the circumferential direction at equal intervals. 
         [0050]    When viewed from the front of the rotation shaft  110 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the wrinkles  132  of one-side brush  130  are disposed to cross the wrinkles  132  of the other-side brush  130 . 
         [0051]    This is to produce equal friction between each of the brushes  130  and each of the inner slip rings  120  when the rotation shaft  110  of the motor rotates. 
         [0052]    Also, ends of insides of the wrinkles  132  of each of the brushes  130  are maintained in contact with the outer circumferential surface of each of the inner slip rings  120  in a state in which each of the brushes  130  is disposed at a circumference of each of the inner slip rings  120 . 
         [0053]    Thus, while the rotation shaft  110  of the motor rotates, each of the brushes  130  is maintained in slide contact with each of the inner slip rings  120  at an inside of each of the brushes  130 , and a current flows through each of the inner slip rings  120  that contacts the wrinkles  132  of each of the brushes  130  so that the current is applied to the coil wound around the rotor of the motor and a magnetic flux for rotation is generated. 
         [0054]    Each of the brushes  130  is manufactured by sintering graphite and copper, as in the conventional brush. The graphite material thereof serves as a lubricant when slide friction between each of the brushes  130  and each of the inner slip rings  120  is produced. 
         [0055]    Also, in the structure for the bellows type brush  130 , the formation cycle and the number of the wrinkles  132  may be differently set according to the size of the diameter of each of the brushes  130  installed at the rotation shaft  110  of the motor. 
         [0056]    That is, the number of the brushes  130  and the formation length of the wrinkles  132  may be differently designed to be suitable for a support strength of the rotation shaft  110  of the motor and a contact area between each of the brushes  130  and each of the inner slip rings  120 . 
         [0057]    Also, as two bellows type brushes  130  are installed in an axial direction of the motor, a damping function can be equally maintained in a radial direction against shaking of a motor shaft due to an external load of the motor shaft, an electromagnetic force of the motor, an eccentric motion of a motor rotation body, etc., compared to a case where one bellows type brush  130  is installed, and the motor shaft can be equally supported. 
         [0058]    Furthermore, when the structure for the bellows type brush  130  is used, equal friction and abrasion between each of the brushes  130  and each of the slip rings  120  and  140  occur so that the durable reliability of the motor can be improved. 
         [0059]    Meanwhile, the outer slip ring  140  that is a medium for transferring a current to the brush  130  is disposed at a circumference of the brush  130 . 
         [0060]    An inner circumferential surface of the outer slip ring  140  is in contact with ends of outsides of the wrinkles  132  formed in the brush  130 . 
         [0061]    Thus, while the rotation shaft  110  of the motor rotates, the outer slip ring  140  is maintained in slide contact with outer parts of the wrinkles  132  of the brush  130 , and a current is transferred to the brush  130  through the contact parts. 
         [0062]    Also, the wires  150  are disposed in the outer slip ring  140  so that a current can be applied to the wires  150  from the outside. 
         [0063]    In this case, the wires  150  may be connected to one side of the outer slip ring  140  using a method, such as spot welding, fusing, or the like. 
         [0064]    In this case, no welding beads may be generated at an inner circumferential surface of the outer slip ring  140  that contacts the brush  130 . 
         [0065]    Through this structure, when a positive (+) current is applied to one of the wires  150  disposed in two outer slip rings  140  arranged in the axial direction and a negative (−) current is applied to the other one of the wires  150 , the positive (+) current and the negative (−) current are applied to the coil of the rotor through the brush  130  and the inner slip ring  120  that are sequentially in contact with the outer slip ring  140  so that a magnetic flux for driving the motor is generated. 
         [0066]    Meanwhile, the holder  160  is combined with a housing (not shown) of the motor so as to encompass and protect the inner slip ring  120 , the brush  130 , and the outer slip ring  140  that are sequentially combined with the rotation shaft  110  of the motor. 
         [0067]    In this case, two accommodation grooves  162  are formed at an inside of the holder  160  in a state in which a partition wall  161  is disposed between the two accommodation grooves  162 . 
         [0068]    The two accommodation grooves  162  form an annular space portion in which two sets of current transfer mediums including the outer slip ring  140 , the brush  130  and the inner slip ring  120  arranged in the axial direction can be respectively accommodated. 
         [0069]    In this case, a plurality of foreign substance discharge ports  164  perforated in the axial direction to communicate with each of the accommodation grooves  162  are formed in front and rear surfaces of the holders  160  disposed perpendicularly to the axial direction of the holder  160  so that metal foreign substances generated due to repetitive friction and abrasion between the brush  130  and each of the slip rings  120  and  140  can be discharged to the outside of the holder  160 . 
         [0070]    In this case, the plurality of foreign substance discharge ports  164  are disposed in the front and rear surfaces of the holder  160  in the circumferential direction at equal intervals. 
         [0071]    Also, a fan (not shown) may be installed at the rotor of the motor so as to smoothly discharge the foreign substances through the foreign substance discharge ports  164 . 
         [0072]    That is, the foreign substances in the accommodation grooves  162  are forcibly discharged to the outside through the foreign substance discharge ports  164  using a blowing force of the fan that rotates in communication with the rotor so that smooth discharge of the foreign substances can be induced. 
         [0073]    The holder  160  having the above configuration may be manufactured of reinforced plastics or engineering plastics in consideration of strength and elasticity. 
         [0074]    The holder  160  is combined with a housing of the motor using a press-fit method. In this case, the holder  160  is combined with the housing of the motor by press-fitting pins (not shown) between the housing of the motor and the holder  160  so that the holder  160  press-fitted into the housing of the motor can be fixed in a predetermined position not to move. 
         [0075]    To this end, a plurality of pin grooves  166  into which the pins may be press-fitted, are formed in an outer surface of the holder  160  and in an inner surface of the housing of the motor into which the holder  160  is press-fitted. 
         [0076]    The pin grooves  166  are formed in the outer surface of the holder  160  and the inner surface of the housing of the motor to have semicircular cross-sectional shapes, and in a state in which the holder  160  is press-fitted into the housing of the motor, the pins are press-fitted into the pin grooves  166  formed in the holder  160  and in both sides of the housing of the motor so that the position of the holder  160  can be fixed. 
         [0077]    In this way, as the holder  160  is combined with the housing of the motor by press-fitting the pins into the pin grooves  166  formed in the outer surface of the holder  160  and the inner surface of the housing of the motor, the holder  160  does not easily escape from the housing of the motor but can be fixed even when an external force is applied to the holder  160 . 
         [0078]    Because the above-described holder  160  performs the same function as that of a bearing that supports a part of the rotation shaft  110  of the motor in a state in which the holder  160  is combined with the housing of the motor, the size of a shaft bearing provided at the rotation shaft  110  of the motor can be reduced compared to the conventional art. 
         [0079]    When the structure for the slip ring and the brush of the WRSM having the above-described configuration according to the present invention is employed in an alternator for a vehicle, real-time position detection of the rotor that rotates inside the alternator has to be performed so that an accurate engine output assistance function can be implemented. 
         [0080]    However, in the conventional structure for a brush and a slip ring of a WRSM, there are many difficulties in implementing an optimized vehicle package due to the lack of a mounting space for the position detector mounted to detect the position of the rotor. 
         [0081]    To solve the problem, in the present invention, a simple configuration for position detection of the rotor is additionally installed in the structure for the slip ring and the brush according to the above-described embodiment so that a scheme for implementing a structure for a slip ring and a brush having a simple module shape in which position detection of the rotor is possible, is suggested. 
         [0082]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a WRSM according to another embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 8  is a side view of  FIG. 7 , and  FIG. 9  is a front view of  FIG. 7 . 
         [0083]    Referring to  FIGS. 7 through 9 , the structure for the slip ring and the brush of the WRSM according to another embodiment of the present invention includes magnetic bodies  172  and  174  provided between the inner slip ring  120  and the brush  130  so as to detect the position of the rotor and a sensor  180  for detecting positions of the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  that rotate integrally with the rotation shaft  110  of the motor, which are additionally provided in the structure for the slip ring and the brush having the above-described shape according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0084]    In this case, the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  are formed of moldable magnetic materials, and the moldable magnetic materials are injected between the inner slip ring  120  and the brush  130  so that the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  can be formed. 
         [0085]    In this way, each of the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  formed between the inner slip ring  120  and the brush  130  through injection of the magnetic materials includes an N-pole and an S-pole. As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , a pair of N-pole and S-pole magnetic bodies  172  and  174  may be disposed at an outside of the rotation shaft  110  to face each other. In this case, the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  may be configured through several combinations according to the number of poles provided in the rotor. 
         [0086]    Due to the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  molded between the inner slip ring  120  and the brush  130 , a space between the inner slip ring  120  and the brush  130  is maintained in a fixed state. Thus, the brush  130  when the rotation shaft  110  rotates, performs a rotation motion integrally with the rotation shaft  110 . 
         [0087]    In addition, the sensor  180  provided to detect the real-time positions of the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  may be a hall sensor that may sense the positions of the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  using a hall effect. 
         [0088]    The sensor  180  is buried in an inside of the holder  160  so as to detect the positions of the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  that rotate in communication with the rotation shaft  110 , as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0089]    Also, wires (not shown) for supplying power to the sensor  180  are integrally installed at the inside of the holder  160  together with the wires  150  for supplying a current to the outer slip ring  140  so that the structure for the slip ring and the brush having a simple structure in which no complicated wiring is required, can be implemented. 
         [0090]    In this way, the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  are installed between the inner slip ring  120  and the brush  130  of the WRSM, and the sensor  180  that may detect the real-time positions of the magnetic bodies  172  and  174  is installed at the holder  160  so that the structure for the slip ring and the brush of the WRSM is implemented in the form of one compact module. Thus, a package for detecting the position of the rotor can be simplified, and efficient space utilization is possible in terms of a package compared to the conventional field power supply unit and position detector. 
         [0091]    As described above, in a structure for a slip ring and a brush of a wound rotor synchronous motor (WRSM) according to the present invention, the following useful effects can be obtained. 
         [0092]    First, a contact area between the brush and the slip ring of the WRSM is greatly increased so that heat dissipation of a motor caused by high-current input can be minimized and damage of the motor caused by the heat dissipation can be prevented. 
         [0093]    Second, a plurality of contact surfaces on which the brush and the slip ring of the motor contact each other, are distributed in a circumferential direction at equal intervals so that equal friction and abrasion between the brush and the slip ring are possible, and even when a part of the contact surfaces of the brush is abraded, the other part thereof is used to supplement the abraded part so that the durable reliability of the motor can be improved. 
         [0094]    Third, even when metal foreign substances are generated due to repetitive mechanical friction and abrasion between the brush and the slip ring, the foreign substances can be smoothly discharged to an outside of the motor so that a spark can be prevented from occurring due to the foreign substances in the motor. 
         [0095]    Fourth, the contact area between the brush and the slip ring is increased so that the axial length of the slip ring can be reduced and thus, the overall axial size of the motor can be reduced. 
         [0096]    Fifth, even when an external load is applied to a rotation shaft of the motor, the rotation shaft of the motor can be equally and stably supported in several places through a bellows type brush structure. Furthermore, through the bellows type brush structure, a damping function can be provided to the rotation shaft of the motor so that shaking of the rotation shaft of the motor can be prevented and a rotation balance of the motor shaft can be stably maintained. 
         [0097]    Sixth, magnetic bodies are installed between an inner slip ring and the brush, and a sensor for detecting positions of the magnetic bodies is installed at a holder so that the structure for the slip ring and the brush of the WRSM can be implemented in the form of one module and a more simplified and compact position detection package compared to the conventional art can be implemented. 
         [0098]    Seventh, because wires for supplying power to the sensor and wires for applying a current to an outer slip ring are integrally disposed in the holder and a wiring structure of the wires can be simply realized, efficient space utilization can be implemented in terms of a package, and the entire package structure including a field power supply unit and a position detector can be simply implemented. 
         [0099]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the above-described exemplary embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers all such modifications provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.