Patent ID: 7001184

Claim:
A slip ring assembly comprising: a housing configured to removably receive a brush assembly and a ring assembly; a brush assembly comprising a brush holder formed as a separate unitary structure distinct from the housing and configured to be mounted in, removed from, and replaced in the housing, the brush assembly having a plurality of brushes and a plurality of connector pins extending from the holder in a cantilevered manner, each of the plurality of brushes comprising a thin flexible finger in electrical communication with a corresponding connector pin, wherein the connector pins are sized and configured to be joined to a standard connector; a ring assembly comprising a longitudinal central body rotatably mounted in the housing, a plurality of electrically conductive rings on the central body; and at least one spacer disposed between at least one pair of adjacent rings; wherein the slip ring assembly is configured such that at least one ring is maintained in physical contact with at least one brush as the central body rotates relative to the housing; wherein each brush and corresponding connector pin are made of a unitary piece of material; and wherein the brushes have a thickness dimension which is substantially smaller than a corresponding thickness dimension of their respective connector pins.